Chapter 329

Ivy’s hands trembled slightly as she held the phone, her eyes fixed on the doctor dabbing at Jamison’s wounds with a bloodstained cotton ball. The muscles in Jamison’s back tensed and twitched involuntarily, and with every wince of pain, Ivy’s heart squeezed painfully in her chest.

Not wanting her to witness the ordeal, Jamison gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said quietly, “Go out and talk to my brother. Tell him not to worry–I’m alright.”

Snapping back to herself, Ivy met his gaze. With so many people crowding the small clinic room, it wasn’t exactly appropriate to have her phone on speaker. She nodded, turned off the speaker, and stepped out.

“Thad, it’s Ivy. I’m sorry. Jamison got hurt because of me.” Ivy held the phone to her ear, her tone polite and respectful as she admitted fault.

Thad’s voice came through, tense. “Now’s not the time to argue about who’s to blame. Just tell me what happened.”

“We were in the village,” Ivy began, voice tight. “There was a conflict with some of the locals. An old man collapsed and died suddenly. Jamison tried to help, but the villagers panicked–thought he was trying to hurt the old man instead of help. Things got out of control…”

“Didn’t Jamison bring plenty of people with him?”

“He did. There were also police officers present. But the villagers were mostly the elderly, the sick, and there were even kids around. The police and security held back, trying not to escalate things.”

“Unbelievable!” Thad hissed in frustration. “In broad daylight, in this day and age–how can people still be so backwards?”

He could hardly believe such ignorance and chaos could happen in modern society. Davina took the phone from her husband, her voice calm and steady. “Ivy, it’s Davina. Are you hurt?”

It was the first time Ivy had spoken with Davina, even if only over the phone. She couldn’t help but feel a complicated tangle of emotions; after all, this was the woman Jamison had loved for so many years. But now wasn’t the time for unresolved feelings.

“I’m alright, Davina. Jamison made sure nothing happened to me,” Ivy replied, her voice polite but sincere.

“That’s good to hear. Where are you now? What’s the medical situation like?”

Ivy steadied herself and quickly explained the circumstances–they were at the small town clinic, but the staff was overwhelmed and short-handed.

Davina responded without hesitation, “We’ll send help right away. Don’t worry, everything will be taken care of.”

“Thank you, Davina.”

“We’re family, Ivy. No need for thanks.”

As soon as the call ended, Davina immediately reached out to her own family.

The Fosters and the Ludwigs–this was more than a marriage, it was an alliance of political and business power. The Foster family was steeped in public service; Davina’s grandfather and father both held prominent government positions, her grandfather even higher still. The Ludwig family, on the other hand, were business royalty, their wealth and influence tracing back decades. The marriage was a perfect match–power meeting power.

With one call from Davina, her family set the wheels in motion, tapping into their network of political connections.

In less than thirty minutes, every official in town–from the mayor and city council down to the chief of police–had hurried to the clinic.

Gregory, who was still being forced to kneel on the steps outside by the security detail, saw the parade of officials rushing in and assumed his saviors had arrived. He began to wail, begging for someone to stand up for him, loudly recounting his version of events.

But the officials barely spared him a glance, their expressions cold and full of contempt. Not one of them paused; they all made a beeline for the treatment rooms.

Inside, the chief of police was stunned at the sight of so many injured people. A public incident of this scale, and he’d been completely in the dark? His heart sank. He knew instantly–his career was over.

Jamison, having heard from Ivy that Thad and Davina would send help, immediately understood what was happening when the officials flooded in.

“Excuse me, which one of you is Mr. Ludwig?” The mayor wrung his hands nervously, face full of deference.

Derek pointed. “This is Mr. Ludwig.”

The officials hurried over, the mayor stretching out his hand for a handshake, but just as quickly withdrawing it when he saw Jamison’s injuries.

“Mr. Ludwig, I’m so sorry. We had no idea things had gotten so out of hand here in Silverfen. Please rest assured–the provincial office is already involved, and a special task force will be here soon. County leaders are on their way as well. If you have any needs at all, just say the word!”