Chapter 622

Some things in life just can’t be undone–there’s no medicine for regret.

Ivy woke with a start to see it was already nine. She reached for her phone and immediately noticed the sticky note left on the screen. Jamison had written that he’d gone out to take care of something, but would be back by noon to have lunch with her. Assuming work at the hospital had kept him busy, Ivy texted back:

You don’t have to rush home for lunch. I’ll go back to Golden Maple Estate and have lunch with Katrina–see how she’s holding up lately.

Katrina had been caring for her mother in the hospital recently, so she’d moved out of the dorms and was staying back at Golden Maple Estate.

After sending the message, Ivy got out of bed and went through her morning routine. Just as she was about to leave, her phone rang. Jamison was calling.

“Hey, are you finished with work?” Ivy answered, her voice gentle and warm.

Jamison gave a low, tired reply, then asked, “Are you already out the door?”

“Just about to leave,” she said.

“There’s still a car in the garage. The keys are in the box by the entryway.”

Ivy had just slipped on her shoes at the door; she glanced at the storage box, picked up the keys, and replied, “Found them.”

“Drive safe,” Jamison said simply, as if he had no intention of chatting more.

Ivy stepped outside, but she could tell something was off in his tone. As she waited for the elevator, she asked with concern, “Is something wrong? What were you busy with this morning? You don’t sound like yourself.”

Jamison let out a long sigh before answering, his tone subdued as he recounted the events of his morning.

“I went to negotiate with the Carters. They admitted those two car accidents were orchestrated by them–Mr. Carter blamed Sheridan, put on a show of scolding him, and then offered some half-hearted apology.”

He gave a cold laugh, clearly unmoved by the Carters’ apology. Then he brought up Emma. “She’s back with Sheridan now. Looks like they dragged her there to take care of him.”

Ivy stepped into the elevator, puzzled. “The Carters don’t have any staff? Sheridan’s sick and they won’t hire a professional nurse? What do they need Emma for?”

“Doesn’t matter how much the Carters offer–no one’s willing to come.”

“Why not?” Ivy asked, but before Jamison could answer, realization dawned on her. “Wait… Sheridan has something contagious, doesn’t he?”

“You could say that.”

“HIV?” Ivy ventured.

“Yeah. Emma told me Sheridan’s been diagnosed. From what I saw, he’s already symptomatic.”

Ivy had half-expected this news, but hearing it confirmed still left her stunned. For a family as powerful as the Carters, this meant Sheridan’s life was over–his future, his place in the family, all gone. The other relatives would fight over everything that once belonged to him.

“What about Emma?” Ivy asked quietly.

“No idea. She probably suspects, but hasn’t bothered to get checked. Maybe she doesn’t see the point anymore.” Jamison remembered the incident where Emma had bitten the bodyguard and was convinced she’d already be infected.

Standing in the elevator, Ivy held the phone to her ear and watched the numbers tick down, lost in thought.

What goes around comes around. Fate has a way of settling its debts.

Emma had once spread rumors that Ivy was HIV-positive, turning her own family against her and making her a social pariah. Everywhere she went, people treated her like a leper, no matter how she tried to defend herself. No one believed her; they just looked at her with contempt and disgust.

Now, fate had come full circle–Emma herself had contracted HIV.

Justice, at last. Retribution, undeniable.