Chapter 116: Entering the Sanatorium
Watching Vicky standing at the gate of the sanatorium, drenched in the heavy rain, Joseph's smile grew even wider, his tone filled with mockery.
"My dear niece, you're here quite early." Joseph said.
The sound of his voice was so grating to Vicky's ears, it instantly ignited a blaze of anger within her. She had woken up early to prepare for her grandfather's birthday banquet, braved the pouring rain, and waited at the sanatorium gate, only to be denied entry...
She immediately realized what the gatekeeper had meant earlier.
"Did you tell him not to let me in?" Vicky demanded, struggling to suppress her fury. "I am my grandfather's only granddaughter. Why can't I go in? What right do you have to stop me?"
"Why?" Joseph sneered, his disdain evident. "Because you've already been expelled from the family. You no longer belong to the Smith family. Is that reason enough for you?"
His words hit Vicky like a bucket of cold water. She felt as if a fishbone were stuck in her throat, unable to say a word.
"Mr.Joseph, you're here." the middle-aged gatekeeper greeted, having donned his raincoat and approached Joseph.
His face was now adorned with a flattering smile, in stark contrast to his earlier attitude toward Vicky.
"Mr.Joseph, why didn't you inform us beforehand?" The man said, suddenly realizing something and quickly turning to push open the iron gate of the sanatorium.
Seated comfortably inside the car, Joseph nodded in satisfaction. His eyes filled with even more mockery as he looked at Vicky.
"Alright, it's getting late. It's time to go in!" Joseph waved at the driver, and the black business car slowly drove into the sanatorium. As it passed the gate, he said to the gatekeeper, "Remember what I said, no irrelevant people are allowed inside, especially her!"
"Understood, understood, rest assured." the middle-aged man replied with a cheerful smile.
In no time.
Joseph's convoy drove into the sanatorium. The gatekeeper quickly closed the iron gate. When he looked back at Vicky, the smile had disappeared from his face.
"Go back, you heard him. It's not me who's not letting you in, it's Mr.Joseph." he said, ducking back into his room.
Standing in the pouring rain outside the sanatorium gates, Vicky felt a chilling coldness seep into her heart.
She hadn't expected her uncle Joseph to deny her even the chance to visit her grandfather...
The end of days was approaching, and this might be her last chance to see her grandfather!
"Let me in, let me in!" The emotions Vicky had been suppressing surged uncontrollably like a flood breaking through a dam. She kept banging on the gate's glass.
Her eyes were misty with tears.
However, the gatekeeper was resolute. He glared at Vicky before indifferently returning to his phone.
Vicky felt nothing but despair surging in her heart, her emotions filled with resentment, unwillingness, and anger.
But she had already been expelled from the family, and in the face of her second uncle Joseph, who had become the chairman of Ocean Group, she didn't have the slightest ability to resist...
Just then, Vicky suddenly felt as if the rain had subsided. When she looked up, she found that a black umbrella had been opened over her head without her noticing.
"Irving...Irving!" Upon turning around, Vicky saw that familiar face. The tears that had been swirling in her eyes uncontrollably spilled out, dropping like pearls off a string.
She embraced Irving tightly.
"It's okay, stop crying." Irving looked at Vicky in his arms, gently wiped the tears off her cheeks, and joked, "You'll ruin your face with crying. Your grandfather won't recognize you when he sees you."
Vicky looked at him, stunned, then glanced at the locked iron gate. "Are you saying I can see my grandfather...But I can't even get through the door. My uncle has spoken to the nursing home. They won't let me in."
"They won't let you in?" Irving chuckled.
Then he tapped on the window of the gatehouse.
The middle-aged man inside looked up, saw another unfamiliar face, and handed over the registration book he'd previously thrown on the table. "You'll need to register first. Who are you here to see?"
Looking at the registration book thrown in front of him, Irving simply said, "Open the gate."
"Open the gate?" The middle-aged gatekeeper was taken aback, and a flicker of nameless anger rose in his heart. He glanced at Vicky who was following closely behind Irving, and seemed to understand something. "You must be here for Devin too, right? Open the gate? Who do you think you are? No entry!"
"No entry." the two words were uttered with emphasis by the middle-aged man, as if announcing that this was his territory.
As the gatekeeper of Benevolent Sanatorium, there were many visitors every day. Entry was granted or denied depending on his mood for those who hadn't made appointments in advance.
A gatekeeping job like his also comes with many perks.
Most importantly, Joseph had specifically instructed him not to let Vicky into the nursing home.
"I'll say it one last time, open the gate." Irving said, a chill flashing in his deep-set eyes. He was not making a request, but a command.
Bang!
There was a muffled sound, and the gatekeeper rolled his eyes and closed the window.
"Irving, maybe we should just let it go..." Vicky had been prepared for this before she came. She said helplessly.
She didn't want Irving to do something impulsive because of her.
Benevolent Sanatorium housed the wealthy and powerful. The end of the world hadn't truly arrived yet, but if any trouble arose here, the security department would quickly arrive, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
"I said I would bring you in to see your grandfather today, and I won't break my promise." A smile appeared on Irving's face.
For him, the iron gate before them was no obstacle at all. He could easily cast a [Fireball] spell to break in.
However, he disdained such dirty work.
Irving turned around and looked down the slope not far away. There was a group of people braving the heavy rain, approaching with baseball bats and even machetes in their hands.
"Irving, who are they?" Vicky was stunned.
In just a moment, the group arrived at the entrance of the Sanatorium. The bald man leading them glanced at Irving and then waved to the people behind him.
"Smash it!" The bald man was Alan.
Last night at the Raging Waves Bar, Irving had instructed him to bring his men to help today. In return, the events of last night would be written off.
After all, the mastermind behind Jony's kidnapping was Addison, who was already dead. As for Alan and these thugs, they were just mercenaries doing a job for money.
Irving wasn't interested in holding a grudge against these people. Instead, he could use them to do some of his work.
Bang!
After witnessing Irving's power last night, Alan was still in awe, so he worked even harder.
With a fierce shout, Alan charged forward, swinging his baseball bat and smashing it hard against the window of the gatehouse.
As for the thugs he brought along, though they were insignificant in front of Irving, they were terrifying hooligans to ordinary people. This kind of job was their forte.
In just five minutes, the gatehouse of the Sanatorium was a complete wreck.
"Spare me, spare me!" The gatekeeper was dragged out by one of the thugs, trembling with fear. "I... I'm just a doorman. Please, spare me!"
The pouring rain drenched the gatekeeper, who had been leisurely playing on his phone just moments ago. Now, he knelt on the ground, soaked to the skin, desperately begging for his life.
Looking at the gathering hooligans before him, he glanced at Irving not far away and seemed to understand the situation.
"Open the gate, I'll open it right now." the gatekeeper cried with a trembling voice.
"Now you want to open it? Too late!" Alan's eyes widened in anger. He grabbed the gatekeeper by the collar like a chick and then punched him hard in the nose.
The other thugs saw this and began to kick and punch the gatekeeper as well.
Lying on the ground, unable to lift his head, the gatekeeper regretted deeply. Facing these sudden hooligans, he could only hold his head and beg continuously.
However, his pleas soon turned into cries of pain...
The iron gate slowly opened.
"Let's go." Irving said with a smile.
The fight beside him seemed to have nothing to do with him. He glanced at it indifferently and then led Vicky towards the white building of the nursing home. Wendy followed closely behind them.
On the fifth floor of the Sanatorium.
In room 501, the environment was elegant and serene.
On the bed lay an elderly man with white hair. Despite his age, he exuded a certain dignity, though his old face showed signs of fatigue.
"Father, I'm here to see you again!" Joseph said with a beaming smile. He then signaled to his assistant and continued, "Today is your birthday, and I remember it well."
With that, the assistant took out a pile of expensive tonics.
The nurse nearby, seeing this, quickly praised, "Mr.Devin, your son is really filial. He brings so many gifts every time he comes. You are truly blessed!"