However, the guard said, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid someone has already taken the body away."
'What? Took away?" Liam felt extremely anxious. "Who?"
"One of Mr. Moran's family members. They took him away last night."
'So that means the Morans know! But… why isn't there any news about it?" Liam fell into deep thought. He turned his phone on and browsed through the latest news. However, the stock market, the media, and even Moran Group were as calm as still water.
'This is strange! Could this just be a misunderstanding? Was it someone else who died?'
"I'd like to ask… Was that body… the CEO of Moran Group, Ace Moran?" Liam tried to confirm this with the guard.
"I think so. The one who took the body away was Mr. Moran's father himself," the employee replied honestly.
"Well that's weird…" Liam remained doubtful as he returned to Joanna's ward.
Coincidentally, Clara had brought her boyfriend, William, over to visit Joanna.
"Joan, I was worried sick about you! Why did you go missing for an entire night! How did you end up like this? Who did this to you? I'll take revenge for you right away!" She said angrily as she hugged the woman, her eyes watery.
"No one. I just wasn't careful and tripped." Joanna nudged her friend reassuringly, seemingly confident. ' Don't worry, this is just a minor injury! I just need to rest for a couple of weeks, and then I'll be ready to
go!"
William seemed eager to help. "My family studies medicine, and my father knows many famous orthopedists. I can recommend some to you if you'd like, Miss Pierce."
Clara quickly chimed in. "Is that even a question? Of course she'd need them! Call them over right now! We have to get Ren the very best doctors. I'll only feel relieved then!"
William nodded. "Okay, I'll make the call right now."
Joanna found it quite troublesome, but after hearing that they were orthopedists, she responded, "Thank you in advance, Mr. Jones. I may not need it, but Ace Moran does."
"Ace Moran? What does this have to do with him?" Clara instantly caught on, quickly questioning the woman. "Did he hurt himself like you did?"
"He suffered from worse injuries just to save me. He almost had his leg amputated too. Good thing he's a tough guy though, and managed to survive. But I think it's still best to have a doctor check on him just in case."
"Huh… Wait!" Clara couldn't process all this information at once. 'I didn't mishear her, did I? Moran saved Joan and almost lost a leg? What kind of romantic scenario is that?! Why would that scumbag do something like that in the first place?'
"Didn't Liam tell you? I really have to thank him this time, which is why we should have a famous doctor check on him. How else would I return the favor?"
Joanna wasn't one to be ungrateful, and purely wanted to repay the man's kindness.
Liam just so happened to overhear this, and quickly stepped in. "I don't think that's necessary. The legendary Ace Moran would be able to hire any doctor he wishes!"
"If you're too enthisiastic in helping him, he might misunderstand your intentions and think that you're still into him or something. It might lead to some unnecessary drama… unless you actually want that."
Clara found Liam's advice reasonable. "Ace Moran is so self-absorbed too, so he'll definitely think you haven't moved on from him. I think it's unnecessary too."
"You're right." Joanna nodded. She realized that she was being too hospitable, and it would be hard for anyone to not misunderstand…
The woman then promised the two, and also herself, "I'll be more careful in the future."
After talking for a while, Clara held hands with William and got up to leave.
"Hold on." Joanna called out to them. "I have something I'd like to discuss with Mr. Jones privately, is that okay?"
"Of course!" Clara agreed without any hesitation. She was just like her brother, and trusted Joanna completely. "Bestie, help me keep an eye on that guy, I trust your judgment."
Before Clara left, she smirked at Joanna, then patted William on the shoulder. "Do your best, but if my bestie won't give us her blessing, I will never marry you!"
"Don't worry, I'm confident that Miss Pierce can see how genuine my feelings are for you." William smiled, looking at Joanna with certainty." Right, Miss Pierce?"
"Maybe." Joanna's lips curved upwards as she said mysteriously.
As the siblings left the ward together, the smile on Joanna's face disappeared, and her gaze turned cold. "Close the door, please."
William was rather cooperative, approaching Joanna with a warm smile. "I'm sure you've already looked into my past, Miss Pierce."
Joanna seemed quite surprised, huffing coldly. "You're smarter than I thought."
"You're too kind, Miss Pierce. Clara talks about you a lot, so I know you're a devoted, careful, and meticulous person. Now that your best friend is marrying all of a sudden, it's reasonable for you to look into me."
"Good, not only are you intelligent, but you're quite understanding too. It's true that I can't nitpick much." Joanna had never expected William to be so humble. He wasn't mad that she looked into his background, which made her feel slightly ashamed of her own actions.
"Come clean yourself then, what's your purpose of getting close to Clara?" Joanna asked straightforwardly, not intending to waste her time and energy. William smiled softly. "That's an odd question, isn't it, Miss Pierce? I love Clara, so I approached her because I want to be with her. I'd like to become her husband and stay together for eternity."
"Save it!" Joanna's expression was filled with disdain. "You may be able to fool a sweet girl like Clara, but you can't fool me. I know how twisted and obsessive your past relationship was. Besides, you're a smart man, so you couldn't possibly have not known that your ex is considered a person of interest to us."
"You mean Alice?" William's gaze shifted slightly, as his smile grew colder. "You have great connections, Miss Pierce. I didn't expect you to find out about my terrible past…"
"That's right, Alice was indeed my first love. I was so in love with her that I went mad, and did a lot of irrational things just to win her heart. But that's all in the past now, and I've tried my best to wipe the slate clean."
"I don't know how you found out about that, but it doesn't matter. I just hope you won't bring this up anymore, when I've already regained my rationality and want to start a new life. Please allow me to do so, at the very least!"
Joanna chuckled, her expression still frosty. "Don't act like a victim, I refuse to believe that you can fall for someone new after loving her so obsessively! You must have a hidden motive!"
She had been through enough to see through these scumbag men, and knew that she shouldn't trust them easily. Moreover, William and Clara were advancing way too quickly. With his history with Alice, she couldn't help but feel wary of him.
William didn't get mad at all, retorting, "Well, Miss Pierce, didn't you obsess over a man who didn't love you back too? You ended up quite hurt yourself. So, does that mean you'd stop loving after that?"
Joanna looked taken aback. "I'm different from you. You loved Alice Desrosiers, so you should know what type of person she is. You-"
"And how is Ace Moran any better than Alice? We share the same fate, so you're just a pot calling the kettle black. If you can fall in love with someone new, why can't I?"
William tilted his head as he stared at Joanna. "Or could it be that… you've never moved on from Ace Moran, and you can't possibly fall for someone else?"
'That's not it!" Joanna denied as she gritted her teeth.
"So there you have it… You had the same experience as I did, and you still fell in love with someone else. So why can't I? You're just being critical because I fell for your best friend!"
"M-Maybe!" Joanna replied, somewhat convinced