Chapter 433

Francis let out a scream and tumbled off the platform into the furnace, sending molten iron splashing everywhere. His screams echoed, making Paxton's crew shiver.

Paxton stayed cool. "Alright, let's head to the hospital."

With that, Paxton turned and walked out, his crew trailing behind him.

Once they were gone, a shadowy figure emerged from the corner, grabbed the three diaries, and slipped out of the steel mill.

Paxton arrived at the hospital and made a beeline for the ICU.

Pearl's doctor, Allan, was already there waiting for him.

"Mr. Brown, are you sure about this? Ms. Brown's condition has just started to improve. With more treatment, she could get better," Allan tried to persuade him.

Paxton glanced through the glass at Pearl, a flicker of pain in his eyes quickly replaced by a steely resolve.

"Your idea of improvement is just that she hasn't had another breakdown. It doesn't mean she's accepted her situation," Paxton said coldly, his voice devoid of any warmth.

Allan took a step back, sensing Paxton was about to do something drastic.

Paxton looked at Pearl lying in the hospital bed and said, "My daughter cares a lot about her looks. If she ever realizes what she's become, she'd rather die. Maybe I should help her with that. But first, I need to find out who did this to her."

With that, Paxton pushed open the ICU door and walked in, not bothering with protective gear.

Allan was stunned. It seemed Paxton was determined to end Pearl's life today. He wanted to intervene but was stopped by one of Paxton's men.

"Doc, maybe you have a conscience, but please respect the wishes of the patient and her family. And think about your own safety," one of Paxton's men warned.

Allan slowly calmed down. He couldn't bear to watch what was about to happen, so he turned away and closed his eyes.

Paxton reached Pearl's bedside. She still had a cochlear implant. Hearing the familiar footsteps, her body twitched.

"Pearl, it's Dad. I know you can hear me. I'm going to say some names, and if one of them hurt you, give me a sign," Paxton said. Pearl's body started to tremble.

"Was it Joseph who hurt you?" Paxton asked.

Pearl's trembling stayed the same. Disappointment flashed in Paxton's eyes. Joseph wasn't the one; he was innocent.

"Was it Bianca? Did she hurt you?" Paxton continued.

When Pearl heard Bianca's name, her trembling increased slightly, but Paxton could tell it was still within her tolerance.

A shadow crossed Paxton's face. Earlier, when Pearl heard Bianca's name, she had twisted violently. It seemed that with the new information and her emotional instability, Paxton had mistakenly thought Bianca was involved too.

"Looks like I was wrong about Bianca," Paxton muttered, then moved on to the next name.

"Was it Isabella who did this to you?" he asked. Pearl's body started shaking violently.

Paxton's brows knitted together. Pearl's reaction suggested Isabella was involved, but he knew Pearl's strong dislike for Isabella and couldn't tell if it was because Isabella had harmed her or just because of her hatred.

As Paxton's frown deepened, a thought struck him.

He recalled the news from a few days ago about Isabella cheating on Joseph, which had caused a stir in her endorsements. But soon after, it was revealed that Bianca was behind it, and even Joseph had come forward to explain.

'Why was Joseph's name in the diary? Could it be Isabella's mysterious husband?' Paxton's heart pounded as he realized they had all overlooked Isabella's mysterious husband. Finally, it clicked.

Paxton leaned in and whispered into Pearl's ear, "Did Isabella's husband do this to you?"

Pearl's body began to tremble violently, even twisting, and the monitors around her started blaring alarms.

The ICU was filled with the sound of alarms. Paxton was taken aback. From Pearl's reaction, it was clear that Isabella's husband was definitely the culprit.

"So it was him! It really was him! A man who even the four major families couldn't trace, how could he be just an ordinary office worker?" A crazed smile flashed in Paxton's eyes. Everything suddenly made sense.

But Pearl's condition was critical, teetering on the edge of life and death. Allan stood outside the ICU, torn between his duty to save a life and his uncertainty about what to do.

When Paxton finally walked out of the ICU, he calmly told Allan, "Save her. If you can, do it. If not, let her go peacefully."

Paxton waved his hand and sat down outside the ward.

With Paxton's command, Allan breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly led the nurses into the ICU to start treating Pearl.

While Pearl was being treated, Paxton pulled out his phone and called Zoey.

Zoey was out shopping with Estella when she got the call from Paxton, her brows furrowing.

"Why are you calling me now? Don't you know I'm out shopping with Ms. Foster?" Zoey's tone was annoyed, as their collaboration still needed Estella's involvement.

But when Zoey heard what Paxton said, her phone slipped from her hand in shock.