Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan)
Chapter 348

Hannah opened the text message with a smirk. She only needed a brief look before sidling up to me, phone in hand. My curiosity piqued. I peered at the screen and jolted in shock, quickly taking the phone from her.

The video clip showed exactly what I was hoping for-an inside view of a hospital room.

Jessica was there, so it was clearly Hazel's room.

Hazel was lying in the hospital bed, her face obscured by Jessica's figure, but the bandages on her legs and arms told me her injuries were severe.

On the other side, stretched out on a couch, was Farley, sound asleep.

Suddenly, a wail erupted from within, sending shivers down my spine, followed by intermittent shouts, "Call Jerome back... Get him for me..."

It was obvious Hazel wanted Jerome.

Hazel's reliance on Jerome ran deep-not only because Jerome was the head of the Dawson Group but also because he was known for his fearlessness and wild nature.

To Hazel, Jerome was her rock.

After joining the Dawsons, I found out that Hazel never blamed Jerome for the trouble he caused on the streets.

From a young age, Jerome had been part of a rough crowd, always getting into fights and asserting his dominance.

When Jerome got into a fight, and the aggrieved parties came knocking, Hazel never disciplined him. Instead, she scoffed at the victims, defiantly claiming, "It takes two to tango. Why hasn't my son been hit? Maybe your kid provoked him, and you have the nerve to come knocking! If you're so brave, go ahead and hit him. If you think I'm doing a poor job educating him, teach him a lesson yourself. I should be thanking you! Can't fight back and you run home to mommy? How pathetic."

She was utterly unreasonable.

One time, someone couldn't take it anymore and actually hit Jerome, which only unleashed Jerome's vicious side, and he ended up giving that person a savage beating.

That wasn't the end of it. That night, Hazel, with her three sons in tow, cornered them at their doorstep, hurling insults so fiercely that the family didn't dare show their faces for three days, fearful of Dawson's revenge.

So, when they lived in the tenement building, the Dawsons had a notorious reputation in the neighborhood. No one dared cross them. That was Hazel's pride-having sons, especially a powerful eldest like Jerome.

Jerome was Hazel's pillar of strength; she consulted with him on everything, relying on him for support.

When Jaylan started bringing in money, Hazel's arrogance knew no bounds. She saw herself as a cut above the rest.

If anyone questioned her boldness, the answer was her sons!

At that moment, I realized why her spirits had been low during Evan's memorial-not because of Evan's death, but because she couldn't reach Jerome. Jerome was the backbone of Hazel's arrogance. Now that Evan's incident had led to Jerome's disappearance, that was the real reason for her disarray. No wonder back at the Dawson's, when I mentioned Evan's death, she argued with me. And when I suggested she contact Jerome, her demeanor shifted.

In the video, Farley was probably jolted awake by Hazel's scream. Annoyed, he flipped over on the couch, trying to get back to sleep.

"Ah... Don't come near! Don't you come here!" Hazel shrieked again, her voice filled with terror and despair.

I immediately felt something was amiss and looked at Hannah, asking with suspicion, "What's going on?"

Hannah snorted, "Looks like she got the scare of her life!"

She chuckled, telling me, "Our guy Quincy who was keeping an eye on them said that Hazel was possessed, haunted!"

I frowned, hardly able to imagine.

Hannah quickly explained, laughing, "Quincy said they rushed her straight to the OR when she got to the hospital. You guessed it. Her clothes were all synthetic, and when they caught fire, they melted onto he skin.

She tried to rip them off, and now her hands are all burned too. That stuff is highly flammable, sticks and burns, hard to extinguish, or she wouldn't have such severe injuries. Burns are all over her legs and body. It's extensive. Plus, she's been talking nonsense since she woke up, screaming, 'Don't come near me. Stay away. Don't come here!' She must be terrified! Serves her right!"

"People say, if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear! Hazel must know where the kid was taken!" I said, still focused on the screen, certain of my conclusion.

"So, with Evan gone and Jerome missing, she's falling apart!" Hannah added.

Another pained cry from the video, and Farley suddenly sat up on the couch...