The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride
Chapter 617 Not Enough Fat for Warmth

Just now, when Patrick saw Jeffrey about to jump into the river, he could've stopped him, but he didn't. Vera had no clue what Patrick was thinking. He always had his own way of handling things, and no one could figure him out. "Ulysses was just a distraction to get me out of the way. I need to find out who else is behind this!" Patrick explained. Even if Jeffrey got caught, he wouldn't spill about his buddies. Not because he wanted to protect them, but to stir up more trouble.

When Susan heard Ulysses' name, she got all nervous and asked, "Patrick, what happened to my dad?"

"Nothing, he's fine," Patrick replied.

At the hospital, Susan went with Randall for a check-up. Molly went with Vera to find Theodore's doctor for a check-up.

Sebastian and Patrick were outside, talking. "Not planning to let him get arrested?"

Patrick stood in the hospital corridor, his eyes sharp, his voice cold. "Not yet."

Sebastian picked up on Patrick's anger. "If the cops find him first, I won't tell you where he is, but I secretly hope you get to him first."

"I will," Patrick said. Then Patrick went into the exam room, watching the doctor check on Theodore.

Theodore lay on the cushion, looking at Patrick and Vera, his little mouth pouting, about to cry. "He's fine, don't worry, the kid's pretty healthy." The doctor said, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The doctor liked Theodore, holding him and not wanting to give him back to Patrick and Vera. Looking at the kid's clothes, the doctor joked, "Dress him more warmly; his little bit of fat won't be enough."

Vera said, "We usually dress him warmly at home. We were just coming from the photo studio."

Theodore looked at Vera, wanting to be in her arms. Vera walked over and took the soft Theodore from the doctor's arms. She had had a crazy morning.

Randall had his leg checked and then Susan made him get a chest X-ray. Luckily, Susan noticed Randall kept rubbing his chest. After the exam, they found out Randall had soft tissue damage in his chest. Susan was both mad and worried. "Randall, why didn't you tell me earlier? If it got worse, your sternum could've fractured," Susan said.

When Patrick went to find Randall, he saw Susan scolding him. Randall sat there, admitting his mistake, his tone gentle. "I'm sorry, I was wrong, okay? Stop crying, I'm not seriously hurt."

Susan cried out of worry. "The doctor said it's serious, and you still don't take it seriously."

Patrick walked over with Theodore, and Susan quickly wiped her tears. Theodore, seeing Randall, surprisingly wanted to cling to him. But Randall was too weak to hold him as he still needed treatment.

"What happened?" Patrick asked. Randall downplayed it, "When Jeffrey was grabbing the kid, I held on tight, and he punched me. I thought it was just a minor bruise." At the time, Randall didn't tell the whole truth, not wanting Patrick and Vera to worry.

Vera walked over, looking at Randall who got hurt protecting Theodore. "Randall and Susan, thank you."

"No need to thank me. You're suddenly being so polite that I almost don't recognize you," Randall said, not used to Vera's sudden politeness.

Vera was genuinely grateful to Randall and Susan. One endured chest pain and drove straight into the chaos, and the other, despite being scared, rushed to save the child. Without them, Vera couldn't have managed.

They didn't continue with the photo shoot and went home. The Olteran family, upon hearing what Theodore had gone through, were all very anxious.

He was their precious baby, and he had just experienced a kidnapping. Theodore seemed to have suffered a "major injury," and whenever he cried, the whole family panicked.

Shawn, who was almost driven mad by Theodore last night and nearly refused to acknowledge him as his grandson, immediately held him and called him his little treasure upon learning the child was in danger. No one in the family cared for Theodore as much as he did.

Randall, because of his injury, was also doted on by Shawn. "Go lie down and recover. Don't go back to work until you're fully healed."

Randall replied, "Okay!"

By the river, Jeffrey dragged his broken arm through the water plants. His body was covered in bruises. His biggest mistake today was underestimating Vera. If not for that, he wouldn't have been defeated, forcing him to flee in panic. Jeffrey walked back along the path, with each step deepening his hatred for Patrick. After today, he knew he would be on the run again for a while.

When Jeffrey returned to the rental house, he looked at the sickly Emily and then at the scrawny Aleah. Compared to Patrick's son, the child in front of him was so thin, she seemed only half his size.

Jeffrey sat down, knowing he couldn't move with such burdens. He looked at Emily, picked up a thick rope, and gradually walked towards her.

The next day, the rental house was raided by the police. "Have you seen this man?" The police held up a photo of Jeffrey, asking the nearby tenants.

"Isn't that the man who lives at the end?" Someone recognized the person in the photo.

In this chaotic area, where vendors and gossipers mingled, a group of residents carried out their daily chores-some washing vegetables, others doing laundry. The low rent attracted a diverse mix of people, giving the place a disorderly feel. When the police broke in, they found a cold corpse. The room was desolate, with no light and a heavy moldy smell. Soon, the coroner arrived with a case. In the afternoon, the area was cordoned off.

At the Olteran Group, Scott sat in Patrick's office, legs crossed, arms spread out on the sofa cushions. He wore a red shirt, lounging on the sofa, looking back at Patrick, who was resting with his eyes closed.

"Why aren't you at home protecting Theodore? What are you doing at the office?" Scott asked.

Scott, exuding an air of mischief, had come to Zandonick early in the morning to confront Patrick after hearing about Theodore's kidnapping.

Patrick kept turning his wedding ring to clear his thoughts. Hearing this, Patrick slowly spoke, "Vera took leave to stay home with Theodore."

"Mr. Olteran, others are picking on Theodore, and you're just going to sit there? It looks like since you got married, you've become more..." Scott didn't say the word 'useless' out loud. After all, with Ian not around to take the hits, Scott didn't want to get beaten up.

Patrick's phone rang. He picked it up and put it to his ear. "Speak!"

"Mr. Olteran, Jeffrey is fleeing eastward, heading towards Blaze Mountain," a subordinate reported.