Chapter 200: The Persistent Suitor

After leaving Roman Rhodes’s hospital room, Ronan Rhodes escorted Melody Summers and Winnie Summers to the underground parking garage. He watched them leave before heading back to the room.

Unexpectedly, just as he reached the door, he ran right into Kylie Walsh and her niece, Zara Walsh, who had come to visit.

Kylie held a bouquet of flowers and Zara a fruit basket. They were in the middle of a discussion with the Rhodes family bodyguards who were blocking their way.

Seeing Ronan approach, Zara flashed a smile and quickly greeted him, "Ronan, we heard Mr. Rhodes is sick, so we came to visit. I was wondering if it’s a convenient time for him?"

Beside her, Kylie Walsh also nodded, her elegant face showing a perfectly measured trace of concern.

She was nearly forty but had maintained her looks exceptionally well. Aside from the slightly sunken eye sockets that occasionally betrayed a hint of fatigue, time had left almost no trace on her face.

Like Zara, she was tall and slender. Because of the cold weather, she wore a long trench coat that revealed her graceful, swan-like neck, making her look like a model who had just stepped off the runway.

The fact that Kylie Walsh was pursuing Roman Rhodes was an open secret in their high-society circles. So, upon hearing of Roman’s illness, Kylie had immediately rushed over with Zara, only to be stopped by the Rhodes family bodyguards at the door.

Ronan frowned inwardly but maintained a polite smile. "I’ll go see if my uncle is awake. Please wait a moment, you two."

Watching Ronan’s retreating back, Kylie Walsh sighed imperceptibly. She raised a hand to adjust the custom-ordered bouquet in her arms, ’pondering how she might suggest staying to take care of Roman...’

Ronan knocked and entered Roman’s room. Roman was standing by the window, peering outside at something unknown.

Ronan was startled. "Uncle, why are you standing? Lie down, quickly! Be careful not to reopen your wound!"

Roman shook his head nonchalantly. "I’m fine. Just standing to help digest my food. It’s not good to lie around all the time. I’m going stir-crazy."

He felt his wound had already improved a lot. It had hurt a little when he first woke up, but the pain subsided after lunch. If the doctor hadn’t forbidden it, he would have gone back to work already!

Seeing Roman looking so composed, Ronan could only nod and say, "Uncle, since you’re in good spirits, Kylie Walsh and her niece, Zara, are here to see you. Should I call them in?"

Roman froze. Then, in a few quick strides, he walked back to the bed, lay down flat, closed his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "I’m a bit tired and need to rest. Please turn them away for me."

Ronan’s mouth twitched, but he couldn’t say much more.

He walked out of the room and back to Zara and Kylie. Facing their expectant gazes, he said apologetically, "I’m sorry, my uncle is asleep right now and can’t receive visitors. I’ll let him know you both stopped by when he wakes up."

Kylie Walsh’s smile froze for a moment before she composed herself into a graceful smile again. In a soft voice, she said, "It’s alright. I just came at a bad time. Please give him the flowers for me and wish him a speedy recovery. I’ll come visit again in a couple of days."

The two of them handed the flowers and fruit basket to the bodyguard and left.

On the way home, Zara noticed Kylie’s expression and whispered consolingly, "Aunt, please don’t be sad."

Kylie sighed, shook her head gently, and replied, "I’m fine."

Although she had been rebuffed today, Kylie wasn’t too upset. It wasn’t the first time Roman Rhodes had rejected her, after all. She had been chasing him for over twenty years, and his attitude had always been clear. It was her own unrequited affection.

But she wasn’t willing to give up just like that.

Kylie Walsh’s grandfather was a titan of the medical field in the country, a truly influential figure in the industry. In his early years, he single-handedly steered the great ship of the Walsh family, allowing it to soar to new heights.

Kylie was born when the Walsh family was at the zenith of its power. She grew up under her grandfather’s protection, with a prosperous and happy childhood.

Unfortunately, her grandfather passed away when she was in her early teens. Her mediocre father inherited the family business, and from that point on, the Walsh family began its decline.

By Kylie’s generation, the family’s situation had become even more difficult.

Kylie’s older brother—Zara’s father—had been a rich wastrel in his youth. It was a blessing from their ancestors that he had managed to keep the Walsh family from going bankrupt.

The younger generation was even less promising. Only Yuri Walsh showed some potential, but he was ultimately too young to support the family business on his own.

Over the years, Kylie had watched the Walsh family go downhill, and she was growing increasingly anxious. She desperately needed to marry up to solve the predicament of her family’s falling status.

Right now, the Rhodes family was in high demand. Roman Rhodes had already become a deputy director at a young age, and further promotions were a sure thing. His future prospects were limitless.

Plus, he was tall, handsome, and upstanding. No matter what, Kylie Walsh was determined to have him.

So what if Roman had always been cold to her? As long as she could marry him, Kylie felt she could endure it, even if it was a marriage in name only.

Seeing Kylie’s composed expression, Zara breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she started complaining in a resentful tone, "Aunt, Zane Simmons has been completely ignoring me lately. I heard that woman he’s keeping in the villa at The Metropolis Residences is pregnant again! What should I do... You have to help me think of something."

Kylie frowned at her words. "Pregnant again? What’s the deal with the Simmons family? The legitimate mistress of the house hasn’t even walked through the door, yet they keep popping out illegitimate children one after another..."

Seeing Zara’s gloomy expression, Kylie patted her hand reassuringly. "Even if she has a hundred, they’ll all be illegitimate. A girl from an ordinary family like that has no chance of moving up."

Kylie tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and continued, "In a high-society marriage, the people you need to win over aren’t Zane Simmons, but his parents. Zara, in a few days, your Aunt Paige is hosting a celebratory banquet at The Nimbus Hotel for her new breakthrough drug. You need to put some effort into that..."

******

After Winnie Summers and Melody Summers drove back to The Metropolis Residences, they found a large crowd gathered at the community’s main gate.

Some were carrying heavy steel plates, others held power drills and hammers, and still others were moving various tools and materials. They were repairing the damage from yesterday when terrorists had rammed through the checkpoint.

Manager Grant from the property management center stood in the crowd, directing the work and periodically checking the newly installed sections himself to ensure they were secure.

Seeing Melody and Winnie approach, Manager Grant proactively nodded a greeting to them.

Melody looked at the steel plates on the ground and asked, "Manager Grant, are you replacing the electronic gate with steel plates? Do you need any help?"

Manager Grant smiled and shook his head. "We have enough people here, so we don’t need your help for now. Some of the residents in the community are in the construction business. They helped design a new barricade system for the main gate. They say it’ll be so sturdy that not even a heavy truck could break through!"

The residents of The Metropolis Residences had always been a tight-knit community. Ever since last night’s incident, some of the residents in construction had worked together to design a plan to reinforce the main gate.

Manager Grant put down the steel plate he was holding, dusted off his hands, and said with some self-reproach, "Our community’s gate was already rammed through once before, back when we were distributing New Year’s supplies. If we had reinforced the gate back then, last night’s tragedy might not have happened..."

At the thought of last night’s terrorist attack, the expression on everyone’s face at the gate turned grim.