Chapter 8
“I can’t help it… I’ve limited myself to one bottle a day.”
Lucas snatched the wine bottle from her without a word. It was almost finished, so taking it seemed almost meaningless.
“Our handsome son. It’s been a while—you should give your mother a hug.”
Lucas took a moment to compose himself, then approached Elizabeth and hugged her dryly. He subconsciously frowned at the overpowering scent of her strong perfume.
“Drinking almost a full bottle of wine in the morning… impressive.”
He sat on the single sofa opposite Elizabeth.
“You’re the only one who understands me. My great husband is busy going everywhere. You’re busy treating people. Yet you can’t even take care of your own mother.”
Elizabeth laughed loudly, tilting her head back.
“Mother.”
“Oh, don’t call me that in such a low voice. It’s scary.”
Her frivolous laughter followed. It was hard to believe she had once been the most elegant Mrs. Harrington.
“Mother, are you eating properly?”
“Hmm… well, wine still tastes the best.”
“Wine isn’t food. At this rate, your favorite wine will harm your health.”
“Who says I need a doctor’s nagging?”
For a moment, Elizabeth’s eyes glinted sharply.
“If you need anything, just say it. I’ll give it to you.”
“Anything…?”
“Yes, anything.”
“….”
Lucas met her gaze. Elizabeth examined his face carefully, then smirked.
“Lucas, you really take after your father.”
“….”
“The looks, the intelligence, and that formal, rational way of judging everything.”
“….”
“That’s why I dislike you. I truly, disgustingly dislike you.”
“Mrs. Harrington!”
If Claire hadn’t intervened, Elizabeth would have continued to spout her hatred for Lucas for dozens of minutes. It wasn’t surprising—she had the same routine—but today it stung a bit. Lucas had tried to remain detached and come to comfort her, yet he received nothing but scorn.
Being constantly criticized felt especially painful today.
“You should take after me. Why your father? Will you also end up juggling women like him? And then run for president, huh? Could the first US president from a surgical background emerge?”
Elizabeth’s loud laughter filled the silent room. She knew very well that Jonathan dreamed of eventually becoming President of the United States.
“But he’ll never become president. Why? Because I have no intention of being the First Lady. I’ll ruin him before that—maybe even end his life. Claire, you agree with me, right?”
Claire’s expression darkened.
“Mother.”
“Why? Are you going to side with your father again?”
“No.”
“…Then what are you trying to say this time?”
Lucas stood up. He hadn’t expected a normal conversation, but this was excessive.
“You speak of killing someone as if it’s trivial.”
“Does it seem trivial to you?”
“Yes, a normal person wouldn’t say something like that so easily.”
“You must have heard about it. The secretary of your father getting shot.”
“I’ve heard. Fortunately, he’s still alive.”
“….”
Elizabeth’s scornful gaze pierced Lucas’s heart.
“Take care of your health.”
Today, even staying at his family home for over an hour made him feel utterly foolish.
“I need to check something.”
Lucas spoke as he left the living room where Elizabeth was.
“Anything, please.”
“How many CCTV cameras were there in this house? I remember there being about ten.”
“That’s right, there are eleven installed.”
“Can we check the footage from a week ago?”
“You mean… now?”
“Yes, while I’m here.”
“We’d need to contact Security and schedule it.”
“Now.”
Lucas bluntly cut her off, implying no consultation was necessary.
“That’s not under my jurisdiction.”
“….”
He pressed his lips together and looked at Claire. She hesitated, then slowly nodded.
“I’ll contact them immediately.”
“Thank you, that’s kind of you.”
Knowing exactly where the Security Office was, Lucas walked there without hesitation, Claire following behind while on the phone.
Lucas’s sudden visit put the security team on alert. He, however, casually scanned his surroundings.
“Sorry for the sudden visit.”
“Oh, no, not at all.”
“I’d like to quickly review the footage from a week ago until today. Is that possible?”
“A week ago?”
The apparent head of the security team bowed awkwardly.
“Is there a problem?”
“Well…”
“Some problem?”
“Due to a server error, automatic saving didn’t work, and all footage for this month has been lost.”
“….”
Lucas slowly ran a hand over his chin.
“Ah, I see. That hasn’t happened before.”
He had checked CCTV footage before—to monitor Elizabeth’s condition, for instance.
“If it’s a server error, there’s nothing we can do.”
Lucas nodded understandingly. The team exchanged glances, seemingly relieved.
“Sorry. We’ll be more careful in the future.”
“You shouldn’t have to apologize for a server error.”
“….”
“Still, there should always be someone responsible, so there are no issues later.”
“….”
“Thank you for your work so far.”
The person in charge turned pale as Lucas dropped that bomb and left the security office.
Claire quickly followed him out.
“Dr. Harrington, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you apologizing, Ms. Dunham?”
“Mr. Mercer has been responsible for security here for a long time. Please reconsider firing him.”
“There will be no reversal.”
“….”
“I’d lose important evidence otherwise. Someone has to be responsible, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable. Do you disagree?”
“…No.”
Lucas exhaled sharply. When the long-feared situation happened, he let out a hollow laugh. The automatic recording device, which had never failed before, stopped due to a server error.
How should he make sense of this? The trophies and carpet, the timing, the fact that the crime scene was his Upper East Side family mansion… it all seemed uncanny.
“Help me minimize conversations between father and mother, and if my mother shows a seizure, assist her in taking Xanax immediately.”
“Yes, Dr. Harrington. We’ll prioritize Mrs. Harrington’s health and care for her.”
Claire relaxed her stiff expression and forced a smile.
“I’d like to visit often, but I’m busy at the hospital. Please take care of it.”
Claire nodded at Lucas’s smile.
“Interns haven’t been here long, so it must be even busier. Are the new interns doing okay?”
Changing the topic eased the awkward atmosphere.
“Interns, huh.”
Out of the five surgical interns, why did Suzy’s face come to mind first? She was clearly the most entangled in unusual situations.
“They’re still at the level where calling them doctors would be embarrassing. Just starting out.”
“You’ll have to teach them a lot. There shouldn’t be any dropouts.”
“It doesn’t matter if there are. Actually, it’s better if weak ones leave quickly.”
“….”
Claire nodded as if agreeing with Lucas’s cold, rational answer.
Lucas stood facing Claire by his sedan.
“About that incident… are you suspecting Mrs. Harrington?”
