From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 180: Chapter 180

Paisley knew exactly what Gary was thinking, and she could understand both his and the production team's concerns.
But she still asked, "Mr. Anderson, after I left, did you conduct any follow-up inspections on the set?"
Gary nodded. "Yes, I did. I promise this kind of thing will never happen again."
After all, no one could afford for something like that to happen a second time.
"What I want to know is, aside from the fallen spotlight, were there any other issues on set?" Paisley asked further.
Gary's expression stiffened. His lips parted and closed a few times as he hesitated for a long while.
From his reaction alone, Paisley already understood. "Alright, I got it."
Looking at Paisley, Gary suddenly felt something click in his mind. He had indeed arranged for a thorough inspection of the set, and the latest report had just come in—another spotlight had a problem.
Based on the photos sent from the site, he realized that the faulty spotlight was positioned right above Paisley's chair.
Until Paisley brought it up, he had assumed it was just an installation mistake caused by careless workers. But now, it seemed like someone had done it on purpose—with Paisley as the target.
A chill ran through Gary. He could no longer say that this matter should be left alone.
However, before he could respond, Paisley reassured him with a calm smile. "Don't worry, Mr. Anderson. It was just an accident, and I know you didn't mean for this to happen. I won't hold anyone accountable. Once the safety checks are done, let's continue filming."
"Paisley," Dominick interrupted her coldly, thinking, 'Is this woman an idiot? Being too soft-hearted would only get her hurt.'
Paisley lifted her gaze to Dominick, her eyes full of warning. "Shut up. This has nothing to do with you."
Dominick was rendered speechless, thinking, 'This woman is only ever tough on me. She treats everyone else well.'
Hearing Paisley's response, Gary and the production team let out a sigh of relief.
"But Nion, you—" Gary still felt uneasy. He thought that if someone had done this deliberately, then there could be a next time.
"I'm fine. No need to worry." Paisley reassured Gary again, giving him a slight nod.
After seeing Gary and the others off, Dominick blocked Paisley's path. "Paisley, don't tell me you can't see that something is off here?"
"I know," Paisley admitted without hesitation.
Dominick said, "Then why are you still—"
Paisley cut him off. "I have my own plans. Stay out of it."
With that, she ignored Dominick, called Lucy over, and got into the car.
Julian walked over. "Dom, are we really just going to leave it like this?"
He thought, 'Paisley is so softhearted to handle this.'
Dominick stared in the direction of Paisley's departing car. "Let her be for now. Arrange for some people to watch over her in secret."
"Got it." Julian nodded and started making calls to set things up.
In the car, Paisley looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her head was wrapped in layers of bandages, but her face no longer carried the calm expression from before.
"Looks like they really want me dead," she muttered, her eyes flashing with icy determination.
"What should we do next?" Lucy asked as she drove, her usual warm and friendly demeanor nowhere to be seen.
Paisley said, "Don't act recklessly. Have someone follow that stagehand and see who he meets next."
"Understood." Lucy nodded.
Paisley thought for a moment. "Let Linna handle this. She's got too much free time anyway—might as well give her something to do."
Linna was another one of Paisley's students. Paisley rarely assigned her any tasks, because Linna was ruthless. But since someone had already tried to take her life, Paisley didn't mind playing rough either.
Paisley hadn't been back to her villa in days. She glanced at the house next door—it was completely dark. No one seemed to be living there anymore.
She wondered how Max's search for his sister was going.
Two days later, Serena was finally discharged from the hospital.
Early in the morning, Jonathan arrived at her ward with the attending doctor.
"Good morning, dear Mr. Walsh." Serena greeted warmly. After spending a week together, she had grown quite close to Jonathan.
Hearing her call him that, Jonathan's heart melted instantly.
He walked over with a broad smile, his voice exaggeratedly high-pitched. "Rena, you're getting discharged today! Are you excited?"
"Yap!" The Rena had already fully recovered and had been itching to leave the hospital for a while.
"Remember to miss me after you leave."
Serena obediently nodded. "I'll come back with Mom to visit you."
Jonathan waved his hand. "If you miss me, just ask your mom to tell me, and I'll come see you."
He thought a hospital was no place for a child if they could avoid it.
After saying that, Jonathan looked at Paisley, who was wearing a hat, and his face instantly turned cold. "How are you?"
"Huh?" Paisley instinctively played dumb.
"Don't act clueless! You think you can still hide it from me? What's going on with you?" Jonathan pointed at her head.
No one had planned to mention her head injury, but in the end, they couldn't keep it from Maria. Paisley thought if Jonathan knew, then it was definitely Maria who told him.
Paisley turned to look at Maria, but Maria was straightforward about it. "Why are you looking at me? I was just worried and wanted to ask."
Maria knew Paisley was skilled in medicine, but many doctors were terrible at treating themselves. Especially when it came to head injuries—no matter how capable she was, Maria still couldn't feel at ease.
Jonathan also looked disapproving. "No matter how good you are, a head injury isn't something to be treated at some small clinic. What if the doctor there wasn't skilled enough and messed up the stitches?"
Paisley showed a playful side. She thought, 'It really feels nice to be cared for.'
"It's really nothing. Besides, I checked the wound myself—the doctor's stitching skills were actually pretty good." But no matter what Paisley said, Jonathan insisted on checking her wound. Only after confirming it was just a superficial injury did he finally let her go.
"You're such a handful," Jonathan scolded, his expression stern—just like any parent who cared deeply but didn't want to be too indulgent.
Paisley hadn't known Jonathan for very long.
That year, a pandemic broke out, and as the hospital director, Jonathan personally led a team to provide aid in poor villages. By chance, Paisley was there as well.
They went from not getting along to fighting side by side, then to having a bond like that of an elder and a younger generation.
Paisley believed that relationships weren't measured by how long people had known each other.
She indeed had families. She had Serena, Maria, Jonathan, Emery, and even those troublemaking disciples who constantly gave her headaches.
With so many people who loved her, she thought she shouldn't waste her energy grieving over those who didn't.
She used to desperately prove that she was loved, even at the cost of enduring humiliation and letting others hurt her. Looking back now, she felt it was so foolish.
Serena's discharge process was quick, and there wasn't much to pack. Maria had already taken things home bit by bit earlier.
The three of them left the hospital light and unburdened, with Elara chattering away.
By the time Dominick arrived at the hospital, the ward had already been occupied by someone else.
"Weren't they supposed to be discharged tomorrow? Why is no one here now?" Julian coldly questioned the men assigned to keep watch at the hospital.
Dominick's face was dark, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"That's the information I received. I didn't expect Ms. Sutton to leave with the child ahead of schedule." And they hadn't taken anything with them—it looked just like their usual morning stroll around the hospital. Even the attending doctor had done the rounds as usual earlier.
Dominick let out a bitter chuckle. He realized he was completely powerless against Paisley now.