Her Marriage: The Night is Still Young-Chapter 196: An Eye for an Eye

"Alright, President Gallagher."

He hung up the phone.

Nathaniel Gallagher felt a storm brewing in his heart, the pressure around him dropping to a terrifying low.

Eleanor had engaged in many illegal activities in her early years.

Any one of them, once uncovered, would be enough to put her behind bars for life.

He had used all his connections and methods to cover for her.

But...

If someone insisted on pursuing them relentlessly.

It would indeed be troublesome.

And if Julian Grant was the one orchestrating things from the shadows, it would be even more problematic.

Soon.

The legal team arrived.

The investigators had already set up a barricade at the entrance to the ICU.

"We have reliable information that Eleanor is suspected of money laundering and involvement in a homicide case."

"Nine years ago, in the massacre at Apartment 801 of Tranquil Garden Estates, she was a suspect."

Lawyer: "Ms. Churchill is currently undergoing emergency treatment in the ICU and is unfit for interrogation."

The investigators were evidently well-prepared.

The man leading them shook the files in his hand, the cover photo showing the crime scene from the massacre nine years ago, the edges worn and frayed.

"We have sufficient evidence to prove that Eleanor instructed a maid to infiltrate the home of the resident at Apartment 801 and used a fake passport to leave the country the day after the crime."

Suddenly, Nathaniel Gallagher felt a sharp pain in his back, cold sweat instantly soaking through his shirt.

Over ten years ago.

Eleanor had done many insane things to clear obstacles for him.

To keep him clean, she never let him get involved.

He knew some things.

But many other things, even he didn’t know.

The lawyer quickly stepped forward to negotiate: "Even if there are suspicions, the interrogation should wait until the individual is out of life-threatening danger. She can’t even breathe independently right now, how can she be questioned?"

"This is a pending case supervised by higher authorities." The man revealed a document stamped in red, "We can take statements in the ICU as long as she is conscious."

Nathaniel Gallagher clenched his fist fiercely, his knuckles pressing against the cold wall, "What if she doesn’t wake up?"

The man looked up at him, his gaze sharp as a knife: "President Gallagher, you better pray she wakes up. Otherwise, all the evidence pointing to her will turn to point at you. After all, it’s been your people covering up for her all these years."

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher’s eyes darkened, staring gloomily at the investigators.

This investigation team operated across city boundaries.

Even the highest authority in Audenburg had no power to intervene.

So, all his connections in Audenburg were useless.

"Beep, beep, beep"

The equipment in the ICU suddenly emitted a rapid alarm, and the nurses rushed in frantically.

Nathaniel Gallagher saw through the door crack Eleanor’s fingers tense up, the line on the monitor abruptly going flat.

"Move aside!" He pushed past the investigators to rush in, only to be stopped by a doctor.

"Mr. Gallagher, the patient is experiencing ventricular fibrillation and is undergoing defibrillation!"

The lawyer took a step forward, standing between Nathaniel Gallagher and the investigators, his tone calm and clear:

"Ladies and gentlemen, according to relevant judicial interpretations, interrogations of critically ill suspects must not affect their vital signs."

"Ms. Churchill is currently in the ICU receiving emergency treatment, relying on a ventilator to maintain life, making her obviously unfit for interrogation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the document in their hands: "Secondly, regarding the incident nine years ago, if the sole basis for targeting Ms. Churchill is the offshore account transactions and fake passport records, the evidential chain has significant flaws."

"Moreover, the flow of funds needs to be corroborated with the specific transaction background, the relationship between parties, etc. The use of a fake passport might also involve identity theft, requiring further investigation."

After saying this.

Lawyer Kane retrieved some documents from his briefcase and handed them to the leader: "These are the critical condition notices just issued by the hospital, along with the consultation opinions from the neurology experts, clearly stating that any external stimulation may result in irreversible brain damage to Ms. Churchill at this point."

"For suspects with severe illnesses who cannot care for themselves, a decision not to approve arrest should be made."

He looked directly at them, his tone firm: "Forcing an interrogation now could not only endanger her life, but any subsequent confession would also be considered invalid due to procedural violations."

"I suggest securing the current evidence. Once Ms. Churchill’s condition stabilizes, our legal team will coordinate to assist with the investigation in compliance with legal provisions."

The investigators listened silently, speaking quietly among themselves, clearly constrained by the lawyer’s professional and meticulous arguments.

The leader frowned but eventually put away the files: "We will report this to our superiors."

"We hope for your cooperation."

The leader promptly instructed his team to keep a strict watch over the ICU.

Doctors entered the ICU with serious expressions.

Nathaniel Gallagher anxiously waited outside.

"Eleanor, you have to hold on, you must."

"No matter what happens, I won’t let anything happen to you."

Despite having no romantic feelings for Eleanor anymore.

The sense of debt and responsibility remained.

He promised to protect her all his life, and he wouldn’t break that promise.

...

An hour later.

"Click!"

The door to the ward opened.

A doctor walked out, looking stern and exhausted.

Nathaniel Gallagher rushed forward, anxiously asking, "Doctor, how is my wife?"

The doctor removed his mask, "President Gallagher, Mrs. Gallagher’s condition is not good. She has taken excessive hormones before, leading to an imbalance in her immune system. All her organs show signs of failure, possibly..."

Boom!

Nathaniel Gallagher listened, staggering back a step, struggling to stay upright.

Eleanor had previously suffered over thirty stab wounds.

Moreover, she had been in a coma for eight years. To maintain her vitals, they had used a wide range of high-dose hormones and life-prolonging drugs.

One could say that despite her severe injuries, she only survived because Nathaniel Gallagher poured money into her care.

The excessive hormones caused many side effects.

The doctor’s words pierced Nathaniel Gallagher’s heart like an ice pick.

He held onto the wall to barely stand, his Adam’s apple moving as he hoarsely asked, "Is there anything that can be done? No matter the cost, I want her to survive."

The doctor sighed, a look of helplessness in his eyes: "President Gallagher, we have already employed the highest level of life support systems. But her body is like a machine that has been overworked for too long, with all its parts rapidly degrading."

"All we can do now is maintain her. Whether she can pull through will depend on her own will to live."

"Will to live..." Nathaniel Gallagher repeated those four words softly, memories suddenly flashing of Eleanor lying in a pool of blood back then.

At that time, she was also like this, covered in wounds, clinging onto his clothing, saying: "Nathaniel, I can’t die. I still need to see you reach the top."

So it turns out, since then.

Her life wasn’t lived for herself.

The lawyer walked up to him and handed over a bottle of water. "President Gallagher, the Bureau of Investigation people are waiting outside. We need to quickly come up with a solution."

"This case clearly has someone sabotaging it from behind the scenes. If we don’t deal with the mastermind, it will be extremely tricky and the consequences will be endless."

Nathaniel Gallagher’s face was gloomy, and he clenched his fist slightly.

The one manipulating behind the scenes must be Julian Grant.

Otherwise, the case from nine years ago wouldn’t have been brought up again.

"Julian Grant, you son of a bitch."

The lawyer’s voice was very low. "President Gallagher, if the case from nine years ago is retried, those who helped you cover your tracks back then are likely to be dug out one by one. By then, it won’t just implicate Mrs. Gallagher."

The lights at the end of the corridor flickered, casting a shadow on Nathaniel Gallagher’s pale face, reflecting the redness in his eyes.

Nathaniel Gallagher pondered for a while, his voice frighteningly calm. "Lawyer Kane, help me do two things. First, use all resources to find any evidence that might have been overlooked at the scene of the crime back then, to prove Eleanor was merely a pawn. Second, contact the best medical team. Even if there’s only a one in ten thousand chance, her life must be saved."

The lawyer nodded. "Understood. But President Gallagher, you need to be mentally prepared. The best solution now is to have the mastermind withdraw the case. Otherwise, once the judicial process begins, it will be very troublesome."

Nathaniel Gallagher didn’t speak, he just turned to look at the glass door of the ICU.

Eleanor Churchill lay quietly on the hospital bed, tubes inserted all over her body, her chest rising and falling weakly as if in a tug-of-war with death.

He suddenly felt.

The so-called protection and compensation he had provided over the years hadn’t been done well, and instead, had brought her pain time and time again.

"...Eleanor, I’m sorry."

"As long as you wake up this time, I promise to really love you."

"Buzz buzz buzz..."

The phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from his assistant: President Gallagher, Miss Thompson had some porridge today, but she’s been staring blankly out the window.

Nathaniel Gallagher stared at the message, his fingertips hovering over the screen for a long time before finally turning it off.

He seemed to be in a dilemma again.

Thinking of Josephine Thompson...

His heart hurt just as much, was uncomfortable and full of guilt.

She could have had a beautiful and peaceful life.

But he ruined it to the point of no return, even selling the ancestral home and fleeing to another country.

"Beep beep beep--"

The ICU equipment emitted a steady ticking sound, like a countdown.

Nathaniel Gallagher leaned against the wall, closing his eyes.

The wound on his back still hurt, but compared to the dull pain in his heart, it was nothing.

The debt he owed to Eleanor Churchill might never be repaid in this lifetime. And what he owed to Josephine Thompson was equally irredeemable.

"Ring ring ring..."

Nathaniel Gallagher had just stood outside the ICU.

The phone started vibrating crazily.

He took out his phone to glance at it. It was a call from the vice president of the casino. "Hello."

On the other end, the vice president’s voice was choked with sobs. "President Gallagher, something bad has happened! The tax inspection and fire department personnel suddenly arrived, saying they received a report, and they want to thoroughly investigate our accounts and fire facilities from the past three years. They’ve already sealed off three floors!"

With a "crash," the water bottle in Nathaniel Gallagher’s hand dropped to the ground, water quickly spreading.

He closed his eyes, suppressing the metallic taste rising in his throat.

The casino was the foundation upon which The Gallagher Family had built their fortune; there couldn’t possibly be mistakes in the accounts or safety measures.

It was clear that someone was out to sabotage him.

Guilt is easy to assign when there’s an ulterior motive.

Before he could respond, another call came in. It was the vice president responsible for security. "President Gallagher, people from law enforcement have come with a search warrant. They claim we’re suspected of harboring illegal transactions and hiding drugs. They’re checking room by room, and all the guests have fled in a panic!"

"Julian Grant..." Nathaniel Gallagher gritted his teeth as he spat out the name, his knuckles turning white.

Other than him,

no one else could mobilize cross-departmental forces in such a short time to precisely target his businesses.

The lawyer noticed the hostility in his eyes and quickly reminded him, "President Gallagher, the extent of the casino’s issue is too broad. Once problems are found, it might trigger a chain reaction, affecting the funding of other ventures."

"I suggest that you immediately have the financial team organize all compliance documents and contact familiar auditing firms for third-party verification to stabilize the situation first."

Nathaniel Gallagher took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He dialed his assistant’s number, his voice icy as ice. "Suspend all casino operations and cooperate with the inspection. Tell the chief financial officer to zero out all gray accounts immediately, temporarily suspend the personnel involved, and wait for me to handle it after I return."

"But President Gallagher, the sudden closure will cause significant losses..."

"Losses?"

He let out a cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over the tightly closed ICU door. "Right now, preserving life is more important than anything."

He hung up the phone.

The air in the corridor seemed to freeze.

The Bureau of Investigation personnel still stood not far away, their scrutinizing gazes pricking him like needles.

He suddenly realized how ruthless Julian Grant’s move was.

Using Eleanor Churchill to restrain him, and the casino to shake his foundation, leaving him surrounded and without a moment to breathe.

"Beep beep—"

The ICU equipment emitted another rapid sound.

This time, it wasn’t an alarm, but a notification that the heart rate was stabilizing.

The doctor quickly walked out, with a rare trace of ease on his face. "Mr. Gallagher, the patient’s heart rate has stabilized. Although she hasn’t woken up yet, she has passed the most critical stage."

Nathaniel Gallagher’s taut nerves slightly relaxed, but at that moment, the wound on his back suddenly exploded in sharp pain.

He leaned against the wall, cold sweat trickling down his jawline, splattering on the gleaming floor.

The lawyer supported him, speaking softly. "President Gallagher, your wound needs to be redressed. Why don’t we take care of it first?"

He shook his head, his gaze fixed on the ICU door. "I’m fine. Notify them to temporarily let the vice president handle the casino affairs, and suppress any noise at all costs."

"Where are you going?"

Nathaniel Gallagher didn’t answer, he just walked straight towards the hospital exit.

Leaving the hospital.

He got into the car and deliberated for a long time before finally calling Julian Grant.

"Ring ring ring...""

The phone rang several times.

Just as it was about to hang up automatically, Julian Grant finally answered, "Hello, who is this?"

Nathaniel Gallagher calmed his anger, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. "Julian Grant, it’s me, Nathaniel Gallagher."

Upon hearing that, Julian Grant supressed his resentment, letting out a cold laugh. "Huh~, calling me so soon?"

"Nathaniel Gallagher, I’ve told you, as long as you can’t kill me, you’ll regret it."

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher gripped his phone tightly, wishing he could crush him to ashes.

Julian Grant spoke venomously, "Nathaniel Gallagher, you’ve harmed Josephine time and again. Killing your wife and returning tit for tat, isn’t that fair?"

Nathaniel Gallagher swallowed heavily, softening his tone, "What exactly do you want, to make you stop?"

Julian Grant let out a cold laugh, "Hmph~, are you scared now? This is just the beginning."

"Enough talk, what exactly do you want? Julian Grant, I advise you to exercise restraint and not go overboard."