Chapter 22 Chapter 21

Half a year after Tony and Marianne got married, the Hoffmann company was attracted to join the Kruger-Brent GmbH. In order to show respect for Frederick Hoffmann, the contract was officially signed in Munich.Hoffmann will lead the subsidiary in Germany.Tony was extremely surprised to see his mother accept his marriage with tenderness.She was never a loser, but when he and his bride came back from their honeymoon in the Bahamas, she was very enthusiastic about Marianne.And told Tony that she was very satisfied with the marriage.To Tony's puzzlement, her feelings seemed genuine.For a person like her, isn't such a transformation too fast.Tony came to the conclusion that maybe he didn't know his mother as well as he thought.

The marriage was a happy one from the very beginning.Marianne fulfills a need that Tony has been missing for so long.Everyone around him noticed the change in him - especially Kate. When Tony was away on business, Marianne was always by his side.They played together, laughed together, and indeed felt very happy together.Kate looked at them and thought happily: I have done my son a good thing. It was Marianne who settled the feud between Tony and his mother.When she came back from her honeymoon, Marianne said, "I'd like to have your mother over for dinner." "No, you don't know her. Marianne, she—"

"But I want to get to know her, Tony, please." He strongly disapproves of the idea, but finally backs down, and Tony prepares for a very unpleasant evening, which turns out to be more than he expected.Kate was so happy to be with them, it was touching.Then the following week, Kate invited them both to her place for dinner.This has since become a must-have ritual every week. Kate and Marianne become friends.Always talk on the phone a few times a week and have lunch together at least once. They made an appointment to have lunch at Lutesy's.As soon as Marian walked in, Kate knew something was wrong.

"Give me a double whiskey, please," said Marianne to the waiter, "with ice." Marianne always drank wine in the past. "What's the matter, Marianne?" "I'm from Dr. Harry." Kate immediately tensed up, "You're not sick, are you?" "No, I'm fine. It's just..." Then the whole thing came out. Things started a few days ago.Marianne was not feeling well at the time, so she made an appointment with Dr. John Harley... ※※※ "You look healthy," said Dr. Harry, laughing. "How old are you, Mrs. Blackwell?"

"Twenty-three." "Is there a history of heart disease in the family?" "No." He was taking notes, "Cancer?" "No." "Are your parents still alive?" "Father is still alive. Mother died in a traffic accident." "Have you ever had mumps?" "No." "What about measles?" "Fine, when I was ten years old." "pertussis?" "No." "Ever had surgery?" "Removed tonsils, at the age of nine." "Apart from that surgery, have you never been in a hospital?"

"No, oh, no—one more time, but for a short time." "What is that for?" "I was on the school hockey team. One game, I passed out and woke up in the hospital. I was in the hospital for two days and I was fine." "Were you injured during that match?" "No, I—I just passed out." "How old were you then?" "Sixteen years old. The doctor said it might be caused by endocrine disorders in adolescence." John Harry moved forward in the chair, "When you wake up, do you feel weak in one side of your body?" Marianne thought for a moment, "Yes, my right side. But it was fine after a few days. After that, it never came up again."

"Do you have a headache? Blurred vision?" "Yes, but it all disappeared later." She began to tense up. "Do you think there is something wrong with my body, Dr. Harry?" "I'm not sure yet. I'm going to do some tests—mostly just in case." "What kind of inspection?" "I'd like to have a brain angiogram. It's nothing, we'll do it right away." Three days later, Marianne got a call from Dr. Harry's nurse asking her to come and see. John Harry was waiting for her in his office. "Well, we found the problem."

"Is it bad news?" "Not exactly. The angiogram shows that you had a small stroke last time, Mrs. Blackwell. In medicine it's called an ovoid aneurysm. It's very common in women—especially in young girls. A small blood vessel in the brain ruptured, oozing a small amount of blood. The pressure caused headaches and blurred vision. Fortunately, these symptoms are self-healing." Marianne sat and listened, trying not to be alarmed. "Exactly what—what does this mean exactly? Am I going to do it again?" "Extremely unlikely," he laughs. "Unless you're going to play hockey again. You can live like a normal person."

"Tony and I like to ride horses, play tennis, and those—" "As long as you don't overdo it, everything is fine. Whether it's playing tennis or having sex, there's nothing wrong with it." She smiled reassuringly, "Thank God." When Marianne got up, John Haley said: "One thing, Mrs. Blackwell, if you and Tony want a child, I'd suggest adoption." Marianne was stunned, "But you say I'm just like a normal person." "You are normal. Unfortunately, pregnancy increases blood flow considerably. Blood pressure also increases during the last six to eight weeks of pregnancy. You have a history of hemangiomas. In this way, the risk factor outweighs the safety factor .Not only dangerous—it could be fatal. It’s easy to get a child into custody now, and I can arrange—”

But Marianne couldn't listen anymore, she remembered Tony's words: I want a child, a little girl who looks exactly like you. ※※※ "...I can't take it anymore," Marianne said to Kate. "I ran out of his office and came straight here." Kate tried hard not to show her feelings.It was a great blow, but something must be found, there is always a way. She gave a forced smile, and said, "Oh, I'm afraid it's more serious than that." "But, Kate, Tony and I really want a baby." "Marian, Dr. Harry is a big fuss. You had a little problem a few years ago and Dr. Harry made it a big deal. Doctors always do that, you know." She held Marianne hand, "You feel fine, don't you, honey?"

"I—I always thought it was all right, but—" "That's all right, you don't have any dizziness now, do you?" "No." "Because it's gone. He said the symptoms are self-healing." "But he also said there was a danger—" Kate sighed and said, "Marian, every pregnancy for a woman is always a risk. Life is full of risks. It's important to determine which risks are worth taking. Do you agree?" "Agreed." Marianne sat there thinking, and finally she made a decision. "You're right. Let's not tell Tony yet. It will only worry him. We must both keep it a secret." Kate thought: This John Harry scared her to death, I really want to kill him. "Only the two of us know about it," Kate agreed. ※※※ Three months later, Marianne became pregnant.Tony beamed with joy.Kate was also secretly happy.But Dr. John Harley was horrified. "I'll abort you right away," he said to Marianne. "No, Dr. Harry, I feel fine. I'm going to have the baby." When Marianne told Kate, she rushed into John Harry's office, "How dare you ask my daughter-in-law to have an abortion?" "Kate, listen to me, if you let her get pregnant until the due date, it will be life-threatening." "You don't know, she will be fine, don't scare her anymore." Eight months later, at 4 o'clock one morning in early February, Marianne's stomach ached prematurely, and her moans woke Tony up. He hurriedly put on his clothes, "don't worry, my dear, I'll take you to the hospital right away." She felt the pain unbearable, "Please hurry up." She wondered if she should have told Tony about her conversation with Dr. Harry.No, Kate is right.This is her own decision.Life is so good, God will not let misfortune happen to him. When Marianne and Tony arrive at the hospital, everything is set.Tony is taken into a waiting room.Marianne was taken to the examination room, where obstetrician Mattson took Marianne's blood pressure.He frowned and measured again.Looking up, she said to the nurse, "Take her to the operating room—quick!" ※※※ Tony was at the cigarette vending machine in the hospital corridor when suddenly a voice came from behind him, "Hey, hey, isn't this Rembrandt?" The man who was with.What did she call him?Yes, his name is Ben.The man stared at him with hostility on his face.Is it jealousy?What had Dominic told him?Just then, Dominic appeared.She said to Ben, "The nurse said Michelleen is in first-level care, and we—" She stopped when she saw Tony. "Tony! What are you doing here?" "My wife is having a baby." "Your mother arranged it?" Ben asked. "What does it mean?" "Dominique told me your mother always made arrangements for you, little one." "Ben! Come on!" "Why? It's true, isn't it, baby? Is that what you said?" Tony turned to Dominic. "What's he talking about?" "Nothing," she said hastily. "Ben, let's go." But Ben kept talking, "I wish I had a mother like you, boy. You want a beautiful mannequin to sleep on, and she buys you one. You want an exhibition in Paris, and she arranges it for you. you--" "You're crazy." "Really?" Ben turned to Dominic. "Don't he know these things?" "I don't know what?" Tony asked seriously. "Nothing, Tony." "He said my mother arranged the Paris exhibition, that's bullshit, isn't it?" He looked at the look on Dominique's face. "Isn't it?" "No nonsense," Dominic replied reluctantly. "You mean she paid Goerg—to exhibit my painting?" "Tony, he does like your drawings." "Tell him about the art critic," Ben urged. "Enough, Ben!" Dominic turned to leave.Tony grabbed her arm. "Wait! What happened to him? Did my mother arrange for him to come to the fair?" "Yes." Dominique's voice was low as a whisper. "But he hates my paintings." She could hear the pain in his voice. "No, Tony, he's not like that. Andre Dusso said to your mother, you can be a great artist." Now he was faced with such an unbelievable fact. "My mother bought Dusso to destroy me?" "Not to destroy you, she believes it's for your own good." It was astonishing how much his mother did behind his back.Everything she said to him was a lie.She never intended for him to have his own way.André Dusso!How can such a person be bought?Of course, Kate knew what price to pay for what kind of person.Wilde may have been referring to Kate when he said that someone knows the price of everything but not their value.It's all about the company, and the company is Kate Blackwell.Tony turned and walked blankly down the corridor. In the operating room, doctors are desperately trying to save Marianne's life.Her blood pressure was alarmingly low and her heartbeat was erratic.Doctors gave her oxygen and blood transfusions, but to no avail.When the first baby came, Marianne lost consciousness due to a brain hemorrhage.Three minutes later, when the second baby landed, Marianne died on the operating table. ※※※ Tony heard a voice calling to him: "Mr. Blackwell." He turned to find Dr. Mattson standing beside him. "You have two beautiful, healthy twin daughters, Mr. Blackwell." Tony saw something strange in his eyes. "Marian is all right, isn't she?" Dr. Matteson took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry for you, we did our best and she died in—" "What's the matter with her?" His voice was almost a roar.Tony grabbed Dr. Mattson by the chest and shook him hard, "You're lying! She's not dead." "Mr. Blackwell—" "Where is she? I want to see her." "You can't go in yet, they're giving her—" Tony yelled, "You killed her, you bastards! You killed her!" He started hitting the doctor, and two interns rushed up and grabbed Tony's arms. "Calm down, Mr. Blackwell." Tony struggled like a madman, "I want to see my wife!" Dr. John Harley came hastily. "Let him go," he ordered, "you all go." Mattson and the intern both left.Tony wailed, "John, they killed—killed Marianne, they murdered—murdered her." "She's dead, Tony, and I'm sorry. But no one murdered her. I told her months ago that it would be life-threatening if the pregnancy continued." It took a long time before there was a response to this sentence. "what are you saying?" "Didn't Marianne tell you? Didn't your mother mention it?" Tony stared at him, not understanding what was going on. "my mother?" "She thinks I'm making a fuss. She told Marianne to go on with the pregnancy. I'm sorry, Tony. I've seen your twins, they're beautiful, you're going to—" Tony is gone. ※※※ Kate's butler opens the door for Tony. "Good morning, Mr. Blackwell." "Good morning, Lester." Seeing Tony's disheveled appearance, the butler asked, "Is there anything wrong, sir?" "Everything is all right. Will you bring me a cup of coffee, Lester?" "Of course, sir." Tony saw the butler walking towards the kitchen.Do it now, Tony, the voice in his head ordered. Yes, right now.Tony turned and walked into the souvenir showroom.He went to the gun cabinet and stared at the shiny weapons that made death. Open the cupboard, Tony. He opened it.He selected a revolver on the rack and checked the barrel to make sure it was loaded. She's upstairs, Tony. Tony turned and walked upstairs.He knew now that it wasn't her fault that her mother was so bad, she was delusional.He was going to fix her, the company had taken her soul, so Kate wasn't responsible for what she had done.Her mother and company have become one.He killed her, and the company died. He stood in the doorway of Kate's bedroom. Open the door, the voice ordered. Tony opened the door and Kate was dressing in front of the mirror when she heard the door open. "Tony! What are you doing—" He carefully aimed the gun at her and squeezed the trigger slowly.