Chapter 453

By noon that same day, news of the fire and kidnapping had already reached Nicholas and Martha. Martha took Valeria's hands, looking at her over and over again before pulling her into a tight hug. "You nearly scared me to death." After letting go of Valeria, she grabbed Sebastian's hand. "Were you planning to keep something this serious from us until it hit the news?" Sebastian slipped back into his usual laid-back drawl. "We just didn't want you guys to worry about us." Nicholas set down his cup with a heavy thud. "I never thought Wendy and Gabriella could stoop this low. They've completely lost their minds." Brody stepped forward, reporting, "The hospital just called about Ms. Grant—" Martha cut him off coldly. "She's no longer part of the family." "She's in the ICU with burns all over," he continued, reporting, "There's a real risk of full-body infection soon." Nicholas frowned. "She brought this on herself." The Grant family refused to pay for her treatment. Her accounts w