Hazel wasn't insulted, she could easily see that the woman in front of her was ill. It wasn't that she was ignoring them, she obviously could not physically react to their presence.
Katherine quietly spoke to the woman, but no matter what she said, Stacy didn't seem to hear her. The expression on her face never changed, and after a few moments, Katherine stood up a bit frustrated, "Stacy, get well, and I will come to visit again soon."
As they left the room, Hazel was filled with mixed emotions, "She's…?"
"Stacy Sloane, my friend…." Katherine paused for a moment before she finally said, "She may also be Joshua's biological mother."
Hazel let out a gasp. She had hoped Joshua would look for his biological parents, but he always seemed to be uninterested, no matter how much Hazel tried to persuade him. Even though he always cared about what she said and how she felt when it came to finding his parents, he didn't take her opinions into consideration.
After many months of talking to him about it, Hazel had no choice but to give up on the subject. She planned to spend the rest of her life with him no matter what, but she didn't want him to start questioning the motive behind finding them. However, she never thought that fate would possibly bring his mother to them.
The more Hazel thought about Stacy, the more she saw similarities between her and Joshua. Their eyebrows were the same shape, and their eyes were the same color, but that didn't mean that Joshua was Stacy's son.
"Why do you think that she is Joshua's mother?" Hazel asked, puzzled.
"Because Joshua and Stacy's husband look almost identical and given his age, I can confidently say I believe he is their son." Katherine sighed.
"You know Joshua's father?" Hazel asked curiously, "What kind of person is he?"
Katherine looked like she was in the middle of a horrible dilemma that she didn't want to talk about.
"It is only my opinion." She tried to change the subject quickly. "I will need to do a DNA test to confirm it."
"You want me to ask Joshua to do a DNA test?" Hazel asked.
"More than that," Katherine said gravely. "You saw Stacy. Her doctors are telling me that she is immersed in her own world, unable to communicate with the outside world. But if she's motivated, maybe by seeing someone or something she cares about, she might get better. So, I am hoping that you can convince Joshua to cooperate with the doctors to help treat Stacy."
Hazel bit her lip. No matter how much she wanted to help, she could not consent on Joshua's behalf, and there was so much more to figure out.
Taking a deep breath, Hazel asked with questioning eyes, "Aunt Katherine, do you know why Joshua's parents abandoned him?"
"I am sorry, the incident surrounding that is very personal, so I am unable to tell you." Katherine's eyes dimmed, but the next moment she said with sincerity. "But I can assure you that Stacy never abandoned Joshua if she had, she would not be in the state she is in."
Although Katherine wouldn't tell her what happened, Hazel trusted her because she saw Stacy, she had obviously been so distraught by what happened to her that she went into her own world and refused to deal with reality.
"I promised I would try," Hazel contemplated as she spoke, "but I am not sure if Joshua will cooperate."
Hazel knew Joshua all too well, he would always treat the people he cared for with love and admiration. However, on the other hand, if people were being manipulative and pretending to care about him, he didn't care about them or their wellbeing at all.
Katherine nodded, "Just please try your best."
***
After parting ways with Katherine at the nursing home, Crystal wanted to take Hazel back to Denmark Residence, but Hazel had another idea. She assumed that Joshua would be at Denmark Group, so she asked Crystal to drive her there.
The assistant said, "Please, Mr. Bryant, don't be angry…."
"Don't be angry? How can I not be angry?" Hanson Bryant flung the flowers he was holding impatiently into the assistant's arms. "I was waiting at the door of Joshua-Hazel Pictures the entire day, but she didn't show up at all! That woman is really unreasonable. If it weren't for the fact that she owns most of the shares in Denmark Group, I would make Hazel kneel down in front of me…."
Hazel listened from a distance. She had seen Hanson Bryant several times at different events, he was the only son of Director Bryant and had a reputation of being a well-known playboy.
She wondered if he was there to hit on her. It seemed that quite a few people thought she was a fool and had plans to take advantage of her.
The young assistant looked over Hanson's shoulder and went pale. Isn't that Hazel Crowe standing in the corner by the elevator?!
The assistant tried to speak but couldn't find the words, so he tugged on his boss's sleeve, but Mr. Bryant continued rambling, "How can a woman as shallow as Hazel Crowe not be charmed by me? I am pretty sure I can deceive that stupid woman into sleeping with me and marrying me within a month."
He smiled as he thought, ignoring the assistant's actions, "After we get married, I will make her sign Denmark Group over to me and then file for divorce, she will be broke. I will get my revenge for embarrassing me today. Why are you tugging at me? Do you want me to fire you?"
Hanson glared at his assistant but then followed his terrified eyes and saw the two women standing near the elevator. He had never actually met Hazel and was only going by the pictures that his secretary had given him. However, his secretary was also one of his mistresses, so she gave him ugly photos, hoping he wouldn't leave her for Hazel.
"Hello Beautiful, let me buy you coffee," Hanson said smoothly as he walked over to Hazel, his eyes l.u.s.tfully fixated on her.
The assistant's legs became weak, and he almost fell down. He wanted to yell at Mr. Bryant that the woman he was talking to was Hazel, how did he not recognize her?