The nurse called out again, "Are the type AB blood donors here? The patient is in critical condition…"There was a crowd right outside the operation room, but none of them were coming for some reason."Aunt Nancy, this can wait. Let's help Zoe for now," John urged. "Don't you dare help her!" Nancy bellowed bluntly.Never had she been deceived so thoroughly in her entire life!It turned out that she had raised someone else's daughter for over twenty years, and to add insult to injury, it was her own husband's mistress! All while her own daughter had to live somewhere out there, suffering! The thought that Zoe enjoyed all the nice things in life and how Nancy herself cared for her every need… She felt utterly disgusted."Please, Ms. Levine." Clara suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Nancy, sobbing. "Please, you have to save Zoe. It's all my fault—take it out on me if you want! I was just bewitched back then, and my stubbornness led to this… Zoe is innocent. She has nothing
They had to save Zoe.John turned right then and saw Jay quickly and quietly approaching the nurse.Come to think of it, he was of type AB blood.Meanwhile, Clara was crying hysterically on the floor. "Please, Ms. Levine, I'm begging you… Please save Zoe! Whatever it is, just take it out on me, okay? Please…"She never thought that one moment of impulse would hurt her daughter to such an extent. And if Zoe really died… No, she refused to think about that!But even as she cried and begged, Nancy simply ignored her and walked up to Cora, who was still too feeble to speak."Send her to the best ward you have," she told the medical staff present icily. "No one is allowed to visit her without my permission." They knew who she was and therefore agreed to it immediately.Nancy then turned to tell John, "I'm your real family, Johnny—we have ties that bind. I'm sure you wouldn't betray me or do anything that would hurt me."John certainly knew what she was insinuating: he must not
It was not until the next day when Zoe opened her eyes with a head-splitting headache.She quickly remembered having another person landing on top of her and the unbearable agony afterward before blacking out.She wondered how hurt she was and how her stunt double was doing.At the same time, all she felt was a sense of feebleness. "You're awake," a familiar man's voice spoke beside her just then.As Zoe turned to find Jay, she frowned—the one she never wanted to see always seemed to show up!Still, this was a huge deal. So where were her parents? They would be heart-stricken with worry to know that she was hurt. Could they have gone home exhausted after keeping her company the entire night?She looked around to see that her ward was rather crude, and she wondered why she was arranged to stay at a place like this just then."Didn't you tell my parents that I was hurt?" she asked Jay, her feeble and upset.Did he hide this because she did not want the family to scold him?
Nancy was still not reacting at all.She stood before Zoe, looming over her as she said icily, "Don't call me that ever again. You're not my daughter."Zoe was taken aback.Even as a kid, no matter what mischief or shenanigans she was up to—no matter how disobedient or what mistakes she made—her mother had never been this harsh to her.Could she really have upset Nancy this time? She reached out to Nancy like a spoiled child, trying to be cute… only for Nancy to shift her hand away, evading her.There was also undisguised contempt in Nancy's eyes.Zoe's heart skipped a bed, feeling that something was out of place right then.No matter what happened, her mother would never be this cold to her.Even if Nancy was really upset that Zoe had been in danger, Nancy should be weeping happy tears and hugging Zoe because she cheated death.But this cold reaction… Zoe somehow felt like she was not Nancy's daughter. "Mom, what's wrong?" Zoe asked gingerly."I'll say it again, Zoe York
Zoe had always believed herself to be fortunate.Aside from a small plight in her love life, everything else was smooth sailing for her.Never could she have expected her world to fall apart like this.How did a legitimate heiress like her turn into a mistress' daughter?!"We have nothing to do with each other now, Zoe York."Nancy was being frighteningly cold.Seeing Zoe being so miserable did make her feel just a tinge of remorse, but the thought that her own daughter had suffered so much because of Zoe only made her feel even more disgusted.She hated Zoe to the core now for taking everything that was her biological daughter's!"Mom…" Zoe called out to her nonetheless."Don't call me that!" Nancy shrieked with visible disgust."I'm sorry," Zoe apologized—because she had stolen someone else's happiness. "I don't need your apologies," Nancy said icily. "Just stay out of my sight forever, and that would be the best repayment for all the kindness I've wasted on you!"And wi
So this was what it felt like to fall from heaven to hell… And Zoe thought that this stuff only happened in TV dramas. But for some bizarre reason, it happened to her."Zoe…" Jay said. "Leave," she said, finally turning toward him then and finding him looking so worried."The Levines would be upset if you stayed here. My mom…" Zoe paused for a moment then to correct herself, "I mean, Ms. Levine is an individual who makes her feelings very clear. If she hates someone, she couldn't care less about anything and would destroy anything and everyone around them. Stay with me and you'll become an eyesore." "Even if John will inherit the family estate, their favoritism isn't that obvious. You should also know that since Alan Levine spoiled her ever since she was a child, he would never allow her to be given grief."Zoe was already changing the way she addressed the same people as she worked hard to stay strong and accept everything in the present.Jay watched her silently. She was
The atmosphere in the silent ward was suffocating. Jay and Zoe simply stared at each other, with Zoe's gaze cold to the bone.Her loathing and distaste for him was just too obvious.She really loathed him—it was as if he could cause every type of tragedy!If he did not get her a stunt double and did not allow that accident to happen on his film set, she would never have been exposed and she would still be a Levine!Jay must be her jinx! She never had it easy ever since she met him!"Rest well," Jay said calmly then, trying to offer her comfort as if the gash on her forehead did not hurt.Even so, Zoe really did not need his sudden goodwill. No, she could accept anyone's goodwill, but not his.-After Jay left Zoe's ward, he started to teeter backward soon, and John quickly caught him. "Are you alright?"Jay's head was spinning, and it took a long while for him to recover. "I'm fine.""How much blood did you give?" John asked."Not much," Jay replied.John did not press
Seeing that Jay's cut on the forehead had been bandaged then, John said, "I'm going now. There's still plenty to do for Cordy's trial, so I can't divide that much attention here. Either way, I'll respect whatever your decision may be.""Johnny," Jay said somberly, "Thank you."John clapped him on the shoulder. "We're family, no?"Jay felt touched—John never said much, but he knew everything and would even offer comfort.Those who did not know him well would never be able to tell that he offered warmth despite his might.As John left the hospital in his car, he stared out the window and heaved a heavy sigh.He suddenly remembered how Zoe would always follow him around when they were children, calling his name. And that same brat grew to become an adult…His phone suddenly started to ring, and he answered it."Mr. Levine? We've found multiple outbound transfers from the personal account of Helen Zalenski.""Send it to me.""Yes, sir."John's eyes narrowed.In the end, his p