Faced with Yvonne’s reaction, Nigel wasn’t upset. In fact, he found her even more endearing. Bringing her to the art exhibit was just the first step in his carefully planned day. He had planned activities that couples typically would enjoy doing together which included lunch, shopping, and a movie.Yvonne, however, was a bit distracted and didn’t realize where the car was headed until Nigel parked at the shopping district."Where are we going?" she asked, noticing that he had everything planned out, though she didn’t want to spend the day with him.With a gentle smile, Nigel stepped out and offered his hand to help her. "My dear Miss Yvonne, today is all about you. Next on the agenda is lunch at a French restaurant. I hope it’s to your liking."Yvonne furrowed her brows. "I’m sorry, Nigel. I’m not sure if I’ve done something to give you the wrong idea, but I need to make it clear that I…""You don’t like French cuisine?" he interrupted, deliberately misunderstanding her.Realiz
The next moment, Yvonne broke into tears. She did not even know what she was crying for. All she knew was that she felt an overwhelming sadness, something she needed to release. Nina wrapped her arms around her, gently patting her back in silent comfort while shooting a warning glance at Joe.The look was laced with reproach, but Joe didn't seem to care. Instead, he thanked Nina for taking care of Yvonne during this time. As he spoke, he nodded toward his assistant, who handed over a gift.Nina narrowed her eyes in displeasure. "What is this, Mr. Turner? Surely you know your position here."Joe smiled slightly. "I know this is just a small token, and I’m aware Mrs. York probably doesn’t care for such things. But it's all I can offer. It's the thought that counts, I hope you'll accept it.""No, thanks. I don’t accept gifts when no favors have been done. We don’t know each other that well," Nina replied coldly, clearly uninterested in prolonging the interaction. She turned to Yvonn
Yvonne did not want to receive the flowers Joe had sent her.However, when the delivery person arrived, she hurried out to sign for them before Nina could notice. She had not changed her mind. She just did not want Nina to find out.After ripping up the card and tossing the flowers into the trash bin outside, Yvonne walked back inside the house. As soon as she entered, she was greeted by Nina's knowing smile. Yvonne forced an awkward grin, then quickly turned to head upstairs."You know, whatever you're doing, I support you. We're best friends, and you don’t need to worry about me finding out," Nina said, cutting straight to the heart of it. She had already sensed that Yvonne was hiding something.Yvonne felt a pang of guilt. She licked her lips and replied, "I know you're always looking out for me. I just don’t want you to worry. I’ve got this under control, trust me. Just give me some time."Nina raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Is the person sending flowers really that important? E
Yvonne instinctively turned to flee, but Joe was quicker, catching up and grabbing her arm. "I’ll take you home," he said."No need, Nina’s on her way," Yvonne replied, using her friend as a shield. Nina was the only person she could rely on in moments like this."I swear, I won’t do anything. Just let me drive you back," Joe promised, showing her the IV needle still in his wrist. "Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the strength. I’ve been on IV drips for days, and standing here is making me dizzy."Before she could respond, a gust of wind blew rain against them. Joe did not wait for an answer. He scooped Yvonne up and shoved her into the car.Yvonne gave up struggling, her gaze empty as she stared out the window. Inside the car, Joe gently held her face, his voice soft, "Don’t look at me like that. Don’t treat me this way. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you these past few days... but, never mind. You wouldn’t understand. Just know, I’ve never lied to you. Please, believe
The nurse looked troubled. "Mr. Turner specifically instructed us to deliver all of this to you. He even threatened to file a complaint if you refused, which would affect our department's performance reviews. Miss Yvonne, please don't make things difficult for us. Besides, this nutritious breakfast will help you recover. Why not just accept it?"Could money really bend the rules like this?Yvonne felt furious but did not want to make things harder for the nurse, so she reluctantly allowed the food to stay.After breakfast, Yvonne texted Nina to let her know she was in the hospital, subtly hinting that she wanted to leave. What Yvonne did not know was that Nina was already at the doctor's office, along with Nash and Joe. All three looked grim, their expressions heavy with concern.Especially Nina, whose shoulders shook as she tried to hold back tears. Nash wrapped his arm around her, trying to offer comfort, though he was at a loss for words.Finally, Joe broke the tense silence, h
Nina had guessed right. After leaving the doctor's office, Winona made sure someone leaked the news to Yvonne. By that afternoon, Yvonne had learned about her condition from a patient in the room next door.Kidney failure.Her whole world collapsed in an instant. It felt like a form of release, but deep down, she still had a lingering sense of unwillingness.When she came back, she locked herself in the bathroom. Nina received a call from the doctor and rushed to the hospital immediately. Before she could even ask, the doctor explained what had happened. There was no way the patient in the next room could have known about Yvonne’s condition without someone stirring the pot.Nina instantly thought of Winona. Already harboring ill feelings toward her, Nina’s anger surged. She stormed into Joe’ hospital room and grabbed Winona by the collar, demanding, "Why did you do this? Yvonne has never wronged you. Why would you hurt her like this?"Winona signaled her people to pull Nina away
"Of course," Winona replied smoothly. "Think about it, they like Yvonne. Knowing she’s struggling, they’ll definitely agree. Besides, we won’t be taking advantage of them for free, right?"Her words ignited a spark of hope in Joe. After finding an excuse to send Winona away, he made his way to Yvonne’s hospital room.The moment Yvonne saw him, she stiffened in alarm. "What are you doing here? I don’t want to see you. Leave now, or I’ll jump out the window."Joe paused, not daring to move further. He stood at the doorway, his gaze steady. "I’ve found a potential kidney donor for you. Also, I recovered your missing paintings. Just say the word, and I’ll arrange for them to be hung in the exhibit.""There’s no need. I won’t be using them, and I don’t need you to worry about my affairs," Yvonne replied coldly, her tone even more distant than before.Joe’s last shred of hope crumbled into disappointment. After a long silence, he quietly took out a piece of paper and wrote down the cont
As soon as he walked in, Nigel spoke up, "The note is real. We’re going there now."Yvonne looked at him like he was talking nonsense. How could a kidney transplant be that simple? She had already started accepting the reality of her illness and didn’t want to make any more effort to change it.Ignoring her, Nigel picked her up and carried her out."What are you doing? Put me down!" she protested, embarrassed as nurses and patients stared at them. Her face turned red, wishing she could disappear.Nigel didn’t seem to care about the attention and continued carrying her, placing her in the car. Furious, Yvonne demanded, "Do you think this will make me feel grateful or something?"Nigel started the engine. "You’ve got it wrong. I just want you to live. There’s finally hope now, and I don’t want to miss it." He sped up the car, running several red lights as they raced toward the address in the southern part of the city.When they arrived at the location written on the note, they we