Uncle Dave remained nice to her, but Aunt Clementine's repeated demands eventually strained their relationship. Their relationship soon turned sour, and she no longer spoke her mind to Uncle Dave.Aunt Clementine and Harold had always been the ones who demanded money from her. Why did Uncle Dave call her suddenly? Maybe she would find out soon!Coco felt a pang of pain in her heart, especially as she thought of her happy times with Uncle Dave as a child. How wonderful it would be if everything was the same as it used to be!Later at night, Coco came to visit Uncle Dave at home. Uncle Dave and his family were waiting for her arrival. Coco entered the living room and found her parents' black-and-white photos neatly displayed on the table. The incense and candles around her parents' portraits made it seem like an offering to her late parents."What's going on..." Coco looked around in confusion. What were they up to? This was not a special day nor her parents' death anniversary. D
"Is that so? You'd better hurry. I don't know if I'll be able to make it to your wedding." Dave pretended to sigh emotionally."Don't say that. The doctor said you can be cured with proper treatment, didn't he?" Clementine hushed."But it'll cost so much money. Let's just forget about it. I might as well leave the money to you and Harold. I just hate my incapability in my life. I couldn't make a fortune and give you a good life. I even dragged Coco down, and she has to suffer with us," Dave let out a heavy sigh."Coco, say something! Tell Uncle Dave to get better soon!" Clementine shouted at Coco."Is Uncle Dave sick?" Coco finally asked."Yeah. Dad got a medical checkup, but he's diagnosed with kidney disease," Harold revealed and began complaining, "The doctor says he needs timely treatment. If we delay it any longer, he may need a kidney transplant to save his life. If he wants to get better results from the treatment, he needs to use special medicines, which are really expensi
"I know it costs money to raise a child, but I didn't know it'd cost that much. Probably a couple hundred thousand, at most," Coco said mockingly. "After I got into university, you guys haven't paid for anything except for the necessary tuition fee. I had no money for my living expenses, so I had to work while I studied." "You're going to settle old scores, aren't you? If I'd known, I wouldn't have adopted you back then. Maybe you would have been better off growing up in an orphanage," Dave said harshly.Clementine quickly comforted Dave, trying to calm him. Then, it was Harold's turn to speak. "Coco, how can you be so stingy? You're so heartless, unwilling to pay to save my father. He's your uncle! What's there left to say? Our family doesn't need someone like you!""Why did you summon me here today? Was it for Uncle Dave's illness or the money?" Coco asked, her voice cold."For the illness, naturally! It takes money to cure the disease!" Clementine yelled."In that case, show
Lucas was about to take her inside, but Coco suddenly threw herself at him and buried her face deep into his chest.Lucas stiffened when she hugged him suddenly, a puzzled look on his face."Don't push me away. Let me hug you for a while, okay? I really want to be in your arms right now," she rasped, choking with sobs."Did something happen?" Lucas asked, realizing she was having a little emotional breakdown.Coco said nothing, but her hands tightened on his waist. Her body was so close to his.Lucas stopped asking questions. Lifting his hand, he wrapped one hand around her waist and gently stroked her hair with the other. It was a quiet embrace, their warmth comforting each other.Coco rested her face on Lucas' chest, inhaling his incredible scent. His familiar warmth was a comforting taste.When Coco ran into trouble in university, she always told herself to be strong. There was no one else she could rely on anyway. Coco wondered if things would be different with Lucas around.
Coco found it a bit strange. Uncle Dave and his family had been silent. There was no contact from them ever since. Did they finally give up on the idea?It seemed Uncle Dave was just faking his illness. Otherwise, he would have used his medical reports to demand more money. How could he let her go so easily?It was getting closer to Comic Con. While getting ready for Comic Con, Coco prepared some small gifts for her fans, such as some simple drawings. Two days before Comic Con, Coco informed Lucas about the venue for the event and the location of her booth. She hoped he could visit her after work, but he seemed to be planning to visit during the day.On the day of Comic Con, the number of fans who came to the book signing event far exceeded Coco's expectations. During the signing session, some fans asked her about her relationship with Lucas. They wondered if she was truly Mr. Gomez's girlfriend.Coco gave them all the same reply, "Sorry, but I don't really feel comfortable talki
Harold had an outburst of righteous anger as he spoke and tried to push Minnie away.Minnie resisted, trying her best to stop Harold. Afraid that her friend would get hurt, Coco rushed forward to help her. The moment she stepped forward, Harold took his chance and threw his hand at Coco's face. There was a loud, clear slap. Harold beat Coco so hard that her ear was buzzing, her cheeks burning with pain.Furious, Minnie began yelling at him. "How can you hurt her?! That's too much!""Why can't I beat her?! She's so heartless! It's all her fault!" Harold said righteously, "Even if you call the police, I'm still going to fight.""What do you guys think? Shouldn't someone like her get beaten?" Harold began stirring the crowd, and some voices responded in the crowd, "She deserves it!""How can she be so heartless! You should beat her!""How can someone like her be a cartoonist?! She should be blacklisted from the industry!"A one-sided fight somehow started, and people in the cro
A familiar figure. It felt so familiar that tears pricked her eyes. Lucas! Lucas had come! He would save her, for sure!"Luc..." Coco struggled to open her mouth, trying to call out to him. He was her only hope at this moment. Coco desperately needed his help. When she tried to reach out to him, she saw him answer the phone, his face contorting in fury and fear as he listened and turned around to leave.'No, don't go!'"Lucas!" Coco shouted with all her strength, her voice strained and hoarse. No matter how hard she shouted, her voice was drowned out by the clutter of noises around her.Did Lucas not hear her? Was he leaving?!The next moment, she saw him turn around and look in her direction. Their gazes met, and he saw her!Coco was filled with joy. She would not have to be afraid with Lucas around. Lucas would protect her. If Lucas was there…Unfortunately, every hopeful shred of her shattered in the next moment. Shock filled her eyes as she watched him turn around and hurr
"I saw Coco's video from Comic Con. Is she okay now?"Minnie jumped in shock. "Video? You saw it online?!""Minnie, tell me. Is Coco okay?" Loke yelled impatiently.Minnie felt deafened by Loke's yelling. "I accompanied Coco home. Where did you see the video?"Loke did not answer and hung up straight. Minnie stared at her phone, her breath getting hitched. She quickly opened the mobile web browser and searched for some keywords. Within seconds, she found numerous videos about the incident at Comic Con, including Harold's accusations and images of the crowd throwing drinks and random things at Coco.Those comments from the video were all scolding Coco for making a fool of herself. Some even said Coco had deceived Lucas, which was why he dated her, but they would break up soon. Those comments pissed her off!Coco would probably need Lucas' help to handle the situation. Minnie wondered when Lucas would learn about the videos online. She wanted to tell Coco to hurry up and contact Lu