Lydia and Skylar walked out of Riley's fancy villa. Lydia's composed facade vanished the second they were out of sight. Riley had totally dissed her. However, Lydia could not help smirking at the thought of Riley going after Madeline. That would be a show worth watching. Skylar piped up, "I swear I've seen that guy before."Lydia, cheered up by the image of Madeline's epic fail, teased her mom. "Really, Mom? Guys like him are your type?"Skylar blinked, her face going through a quick change of emotions, then shot Lydia a look. "What are you on about? I just think he looks familiar, especially those eyes!"Who was he, anyway?Lydia watched her mom puzzle it out, nearly tripping down the steps in her distraction, and got a bit annoyed."Does it matter who he is? Just keep your distance from them from now on.""Why?" Skylar asked, puzzled."Because they are..."Lydia leaned in and whispered something to Skylar.Skylar blushed. "No way! You mean Riley is... She's looking for
Chandler wasted no time in bringing Stephen up to speed on Bella's situation.Stephen's coffee cup wobbled in his shock.Staring at the mess of coffee on the floor, his voice was frigid. "What's going on?"Chandler replied softly, "I talked to the hospital doctor. Dr. Caleb got back from overseas, met Mrs. Gibson, and started arranging for her to get some cutting-edge medicine from abroad. Bella was getting better at first, but things went south, and the doctor had to stop her medication."Who knew that just two nights ago, Bella would wake up, bolt out, and end up in a car crash. The blood tests came back with traces of some nasty stuff in her system. I think someone might have been messing with her meds."Stephen felt a chill in his heart. "What was in her blood?""The situation is still vague. Dr. Caleb and his team are on the case, but they haven't cracked it yet. Ms. Sanders is still in the dark. "Stephen mulled it over for a second before saying, "Send me the blood work,
"My mom only had a stroke, and now she's gone because of the accident. How do you plan to make it up to my family for our loss?"David's eyes bore into Madeline, his fists clenched in fury. The muscles on his shoulders bulged, a testament to his anger.Before Madeline could respond, the crowd behind David erupted."What about me? I was driving just fine until someone darted out in front of me! If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have crashed into the ambulance."Now my car's been impounded, I've lost my job, and I'm facing a lawsuit. What did I do to deserve this? I need compensation!""I've been wronged too! I was driving along when suddenly, this dark object fell from the sky and completely shattered my windshield. Who am I supposed to complain to?""And me!""Me too!"The voices rose in unison, all from people affected by the accident."We want compensation! You owe us!"The two young nurses pushing Bella's bed had never witnessed such an uproar and nervously swallowed.At
Madeline's heart skipped a beat as she rushed to intervene.However, David, with his imposing build and strength, was not easily stopped. He bulldozed his way through.His fists were up, ready for anything.The two young nurses shrieked and backed off, shaking and scurrying to the side.Madeline was speechless.By the time they tried to intervene, it was too late. Bella was already in David's grasp.Madeline fought to keep her voice steady, despite the turmoil inside. "My mom's sick, critically sick. The doctors have warned us multiple times. If you touch her and something happens, you'll be facing criminal charges."Her words had an effect. Some in the crowd exchanged wary looks and stepped back, giving Bella some space.David was like a wall, unyielding and with a voice as deep as a drum. "Don't think you can intimidate me! My mom paid with her life because of her. It's as simple as an eye for an eye. That's the rule, no matter who shows up."Madeline coldly asked, "What do
Riley, flanked by her entourage, looked at Caleb and Madeline with pure loathing. Madeline tried to explain. "Mrs. Yagle, this is their compensation." Riley laughed coldly and mocked, "Compensation? You're too kind. Good thing I was smart enough to freeze your account. You would've blown through Trevon's fortune, wouldn't you?"Caleb and Chandler both looked puzzled. Madeline's bank card was locked down?That explained the worried look on her face earlier.Madeline stayed silent as she reached out her hand, signaling for Riley to hand back the check.She was not being generous. She was backed into a corner.Besides, even if she did hand over the cash, those guys would not be able to just walk away with it.It was clear that David and his crew were trying to shake them down.Riley held onto the check, her eyes darting between Caleb and Madeline. "Wow, Madeline, you're full of surprises. So, spill it. How long have you two been an item?"Chandler was totally lost.Madeline a
Madeline's eyes were seething with fury as she bolted forward, heedless of everything else."Madeline!" Caleb yelled, dashing to her side to shield her.Yeneth and Chandler came to their senses and rushed to lend a hand. However, no matter how quick they were, Bella's fall was just a blink away.By the time Madeline got to her, she was already sprawled on the ground.In that moment, Madeline felt as if her own heart had plummeted to the floor with a thud.A dull roar seemed to burst right next to her ear, silencing the world around her. She shoved through the crowd in a frenzy, screaming for the nurses.The nurses turned as white as ghosts, and it took them a moment to snap out of it before they dashed over.The moment they began their journey, Madeline's eyes caught a glimpse of a smiling face in the distance behind them—it was Lydia. As Lydia's gaze locked with Madeline's, her smile shone brightly. She twirled the pink necklace at her throat with her left hand and gave Madel
Yeneth stood by Madeline's side, eyes brimming with tears, voice quivering as she whispered her name."Madeline."Caleb and the rest stayed silent, their eyes filled with worry as they watched Madeline.However, she did not collapse this time. Instead, she gave Yeneth's hand a reassuring pat and said, "I'm going to go in and talk to her."Without waiting for anyone's response, she headed inside alone.Bella's condition had not changed since two days ago. Madeline had found the way to save Bella, so why was she still on the brink of death?Madeline's sobs broke through as she clutched her mouth, unable to hold back her tears.She knelt by Bella's bedside, her cries and whispers blending into a heart-wrenching call. "Mom..."Outside, Yeneth, witnessing Madeline's breakdown, could not contain her own tears, covering her mouth as she sobbed breathlessly.…At the airport exit, Yahir paced restlessly, glancing at his watch every few seconds.The flight was supposed to land before
The nurse draped a white sheet over Bella and wheeled her away.Madeline stood still before leaving the room.Trevon watched her, noticing how much more worn she looked, and said softly, "I'm sorry I'm late."Madeline gave him a brief look, shook her head slightly, her face unreadable.Trevon's brow creased, wanting to say more, but Madeline was already looking away, turning to Yeneth. "I need to pick out a gravesite for my mom. Yeneth, will you come with me?"Yeneth nodded.Trevon, caught off guard, frowned and said, "Let Daniel handle these small things."He bit back the rest of his thoughts. 'Madeline, you need to rest.'Madeline's voice was icy. "Mr. Gibson, if you're not too busy, maybe you could sort out my bank card being frozen. I've got funeral costs to cover, and I can't exactly go asking for loans, can I?"Trevon's frown deepened. "What do you mean?"Without another word, Madeline took Yeneth by the arm and they left.Bella's trip overseas was off the table, so al