Axel coughed up blood as soon as Alex ended the call.Evan's face turned pale, and his hands shook uncontrollably. It was the first time Alex had seen Evan so terrified.-Thirty minutes later, Evan rushed Axel to Grand East, cradling him carefully. He hurried into the emergency department, gently placing Axel on a stretcher.Trying to hide his own emotions, he comforted Axel, "I'll be right outside. Don't be scared."Axel breathed heavily and reassured him, "I'm fine, don't worry, Daddy…"Evan's eyes welled up with tears.Dr. Richie Webber then intervened, saying, "Mr. Jordan, we will take care of Mr. Jordan Jr."They wheeled Axel into the emergency room.As Axel's cold, little hands slipped from Evan's grasp, a profound sense of helplessness consumed him. He watched Axel disappear behind the emergency room doors.Alex approached Evan, patted his shoulder, and tried to encourage him. "Don't worry. He's going to be fine."Evan's gaze remained fixed on the emergency room, his
Caroline glanced at the operating theater after ending the call. An uneasy feeling gnawed at her chest as if something terrible would happen. She battled the sense of suffocation, wondering, 'Am I just too nervous?'Taking slow, deep breaths, she waited for Lily.The minutes ticked by, stretching into what felt like hours.Finally, Scott hurried over to her. He approached swiftly as soon as he spotted Caroline. She looked up, greeted him, and rose from her seat. "You're here," she said.Scott handed her a cup of her favorite flat white coffee. "This should help you relax," he said."Thank you," Caroline replied, accepting the coffee. They sat together, glancing nervously at the illuminated sign above the operating theater.Scott asked, "How much time has passed?"Caroline checked her watch. "Almost 20 minutes."Scott reassured her, "Craniotomies take time. Evan's team consists of specialists from abroad. Everything will be okay."Caroline tried to ease her anxiety but still fe
Twenty minutes later, Axel was admitted to the VIP room. Evan and Alex walked into the room and heard hurried footsteps approaching from the door. They turned and saw Draco solemnly entering the room, accompanied by a few bodyguards. Seeing Axel lying on the bed, Draco snarled at Evan, "I entrusted the child to you, and you've raised him like this?"Evan remained silent as Draco berated him. However, the mention of Axel's illness caused intense pain in Evan's chest, making his entire body tense up.Unable to bear it any longer, Alex spoke up. "Uncle Draco, how can you blame Evan for this? He didn't want this to happen either!"Draco replied with displeasure, "This is none of your business! I'm addressing this defiant child. How has he raised my grandson?"Evan controlled his emotions and said coldly, "If you keep speaking so loudly and disturbing Axel's rest, I'll have the bodyguards remove you."Draco was furious. Reluctantly, he lowered his voice for Axel's sake. "You don't
"It's fine. I'm not leaving until Lily is out," Caroline firmly rejected.As her voice faded, the operation theater's lights dimmed. Caroline ceased her pacing and swiftly approached the theater's entrance. Scott followed closely behind. Soon, Deric gloomily emerged in his scrubs and looked at Caroline. "I'm sorry, Ms. Shenton. The surgery failed."Caroline's heart raced, and restlessness filled her chest. "What do you mean by 'failed'?"The sound of a stretcher being moved echoed, and Deric turned to allow nurses to pass. Caroline was about to check on Lily when she heard the doctor's regretful words. "Time of death, 2.27 p.m."Her arms dropped weakly to her sides. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Deric with disbelief. She asked hoarsely, "What did you say again?"Deric met her gaze with guilt. "Ms. Smith's vital signs were unstable during the surgery—""I don't want to hear this! I'm asking you, what did you say again?" Caroline sternly interrupted, her
"Why? Why is this happening?"Caroline's fists clenched, and she collapsed to the floor. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision."What have I done wrong? Why do the people closest to me always get taken away? Why?"Scott knelt beside her. "This isn't your fault, Carol…"Caroline leaned forward slowly. "I couldn't give Lily a good retirement life... I never got to repay her kindness. I caused Lily, my mother, and Jamie's deaths. I'm a jinx, and everyone around me will die because of me!"Scott comforted her, "This isn't your doing, Carol. You need to gather yourself. The children need you."-In the VIP room.Evan received Deric's guilt-ridden call, announcing Lily's death due to a failed surgery.Evan's face turned serious as he pictured Caroline's despair. He gritted his teeth and said, "I paid your team handsomely, and this is all you can do?"Deric explained, "The surgery should have been fine, Mr. Jordan. But the patient's vital signs dropped drastically during
Scott didn't prevent Caroline from entering.Caroline glanced up at the noise and quickly averted her gaze when she spotted Paige. She uttered hoarsely, "You're here."Paige approached and sighed upon seeing Lily. "Carol, please take it easy. I'm sure Lily wouldn't want to see you like this."Caroline stood up and grabbed a white cloth. "Lily endured a tough life. Her husband passed away long ago, and she sent her child abroad to study with her hard-earned money. Yet, he turned out ungrateful. I thought she'd be happier with me, but ultimately, I caused her harm."Paige looked at Caroline with concern. "Carol…"Caroline covered Lily's face with the white cloth. "Isn't it ironic?"Paige inquired, "What do you mean?"Caroline replied, "People around me keep passing away."Paige was genuinely scared. "It's not your fault. Those foreign doctors are to blame."'Foreign doctors…' she thought.Caroline recalled that Evan had arranged those doctors for Lily's treatment. He forcib
Scott advised, "Being excessively emotional isn't good for your health."Caroline took a deep breath. "I won't give up! I'm meeting Evan to clear things up."Neil suggested, "Do what you need to, but we might have to postpone our Christmas Eve plans."Neil turned to Scott. "Go inside with Carol first. I'll make a call."Scott nodded and left with Caroline.Neil's suspicion arose during Lily's first surgery. Why would an oncologist specialist attend a craniotomy surgery? Was it solely for Carol?However, Neil soon dismissed the idea.Even if Scott seemed suspicious, he likely couldn't manipulate Evan's hospital. Furthermore, his love for Caroline would prevent him from hurting her.-The next afternoon, Richie handed Evan the test report.Axel had been diagnosed with intermediate-stage acute leukemia from the expedited tests. Evan's grip tightened upon reading "intermediate stage".He looked at Richie seriously. "Do you have a treatment plan?"Richie replied, "We'll start wi
"I can promise you that," Evan assured. "However, you must behave and cooperate with the doctor during your treatment."Axel felt a wave of relief and nodded vigorously. He was willing to do whatever it took, as long as his father kept his promise not to inform his mother.-After leaving Grand East, Daniella drove to Villa Foresta. Upon arriving, she parked her car and entered the living room to find Casey resting there.She greeted him with a warm smile, saying, "I'm back, Casey."Casey opened his eyes and looked at Daniella gently. "How's Axel?"Daniella blurted out, "It's a bone marrow issue," as she sat beside Casey.Casey paused, puzzled. "Bone marrow?"Daniella quickly realized her mistake and corrected herself, saying, "He needs a bone marrow transplant."She was startled, fearing that Casey might discern she knew his true identity. She decided to keep this information to herself until their relationship had solidified, worried that Casey might turn against her.Casey