"Don't rush to refuse yet." James smiled at Serena. He felt a whirlwind of emotions building up within him.In James' day, it would have been surprising for someone Serena's age not to be married. Fortunately for Serena, she lived in a time when people were more accepting and valued accomplishments over marital status. So, it wouldn't be considered unusual if she never got married.Furthermore, the reason Serena hadn't been able to marry until now was a result of Mary and her own actions, as opposed to Rebecca's situation. So, she had no one to blame but herself and Mary. Even if Serena got married, she could face challenges similar to Mary's if she ended up with the wrong person.James resented Mary, but his feelings for Serena had softened over time. He took on the role of teaching Serena how to cook in his later years. It stirred a sense of compassion in him when he saw her crying. Even though Serena seemed to be in a state of hopelessness, James couldn't bear to see her succum
As Mary watched Serena remain silent with tears in her eyes, she couldn't help but be annoyed. "Why are you being so stubborn? Can't you just listen? You've always listened to me."Serena felt heartbroken. She wished she had seen the truth earlier. For years, she had trusted Mary's judgment and thought she had her best interests at heart. Only when she saw the person she cared for lying in a hospital bed did she realize how absurd her actions had been.As Mary prepared to speak with seriousness, Serena sniffed and nonchalantly replied, "I have no idea what Grandpa's will was but we should respect his wishes; whatever they were.""You stubborn fool, do you really mean that?" Mary was frustrated. She looked at Serena as if she were a complete idiot. "Respect? So, you're fine with your unjust grandpa giving all of his money to that Johnson bitch? Seriously, think about it. Does Rebecca really need your grandpa's money?"She's already set for life and beyond with the Johnsons' fortune.
Serena came up with an absurd idea out of the blue. She felt like calling Rebecca to talk about her problems and apologize to her. She understood that she was wrong when she thought about what she did. She needed to apologize to Oliver as well.She scrolled awkwardly across her phone's screen until she realized she didn't even have Rebecca's contact information. A couple of years ago, when she had spent Christmas with Mary and James in Fairport, they had set up a new family group chat.Then, Rebecca lost her phone and had to get a new number. That was when the group chat fell silent. Perhaps they had started a new group chat without Serena and Mary being part of it.Suddenly, Serena found herself pathetic. She had many relatives who were all successful people. Even if she couldn't be successful, her life wouldn't be so miserable if she had a close relationship with the Johnson family. No matter how bad things got, she wouldn't end up without someone she could talk to.Serena couldn
"Please don't say that," Angela cut James off. Tears began to well up in her eyes. Although she knew that James didn't have much time left, it was still hard to hear it directly from him.She felt a pang of remorse. If she could go back three days, she wouldn't have argued with Zelda or even brought Mary along to argue with James in the hospital. Maybe James wouldn't even be in the hospital bed, then.Angela choked back tears and said, "Don't be negative. Miracles do happen. Do you remember when you were very sick before? The doctors said we should prepare for the worst but you got through it, didn't you? Life's unpredictable."She held onto hope and believed that there were still a lot of good days ahead of them."All right, I won't mention those things," James agreed softly.Seeing that James was exhausted, Angela lowered his hospital bed and said, "Get some rest for now. We'll talk later when you're up. Don't fixate on the negative. Just follow the doctor's instructions. There'
Realizing she was being too harsh, Mary softened her tone and said, "Let's save discussions about the future for later. Whether it's about starting a business or investing, we can talk about those things when we get back to Rookfort."You've seen how ill your grandfather is. We don't even know how much time he has left to live. How will we manage in the future if you don't try to make him happy now? Can we count on your restaurant? You've been running it for years. Haven't you suffered enough?"Mary's gaze landed on Serena's intertwined fingers. Over time, Mary had focused solely on caring for herself. She hadn't noticed how rough Serena's hands had become.She couldn't resist chiding Serena, "Now, look at you. What's the difference between you and those wage earners with those hands and that look on your face? You don't even look like someone who comes from a decent family."Have a look at Rebecca. She's dressing so beautifully that it's a pleasure just to look at her. Your grandp
Mary was startled by Angela's steely voice. She jumped up from the hallway bench and faced her."Mom, when did you get here?" Mary asked sheepishly.Considering how much Angela had cared for her, she believed that Angela would forgive her and continue to show her favor.Unfortunately, things took an unexpected turn.Angela was in disbelief when she found Mary angrily accusing Serena of failing to claim James' inheritance in front of the ward when James was seriously ill.Although Mary was greedy, Angela believed that she was not a bad person. Even though Angela was aging, Mary had been more than willing to spend time with her. This led Angela to believe that Mary had a kind heart.Also, even though Mary had made a grave mistake in the past, she had been sincere in her apology and promised never to do it again. Things were peaceful for years, and Angela assumed Mary had changed for the better.It wasn't until today that Angela heard Mary's words and realized she had been spoiling
Angela's roar cut Mary off. Her glare made Mary recoil in fear. The sight of Serena's swollen face broke Angela's heart.Meanwhile, Mary's hand was trembling as she struggled to understand her impulsiveness. She weakly suggested, "What if we take Serena to apply some ointment first? I—""No need," Serena replied icily.Serena brushed Mary's hand away and soothed Angela before continuing, "Mom, I'm aware of your temper. I won't hold it against you even if you slapped me."I just hope that you don't bring up things like that again while Grandpa is unwell. Grandpa and Grandma have given you enough over the years. Please stop stirring up trouble if you still care about them."She wasn't expecting Mary to take care of James. Her only wish was that Mary wouldn't cause any trouble for James, who was gravely ill. Serena remained hopeful that James would recover."Grandma, why don't you go back and get some rest? I'd like some time alone," Serena suggested.Even though there had been an
After Serena left the hallway outside James' ward, she felt lost and didn't know what to do next. She had no place to stay in Fairport and going back to the hotel would only lead to another fight with Mary. Just the thought of it frustrated her.She wandered around the hospital until a nurse stopped her and brought her back to reality. The nurse seemed young, perhaps fresh out of university. She pointed to the red marks on Serena's face and asked in a friendly manner, "Do you need some medication? Your face looks a little swollen."Serena's mind was in a mess and she simply nodded. The nurse took her hand and led her to a ward to put on some ointment. As the ointment came into contact with Serena's face, the coolness eased her anxiety and grief.Fearing it would be rude, the nurse refrained from asking about the injuries. After she had carefully applied the ointment, she advised, "Take this ointment with you. Don't let anyone hurt you next time. Find a way to avoid it if you can't d