Anastasia passed the instructions to the nurse behind her, and the nurse went outside. Not long later, Elliot came in. He half knelt by the bed and leaned in toward Harriet. “I’m here, Grandma.”
Harriet grabbed his hand and said, “Elliot, you have to take good care of Anastasia in the future. Never let her down.”
“I know. I love her more than I love myself. I’ll use my life to protect her,” Elliot swore.
Anastasia pursed her lips, her eyes filling with tears as his voice pierced through her heart and deeply moved her.
“I have no regrets. You’re the most capable and powerful person in our family, so you have to take care of Nigel and the others,” Harriet continued.
“I will, Grandma. You should rest.” Elliot reached out and gently caressed her gray hair.
However, Harriet didn’t want to rest at all. She didn’t have much time left in the first place, so she wanted to use her last moments to the best that she could and look at the people she was worried about the most.
“I wanted to see Jared, but with my current state, I don’t think I should. I don’t want to scare him.”
“Grandma, you won’t scare Jared. I’ll bring him over to see you!” Anastasia said in a choked voice.
Nevertheless, Harriet didn’t want to scare the young child and shook her head resolutely. “I really don’t want to scare him. Just tell him that I’m going to see his great-grandpa.”
Elliot respected her wishes, knowing that it wasn’t that she didn’t love her grandson, but she loved him too much. Anastasia nodded in understanding as well. Just then, Harriet’s breathing quickened, and Elliot hastily got up and called the doctor.
As Harriet needed to rest, everyone went to the lounge. Just as Anastasia sat down, someone kindly handed her a piece of tissue. When she looked up and saw that it was Sophia, she gave her a grateful look.
Not long later, Nigel arrived in a hurry, his eyes full of sadness as he sat next to Elliot. The two cousins looked at each other, neither of them saying a word. Then, Anastasia asked Sophia to go back first as they would stay in the hospital to accompany Harriet in her final moments. When it was time to pick up Jared in the afternoon, Elliot sent his bodyguards and asked Nigel to take him home while they stayed in the hospital.
At the same time, the other members of the Presgrave Family had also heard the news, and they felt like they could finally let out a huge sigh of relief. Finally, Harriet, who had the most influence, was leaving, and they thought the newly promoted Anastasia was much easier to deal with. All of them were waiting for Harriet to take her last breath, and at the same time, several elders were also sent to the hospital to pay her a visit. However, all of them were turned away by Elliot. As Harriet didn’t have much time left, he hoped that the last people to stay by her side would not be the ones who were full of schemes, but only the ones who loved her.
That night was exceptionally long, and in the quiet hospital hallway, even the nurses kept their footsteps to the lightest. After Harriet slept, her condition continued to worsen, as if it was time for her candle to go out.
When it was almost dawn, she woke up, and Brenda held her hand while calling out softly, “Mom!”
It took a huge amount of energy for Harriet to speak, and she said in a hoarse voice, “The sun is up. It’s time for me to go.”
“Mom, don’t go.” Brenda couldn’t help but burst into tears.
Elliot and Anastasia rushed in from outside as well. As they listened to the sound of Brenda weeping, Anastasia’s red eyes filled with tears. Harriet seemed to be thinner and weaker.
“You’re all here…” Harriet looked at the people around her, her eyes teary and reluctant, but she still closed her eyes without regret.
In the end, the hand that was holding her daughter’s hand suddenly dropped limply.
In an instant, the whole room was full of cries from Brenda, Anastasia, and Jodie. Though the men suppressed their emotions, they felt equally sad on the inside. The hospital director stood by the bed in silence with the executives of the hospital, sending the noble Harriet off on her final journey.
In the morning, when Nigel sent Jared to school, he couldn’t control himself in the end and teared up, his eyes red-rimmed. He said to the little fellow, “Jared, you must always remember what your great-grandma looks like, okay?”
