“How much is my mother’s treatment fees going to cost, Doctor Randall?” Olivia bit onto her bottom lip worriedly.
“I can’t give you an exact sum. The surgery and chemotherapy will cost about 600,000, and there will be extra charges for staying in the hospital as well.” The doctor, Alvin Randall, was aware that this was a large amount of money to ask from any regular family. He knew that Olivia’s family might not have enough savings, but there was nothing he could do to help.
“Actually… Olivia, I told you about this in the afternoon. Your mother only has a 5% chance of recovery, so you’ll have to prepare yourself mentally.” Alvin finally gave her this reminder after some hesitation. He was trying to suggest something with his words, but the ultimate choice lay in the hands of the family members—they would have to decide if they wanted to proceed or give up with treatment. In such situations, the patients would often opt for giving up. However, Olivia had requested to hide the truth from her mother as she didn’t want her mother to know about her own illness.
“I know. But I’m not going to give up!” Olivia tightened her jaw. Alvin gave her a faint smile. It was the second time he had reminded her about this matter, but she had given him the same response both times—he liked and respected the young girl for that.
Olivia glanced at her phone after she left the doctor’s office. She heard the woman’s voice on the phone earlier. It was a gentle and warm voice; Olivia recognized it as it sounded like the voice of the woman she had stalked. She felt a sudden ache in her chest then. I wouldn’t want to trouble her if I actually had a choice. I don’t want her to hate me. But Mommy’s sick… and I can’t afford to wait any longer…
…
Cameron couldn’t sleep that entire night. He made calls to both Myra and Tony, but neither of them picked his calls up. He even gave Conan a call and attempted to ask about the Ritz Carlton shares that had been handed to Myra, but Conan was a wise man—he simply refused to answer any of Cameron’s questions. Cameron felt like he was losing his mind as he couldn’t come up with a plan at all.
He even gave that woman a call. He hadn’t contacted the mother-daughter pair ever since they disappeared a year ago, but he found himself feeling worried for them after he saw the video earlier. I can tell that the video was taken a while ago, but she should be careful since she has a kid with her. Sean’s impressive—I can’t believe he managed to find that tape.
Cameron spent the whole night in his study. He checked the photo frame and realized that the photo had disappeared, but he didn’t take too long to figure out who had taken the photo away. Rachel… I don’t know what got into me when I first brought her into the Stark Family all those years ago.
After spending all those years with that woman, I genuinely wanted to hand her a position, but I was worried that she might turn out like Jenny or Rachel. I longed to have a regular life with her, where I’d get to see her delighted expression whenever I gave her a surprise. It’s a shame that God decided to let her find out the truth about me. I’m both surprised yet shocked that she didn’t—as Jenny and Rachel did—try to change her life for the better but instead chose to run away from me. It’s been a year, yet I still don’t know where she is.
Cameron pressed a palm against his forehead as he suddenly thought about Jenny. He had truly fallen for her in the past, but the woman he loved changed as time went on, and their relationship grew stale… He spent the night reminiscing about his past, and he felt like new strands of gray hair had grown out of his scalp by the time dawn arrived.
…
Myra woke up the following day and washed up before she went down for breakfast with Tony. A mailman arrived with a parcel that was meant for her. She was surprised—she had received a tiny box with something inside. She hastily opened it to find a USB inside.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow when he saw the USB, and he quickly took it away from her before he strode toward the TV in the hall. Myra found herself getting nervous as Sebastian inserted the USB into the port and turned the TV on. No one knew where the USB came from or who sent it over to them.
“Tony…” Myra tugged onto Tony’s sleeve as she felt her heart rate increasing rapidly. He pulled her close to him as they walked toward the hall. “Don’t worry. I’m here.” His deep voice was like a calming stream that calmed the anxiety she felt.
The contents of the USB had been revealed on the TV by the time they got to the hall. There was only one short video clip in it. Myra’s eyes watered the moment the video clip was played. “Hello, my cute little baby. Hehe. Although you haven’t fully formed in my belly, I still have a feeling that I’m going to see you soon. I’m your Mommy, and I’d like to tell my future baby a few things. Do you see the dark circles under my eyes? It’s because both your Daddy and I are working really hard for our future baby. If you turn out to be a boy, we’d have to work hard so that you will be rich when you get yourself a wife; if you’re a girl, we’ll have to work hard to save up for a sizable dowry! The Stark Group is growing larger and larger now, and it’ll be our present for you in the future. Do you like it, my baby? Regardless of whether you do, I really like it—I like the way I’m living now. I’m working hard, and I’m living a happy life. You’ll have to make sure to take care of the company—it’s your Mommy and Daddy’s hard work. No matter what happens in the future, you’ll have to keep a positive mindset and strive for the best.”
The video continued to play, but Myra no longer paid any attention to it as her tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. The woman in the video was her mother, Jenny. It was a video of Jenny when she was much younger. Jenny looked a lot like Myra did, though she seemed to be more jubilant and cheerful. She looked extremely lively and energetic in the video, and her joyful aura was almost contagious even through the screen.
Myra received a call then. She didn’t ignore the call after she saw the caller ID this time—instead, she tightened her grip on her phone before she picked the call up. “Did you see the video?” Cameron’s voice was extremely hoarse on the other end of the line. It didn’t sound like his usual, annoying voice—his voice no longer had its usual cold and arrogant tone. “Myra, your mother was the one who built the Stark Group into what it is today. I’m sure you can tell how hard she worked…”
Myra fell silent as her gaze continued to linger on the woman in the video. Jenny was still rambling on about how happy her life was. “Myra, I thought about it a lot last night. What’s the purpose of me clinging onto the Stark Group when your mother’s no longer around? After a night’s worth of contemplation, I’ve decided to sell off the Stark Group. I’d rather hand it over to someone than have it destroyed in my hands. At least it’d still be around, even if someone else might change its name and claim ownership over it…”
Right then, Myra’s emotions were still all over the place after she saw the video of her mother. She couldn’t stop herself from questioning her father once she heard what he said. “Who are you going to sell the Stark Group to?”
Tony frowned upon hearing Myra’s words, and he reached an arm out to give her a nudge on the shoulder. She bit her lip as she shifted her gaze to him. He felt his heart aching when he saw the hurt and sorrow in her gaze, and he decided to take her phone away from her.
“Are you going to sell the Stark Group?” Tony addressed the man on the phone.
“That’s right.” Cameron narrowed his eyes as he replied in a calm tone.
“Who are you selling it to?” Tony gave Myra a gentle peck on her cheek to get her to calm down.
Cameron tugged his lips into a smirk. “Since the Stark Group has a few joint projects with the Walton Family, I believe there will be a number of companies who wish to take over the business even if the Green Palms Project doesn’t work out. But right now, I’ve decided on selling it to the Bridgers Family. Hmm, I’m not sure if you remember, but you were once matchmade with the Young Lady of the Bridgers Family.”
