Chapter 236 Reunion
“Didn’t you guys call the police?” Jonathan asked with a frown.
“We did!” Alice lowered her head and fidgeted her fingers. “The police didn’t do anything to help us. Rumors say the police and the demolition team are in it together! Jon, could you help put in a good word for us with Mr. Lautner so that they don’t demolish our house? Otherwise, we’d be homeless!”
As she was speaking, her eyes teared up, and she looked at Jonathan helplessly.
Jonathan was her only hope by then.
“Didn’t they offer compensation? Didn’t the demolition team give you guys any money?” Jonathan furrowed his brows.
“They did!” Alice bit her lips and continued, “But they only gave us fifty thousand. What on earth could we get with fifty thousand? Jon, do you know that a small house in the county costs up to seven hundred thousand? We can’t even afford a washroom with fifty thousand!”
“They only gave you fifty thousand?” Jonathan was in disbelief. Is this a joke?
He had been to Alice’s house in the past. Although it wasn’t a big house, it was definitely more than a hundred square meters big. Fifty thousand was way too little.
“Leave it to me!” Jonathan stubbed out his cigarette and glanced at Alice. “I’ll get it sorted out. In the meantime, take good care of your parents!”
“Thank you, Jon!” Alice bit her lips and bowed.
“Don’t mention it!” Jonathan gently patted her head. The moment he was about to say something else, a weak voice was heard coming from inside the ward. “Alice, are you there?”
“Mom!” Alice yelled and rushed into the ward immediately.
In the ward, there was a middle-aged woman with an oxygen tube attached to her nostrils. She was pale and weak.
“Alice?” the middle-aged woman voiced when she saw Alice walking through the door. She tried to sit up straight, but she was just too weak to do so.
“Let me help you, Mom!” Alice hurried toward her and helped her up.
“Ouch!” The middle-aged woman hissed in pain as she was sitting up. Apparently, her motion had put pressure on her wound. “What happened to me?”
“Mom, have you forgotten about what happened a few days ago?” Alice bit her lip and said, “Along with Dad, the both of you got into a row with the demolition team!”
“Oh, I remember now!” The middle-aged woman regained her memory. She then looked around anxiously and asked, “Where’s your dad?”
“Dad hasn’t woken up yet!” Alice pointed toward a middle-aged man lying in a bed next to her. “The doctor said you guys only suffered light injuries but somehow knocked your heads during the scuffle. Fortunately, a few days of recovery is all it’ll take!”
“All right. That’s good news!” The middle-aged woman breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, she noticed there was a man standing behind Alice. She couldn’t help but ask, “Alice, is… is he your boyfriend?”
“Mom, what are you on about?” Alice blushed slightly when the middle-aged woman mistook Jonathan as her boyfriend. “This is Jon! Don’t you remember Jonathan?”
“Jonathan?” The middle-aged woman’s eyes widened in bewilderment when she heard his name. She stared at him in disbelief and asked, “Are… Are you Jonathan?”
“Yes! It’s me, Mrs. Renner!” Jonathan smiled and nodded.
“Jonathan, is that really you?” The middle-aged woman couldn’t help but tear up a little when she realized Jonathan was the boy she hadn’t seen in more than a decade. “I’m so sorry, Jonathan!”
“It’s ancient history, Mrs. Renner. Forget about it!” Jonathan intervened when he noticed the middle-aged woman was getting emotional.
“What brought you here, Jonathan? Did the silly Alice give you a call?” The middle-aged woman gave Alice a hard stare and scolded, “Didn’t I tell you not to call Jon? Why won’t you listen to me?”
“Mom, I had no choice!” Alice lowered her head in a guilty manner.
After a few days in the ICU ward, her money had eventually run out. She was so broke that she had less than ten in her bank account. If she hadn’t asked Jonathan for help, her parents could’ve been forced out of the hospital already.
“Don’t blame Alice, Mrs. Renner. It has been so long since I last saw all of you! I’ve missed you guys.” Jonathan rubbed Alice’s head gently and looked at the middle-aged woman. “Alice told me you guys had a problem with the demolition team, is that right Mrs. Renner? What happened exactly?”
“Oh, we shouldn’t talk about that unhappy event!” Surprisingly, the middle-aged woman didn’t tell Jonathan about the problem she and her family were facing. She was determined not to bother him with her problems. Hence, she changed the topic by saying, “You’ve come from such a long way! Have you eaten, Jonathan? Are you hungry? Do you want me to get Alice to go get something for you to eat?”
“There’s no need!” Jonathan waved in dismissal. “I’m old enough to know not to starve myself! Don’t worry about me, Mrs. Renner. Please listen to the doctor’s instructions and get ample rest, okay?”
“Isn’t it expensive to stay here, Alice? Do you still have enough money?” The middle-aged woman took a look around the ward and noticed that it must’ve cost a fortune.
Indeed, they had the ward all to themselves. Besides, it was obvious that it was a private ward judging by the luxurious decorations. The room actually cost a few thousand a day!
“I spent all my money already.” Alice lowered her gaze and said embarrassingly, “If it wasn’t for Jon, we could’ve been chased out already.”
“Alice-” Jonathan tried to intervene in Alice’s speech, but he was too late. The middle-aged woman had already started scolding her.
“You silly girl!” The middle-aged woman glared at Alice. “Why did you call Jonathan? Why would you make him spend his hard-earned money?”
“Jonathan, how much did we set you back? I have some savings in the bank. I’ll get Alice to pay you back!” the middle-aged woman exclaimed.
“That won’t be necessary!” When Jonathan saw the middle-aged woman take out her debit card, he rejected her hastily. “I still have money, Mrs. Renner! In fact, I’ve earned quite a lot over the years! Not only can I pay for the room, but I can even afford to block book the entire hospital for you!”
“Don’t bluff me, silly boy!” Unconvinced, the middle-aged woman stared at Jonathan. Block book the entire hospital? That’s going to cost you tens of millions!
“I’m not bluffing, Mrs. Renner.” Jonathan frowned helplessly. “If you don’t believe me, ask Alice.”
“Mom, Jon is telling the truth,” Alice reassured. “Mr. Lautner even came to see Jon personally just now.”
“Stop it the both of you.” The middle-aged woman was still not convinced. However, a pair of hurried footsteps were heard coming from outside the ward the moment she finished her sentence.
