When Chloe got the message from Kendall, she was still fuming from being scolded by Alan. Ever since she came home, Alan had pinned huge hopes on her. Right out of the gate, he appointed her executive president of the company.
Previously, Esther had only been a finance clerk—officially “starting from the bottom” since she wasn’t a biological daughter. Of course, the company’s key roles wouldn’t go to her. Even if Chloe never came back, he still had a son, so the family fortune was never meant for her.
But when Chloe returned, Alan felt like heaven was smiling on him—two kids, a boy and a girl. He immediately handed her the executive president title, planning to retire soon and pass the chairman role to his son. That way, the family wealth would all stay “in-house.”
Since his son was young and clueless, the real responsibility fell on his daughter. The moment Chloe took office, Alan entrusted her with the huge task of negotiating financing—trusting his own flesh
“Pfft!”Esther couldn’t hold back and let out a quiet laugh, then gently bumped his arm with her elbow.“Did you hear that?”Evander: “...”His thought process was just unbeatable!“If it’s such a fine car, why would pigs be the ones rolling around on it? Naturally, only a lady should be riding it.”She had practically invited him on herself. The arm she bumped was grabbed and held firmly, his hand sliding down to grip her wrist. His long fingers slipped between hers, intertwining their fingers tightly as he pressed her hand against the back of the car.“Esther, I’ll confess again—I like you. Like, really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?”Will you be my girlfriend?Girlfriend?His voice was low and husky, as if filtered through a magnet, rolling over her heart. Esther could only feel her heart pounding wildly.
As the doctor finished speaking, Esther, wearing surgical scrubs, came out from the operating room. She glanced at the man standing silently at the door, smiled faintly, and addressed the two battered people:“The surgery is done. We keep our promise: to save lives and provide free medical care for your family’s suffering member’s childbirth. Medical fees are waived. So, can you now return the one million dollars deposit that my friend gave the hospital on your behalf?”“Return it?”Upon hearing this, the mother-in-law immediately panicked. She had held the cash for a while but felt awkward and deposited it in the bank.“You promised to return it only after mother and child were safe, but now my daughter-in-law and grandson are still in critical condition. How can we pay you back?”“What? You refuse to pay the medical bill and used the doctor’s money as a deposit to agree to the C-section?
Unheard of. The woman in the OR is fighting for her life, and her husband and mother-in-law are already scheming about her money!Normally indifferent to others’ affairs, Evander couldn’t hold back this time and decided to intervene.Conveniently, he had his assistant record the conversation. Glancing at his assistant, he said, “Take this recording and bring the family of this Miss Lisa here—immediately, as fast as possible. The hospital staff are too slow!”Esther had already sent someone to contact the woman’s family, but they hadn’t arrived yet, which showed the hospital’s slow speed.Since it was something Esther needed done, Evander naturally took it upon himself to act without hesitation—and to do it better!After the secretary left, Evander was left alone at the operating room door, waiting with the mother and son outside. They were waiting for their grandson; he was waiting for his woman
After witnessing the whole process, the mother-in-law snapped out of her daze and rushed over, grabbing the stretcher and blocking it from leaving the delivery room. “No C-section! No C-section! We don’t have the money!”“It’s free.”“Even if it’s free, it’s no good. We don’t trust doctors. You say it’s free now, but after the surgery, you’ll start charging again. If the child ends up in your hands, what can we country folks do?!”Esther: “...”She had seen paranoid delusions before, but never this extreme.“Adrian, put 50,000 dollars here for her. If we say something different later or try to charge her surgery fees, you can use this 50,000 as payment. A C-section surgery doesn’t cost 50,000!”With medical insurance and reimbursements directly settled, Esther’s words stunned the hysterical woman who was blocking the stretcher. S
A woman dressed like a rural villager rushed in from outside. She grabbed the man roughly and glared fiercely at the doctors. “You quack doctors, always pushing for C-sections to swindle money—no medical ethics at all!”“Ma’am, your daughter-in-law really needs surgery now, otherwise she’ll die…”“Who are you trying to scare? Back home, I gave birth at home every time, with midwives helping, and everyone was perfectly healthy!” The obstetrician in charge of delivery quickly tried to explain.Before she could finish, the rural woman interrupted angrily, “Now that she’s in the hospital, you want to do a C-section? Isn’t that just a money scam? You doctors are obsessed with money!”“We don’t want money, it’s free. But the surgery must be done now, or it’ll be a double death!”“No money? You’re the ones who said that, not me!&r
When they reached the delivery room, Adrian personally explained the situation to the family and made it clear: no more delays, a C-section was necessary, and the hospital would cover the costs.But then—“Isn’t a C-section bad for the baby?”The man’s bloodshot eyes gripped Adrian’s arm tightly. “My mom said babies born by C-section have weaker health. Why don’t we try natural birth first? If it doesn’t work, then do the C-section.”“There’s no way she can deliver naturally now. If she could, I wouldn’t be telling you to do surgery!”Not just the female doctors present, even Adrian — who’s seen plenty of life and death — couldn’t stand the man’s ignorant attitude. Nurses came and went, doctors reported the worsening situation, and the noise inside grew louder, while the man’s protests grew quieter.Adrian finally lost it.