sister....

"Did Alexander pick up the phone?"

"Isobel, where on earth is Alexander? That's his father-in-law in there; he can't just ignore this!"

At the hospital, outside the operating room, Mrs. Wilson urged Isobel to make several more calls.

This time, it wasn't that no one answered; the phone was turned off.

Isobel realized that Alexander wasn't missing her calls; he was just avoiding her. She put her phone away and stopped trying.

"Family member, who's the family member? We need someone to pay the fees immediately! The patient's condition is critical and requires urgent payment for treatment!"

Just then, a nurse came over to ask for the payment.

Mrs. Wilson looked embarrassed.

"Isobel, I... I don't have any money. Just now, those debt collectors came, and I had to transfer all the money out of my account."

"It's okay, Mom. I have it. Alexander gave me a card."

When the situation first arose, Isobel wasn't looking for Alexander for money. He had already given her a card before. She was just scared and instinctively wanted to rely on him.

"Mom, you stay here and keep watch. I'll go pay the fees!"

Isobel's voice trembled as she spoke. Although she was already twenty-four, this was her first time facing such a life-and-death situation. It was impossible not to be scared.

She reached out to pat Mrs. Wilson's hand, then followed the nurse to the payment floor.

"Miss, could you please help me?"

She handed the card Alexander had given her to the nurse.

"I'm sorry, miss, but this card... can't be used."

The nurse swiped it, frowned, and quickly handed it back.

"How can that be?"

Isobel initially thought she had misheard. How could the card Alexander gave her not work?

"Can you try again? Maybe it was a network error?"

"I'm really sorry, but it can't be processed. Could you try another card or another method?"

The nurse paused and added,

"Please hurry, miss. Your father's condition is quite serious. If he doesn't have surgery soon, he might suffer brain death and become a vegetable!"

"I-I'll call right away."

Isobel's mind went blank upon hearing the nurse's words. Her already exhausted body felt like it couldn't hold up. She crouched down, took out her phone, and dialed Alexander. This time, her hands were shaking as she made the call.

"Please pick up, Alex, please!"

But there was still no answer. Isobel's face was etched with deeper pain, torn between the fear for her father's safety and the coldness of the man she loved.

Did he even know how scared she was? If something happened to her dad, how could she possibly continue with someone so heartless?

Isobel struggled to keep her emotions in check. She decided to call Alex's assistant instead.

"Miss Wilson, how can I help you?"

After a moment, the call was answered.

"I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm trying to reach Alex, but his phone is off."

"Yes, Mr. Howard is occupied. Is there something you need? I can pass on a message."

Daniel glanced at the man standing by the window in the hospital room and spoke softly.

Isobel couldn't afford to hesitate. She quickly explained,

"It's like this, Daniel. My dad... he's not doing well. He's in the hospital and needs surgery. When Alex and I got married, he gave me a card. I need to use the money in it now, but the card isn't working..."

"Miss Wilson, although Mr. Howard gave you that card, he mentioned that to prevent you from withdrawing money to support your family, every transaction, no matter how small, needs to be applied for. You must explain its purpose, and it requires Mr. Howard's approval before the bank can release the funds."

Daniel Reed's words came through the phone loud and clear to Isobel Wilson's ears. For a moment, she resented how advanced smartphones were and how strong the network signal was, making Daniel's words crystal clear.

She was his wife. When she graduated, she had excellent job opportunities. She was from the best art school at Z University and had been invited to work with top international dance companies. But she gave it all up for him, choosing to be a full-time wife at home.

When he handed her the bank card, she was filled with joy.

Isn't it said that where a man's money is, there his love is too? Although the money he gave her was just a drop in the ocean for him, something he might even forget about.

But from it, she could feel a hint of his regard. At least she wasn't entering the Howard family without a penny to her name.

Yet it turns out he was always wary of her, afraid she'd give it to her family.

But now her dad was in the operating room, his life hanging by a thread. She just wanted to withdraw some money for the medical bills. Was that too much to ask? Did she really need to file an application for that?

"Daniel, Assistant Daniel, I really have an emergency. My dad... my dad might not make it. The hospital is about to issue a critical condition notice! Could you please talk to Alexander for me? Can I file the application later? Just unlock my card so I can withdraw some money! Can you do that?"

Before Isobel could finish her plea, Daniel's voice came through the phone,

"Hello? Miss Wilson, are you there? Hello? Sorry, Miss Wilson, the signal here isn't great. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

"No, please don't!"

"Assistant Daniel, please don't hang up!"

Clinging to the last straw of hope, Isobel was desperate when she heard Daniel say he was going to hang up. She was almost on her knees, begging, even though no one but the passing people in the hospital corridor could see her. She was truly out of options.

Please don't hang up on her!

However, no matter how much she pleaded, the call was disconnected, leaving her with no room for negotiation.

"Assistant Daniel!"

But when she tried calling again, there was no answer.

It felt like Isobel Wilson was facing a dire situation with no way out.

Her father was lying in the operating room, desperately needing money for the surgery, and if she didn't ask Alexander Howard for help now, she had no idea who else to turn to.

Who could help her?

Isobel had never felt so helpless before. Her eyes darted around, seeing nothing but overwhelming darkness.

But... she couldn't give up. Her father was still in the operating room, waiting for help.

Isobel knelt on the ground for a few seconds, clutching her phone, struggling to get up. She had to think of another way. Should she try to find Alexander Howard? But she had no idea where he was. Would going back to the old house to beg for help work?

Or should she plead with the hospital first? She wanted to return to the operating room's entrance; her mother was still waiting for her. She hoped the hospital might grant them some leniency.

But whether it was because she got up too quickly or the emotional rollercoaster of the night had overwhelmed her, as soon as she stood, her vision went black, and she collapsed.

"Sister, sister..."

Before losing consciousness, Isobel heard the urgent calls of the hospital nurse echoing in her ears.