Chapter 3

Sloane's POV

"James, sorry to trouble you. Take me to the hospital."

If Lauren wanted to play the ATM, I'd let her.

The car door shut out the noise outside.

The air conditioning was on full blast. That familiar scent hit me in the face.

Lauren sat beside me, rubbing her knees and complaining.

"This damn weather. Every time it rains my joints ache. It's torture."

I didn't respond.

I'd lived in that cold, damp rental for three years. I was long used to the aching in my bones.

Lauren didn't expect me to show concern anyway. She pulled a stack of cash from her bag and tossed it on my lap.

"This is last night's tip. Consider it compensation."

Lauren's tone was complicated.

"Quit that degrading job. Even if you come home and do nothing, it's better than working on your knees for strangers. The Sterling family can't afford this humiliation."

I looked at the money on my lap.

Brand new bills. The bank wrapper hadn't even been removed.

"Not enough."

I said flatly.

"The spa has high penalty fees for breaking contract."

Lauren frowned, looking like she wanted to explode, but somehow held back.

"I'll have James transfer you the money! Also, I'm emphasizing this again-you must come back next week for your father's death anniversary."

She paused, her tone reproachful.

"He loved you most when he was alive. You haven't come home in three years. Aren't you afraid of breaking his heart?"

I laughed.

"Breaking his heart?"

I turned my head and stared hard at Lauren.

"His heart broke because he saw the murderer who killed him still playing the loving mother."

Lauren's face went pale.

"What are you talking about! That was just an accident!"

"Whether it was an accident or not, you know in your heart."

My voice was very soft.

"If you're lonely, go find Jasmine. Even though she's using my kidney, her mouth is sweeter than mine. After all, those who eat from others have soft mouths."

"You!"

Lauren raised her hand in rage.

Before the car fully stopped, I pulled open the door.

James cried out and slammed on the brakes.

I walked into the rain, stuffing that stack of cash into my pocket.

I'll take your money.

But I won't acknowledge a single bit of your sentiment.

The rain soaked through my clothes. The surgical wound at my waist began to throb violently from the cold.

That pain instantly pulled me back three years.

The image of my father clutching his chest as he fell.

Lauren's face as she protected Jasmine, forcibly making excuses for her.

Even now that woman thought this was just a simple family conflict.

Dialysis center.

This was the absolute center of my life. Also a money shredder.

The ward reeked of disinfectant.

Emma Peach had just finished dialysis. Her face was as white as paper, her hands covered in dense needle marks.

Seeing me, Emma struggled to squeeze out a smile.

"Sloane, has work been exhausting lately? Are you working lots of overtime?"

She thought I worked in an office building with air conditioning.

I set down the food I'd just bought on the bedside table, lying smoothly.

"Not tired. The company just issued project bonuses. Pretty generous."

Emma's eyes lit up briefly, then dimmed again.

"That's good... When I get better, let's go see snow. I've lived this long and never seen real snow."

"Okay. We'll go see snow."

I held her hand. That hand was ice cold, like holding a piece of ice about to melt.

"The surgery fees are almost ready. Hang in there a little longer."

Emma nodded with a smile, but her eyelids drooped heavily.

I walked out of the ward, my palms covered in sweat.

Sweat from gripping the payment slip so hard.

To keep this hope alive, forget massaging Lauren-I'd grind my dignity into the mud ten thousand times if necessary.

"Family of bed 6, come here."

The billing window nurse called out with a cold face.

"Last night's payment has been processed."

The nurse tapped at her keyboard.

"After deducting previous arrears, what's left only covers prepayment for the next dialysis cycle."

My heart tightened.

"What about the kidney transplant surgery fees?"

The nurse looked at me like I was an idiot.

"To get on the waiting list for a donor kidney, you need to pay a huge deposit first. And you know how things work now-you need cash to grease palms up and down."

"Without five million dollars, don't even think about surgery."

The nurse shoved out the receipt.

"Also, this week's specialty medication is out-of-pocket. Add another five thousand dollars."

I held the receipt, standing in the busy corridor.

Two million dollars.

To Lauren, that was pocket change for dismissing a beggar. Here, it could only buy half a life.

I opened my phone calculator.

Adding in surgery fees, post-op anti-rejection medication, nutritional costs... the gap was still huge.

I closed the screen. My eyes gradually turned cold.

Since my mother wanted to buy off family ties with money, then I'd sell to her.

The Sterling family. Lauren. Jasmine Sterling. Every single one of them would pay.

As long as they paid, I'd sell anything.

Mr. Lee, the manager of the spa, sent a message. "Important guests tonight. Come to work early."