Chapter 554 Visiting
Elizabeth smiled, "I didn't call you, but you could've reached out to me. Or were you too busy with Daniel, living in your own little love bubble? So caught up in romance that you forgot to check in with me?"
Dean sighed, "Don't even get me started. What love bubble? You have no idea what my life has been like since you left. Just promise you won't kill me with your scolding when you get back."
Elizabeth was curious, "Why would I scold you? You've been watching my kids at home and managing the business at the office. You're my right-hand man. I can't do without you, so why would I scold you?"
Dean hesitated, "Elizabeth, you might not know this, but your company is on the brink of bankruptcy."
Elizabeth was shocked, "What? Why?"
Dean quickly said, "Elizabeth, I'm sorry. It's my fault. Do you remember my ex-boyfriend?"
"Of course. That jerk who dumped you."
"Jennifer somehow found out about him and hired him at a high salary for her FutureTech Robotics Group. He stole a lot of our core secrets. Sadly, I have no way to counteract it because he knows all my technical methods. I haven't figured out a solution yet. Elizabeth, I've let you down."
Elizabeth comforted him, "Dean, don't be discouraged or blame yourself. When we first returned to the country, the Jones Group started from scratch. Even if it goes bankrupt, it's just back to square one. Don't let this make you doubt yourself. To me, family and friends are the most important. Money is just an external thing; you can't take it with you when you die. We don't need a lot of money, just enough to live well."
Dean was surprised, "Elizabeth, are you sick?"
Elizabeth laughed, "How did you know? I'm in the hospital right now, wearing a hospital gown and calling you."
Dean was worried, "You're really sick? Is it serious? Do you need me to be with you? I used to always be there when you were sick."
Elizabeth nonchalantly said, "No need. It's just a minor surgery. Glenn and Rufus are with me."
"Glenn is there too? Then I'm relieved."
Elizabeth hung up the phone and was about to lie down for a rest when she heard the sound of a hospital stretcher and hurried footsteps in the hallway.
She was about to call Glenn when he walked in.
Elizabeth casually asked, "Is there a new patient?"
Glenn replied, "It's your old acquaintance, Gerald. He fell down the stairs and hurt the back of his head. He's being taken to the operating room now. But he probably won't be placed in your ward after the surgery."
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I don't want to see him, and he probably doesn't want to see me either."
Glenn hesitated, "But your ex-husband..."
Elizabeth looked at him, "You mean Michael? What's up with him? Why are you being so cryptic?"
"He probably saw your bodyguard. I bet he'll ask why he's here."
Elizabeth pondered, "Let him ask. It doesn't matter if he finds out."
Just as Glenn predicted, Michael intercepted Rufus at the end of the hallway as he was heading back to the ward.
Rufus was surprised, "Mr. Thomas, what are you doing here?"
Before Michael could answer, Rufus realized, "Ms. Jones told you, didn't she? You came to see her, but will the Murphy family be okay with that?"
Michael's brow furrowed tightly, "So it's true that Elizabeth is sick? What's wrong with her? Which ward is she in?"
Rufus widened his eyes, "What? You haven't seen Ms. Jones yet?"
"I came with Gerald and happened to see your silhouette, thought it looked like you, so I followed you here."
"I was getting Ms. Jones's report. She's having surgery tomorrow and had a bunch of tests today."
Michael's face was filled with undisguised worry, "Elizabeth is having surgery? What kind of surgery? Is it risky?"
"Mr. Thomas, you don't know? Ms. Jones has a tumor in her brain. Dr. Cole said it's pressing on her cranial nerves. She might go blind or even lose her memory. Haven't you noticed she's been unusually tired and fainting a lot lately?"
Michael's eyes were filled with deep concern, "Will she die?"
Rufus laughed, "Mr. Thomas, what are you saying? Ms. Jones isn't immortal; she doesn't have magic to live forever. Of course, she'll die someday. Just like you and me, we'll all die eventually."
Michael glared at him, "You know that's not what I meant!"
Rufus quickly explained, "Dr. Cole told me privately that the surgery has a 70% success rate."
Michael's brow remained furrowed, "So there's a 30% chance of failure, right? What's the worst-case scenario?"
"The worst-case scenario is that Ms. Jones dies on the operating table. Dr. Cole will do everything possible to prevent that, but she could also lose her memory or become a vegetable, never waking up. Ms. Jones is aware of these risks. I noticed she's already written her will."
Michael reached into his pocket, nervously searching for something but finding nothing.
He took a deep breath, put his hands on his hips, and started pacing.
Michael asked Rufus, "Do you have a cigarette?"
Rufus immediately handed him one, "Mr. Thomas, this is a no-smoking area. I'll take you to the smoking area."
Michael nodded, his face serious, and followed him.
Rufus asked, "Mr. Thomas, are you really worried about Ms. Jones?"
Michael didn't respond. He took a deep drag from the cigarette between his fingers and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
He looked at the hospital building in the distance, took another deep drag, and then stubbed out the cigarette.
He walked out of the smoking area, heading towards the entrance.
Rufus quickly stubbed out his cigarette and followed him.
"Mr. Thomas, wait for me. You don't know which ward Ms. Jones is in! I'll take you there!"
Michael didn't slow down, "Which ward is she in?"
Rufus finally caught up, panting, "She's in the neurosurgery ward, V03. Mr. Thomas, you have long legs and walk fast, but please consider us short-legged folks."
Michael ignored him and, upon reaching the neurosurgery floor, exited the elevator and headed straight for Elizabeth's ward.
He stood in front of the door marked "V03," raised his hand, and hesitated, unsure whether to knock.
Rufus walked over, seeing Michael's hesitation, and decisively pushed the door open.
Elizabeth, who was sitting and eating a banana, looked up at the sound and glanced towards the door.
Their eyes met.
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