Chapter 51 Settlement

Yvonne's mind was in chaos.

"If the family members don't come to sign the documents, we'll have to abandon the patient's treatment." The call abruptly ended.

Yvonne quickly got out of bed.

The lights outside suddenly turned on, and Elijah walked into the bedroom. "Whose call was that? It sounded urgent."

"It was from the hospital. They said - " Yvonne was about to say "George" but hesitated. "...my dad had a heart attack and needs surgery. They need a family member's signature."

"Then let's go to the hospital right away." Elijah turned around to grab his coat.

The two of them rushed to the Winslow Hospital in a state of panic.

Yesterday, George was admitted to the hospital due to discomfort in his heart. After a consultation with experts, it was determined that he needed an immediate stent surgery.

Mary and her daughter not only refused to pay for George's medical expenses but also declined to sign the surgery risk consent form.

It was already past 1 am, and Yvonne's mind was filled with mixed feelings. She had a love-hate relationship with this so-called "father" George. It took great effort for her to come back to her senses. Considering Elijah's personality, he would most likely leave her at the hospital entrance.

After seeing the bright words "Winslow Hospital," she spoke up, "Just drop me off at the hospital entrance. You can go back and rest."

"You talk too much," Elijah glanced at her.

She decided to keep quiet.

Elijah accompanied her to the cardiology unit. Outside a regular ward numbered 909, Elijah stopped and said to Yvonne, "Bed number three."

Yvonne walked quickly and saw three patients in the room. George lay on the innermost bed with various tubes inserted into his body, surrounded by four or five doctors. George's face was pale, his eyes tightly closed, completely unconscious.

"I am George's..." Yvonne tried several times but couldn't bring herself to say "daughter."

"Daughter, right?" The attending physician, a short, chubby middle-aged man, glanced at Yvonne. "We contacted two emergency contacts from the patient's phone, and they mentioned a daughter named Yvonne."

Yvonne bit her lip and nodded. It was only at this moment that Mary and her daughter remembered that Yvonne was George's daughter.

"We contacted Ms. Mary. She said she has ended her marital relationship with the patient and is not in a position to intervene in the patient's life anymore." A middle-aged male doctor handed Yvonne a thick stack of medical records.

Why didn't Mary divorce him when he wasn't bankrupt?

Suppressing her anger, Yvonne quickly looked through the medical records. George had acute myocardial infarction and needed an immediate stent operation.

"Family members need to sign first and pay the patient's medical expenses so we can proceed with the operation as soon as possible," the attending physician reminded Yvonne. "If there's any more delay, we might not be able to save him."

"Okay, I'll go pay."

Yvonne found the payment notice in the medical records. It listed an imported stent, various imported medications and nutritional supplements, totaling $160,000. The "refund and additional payment" in the bottom right corner seemed like a bottomless pit.

Yvonne didn't have time to think and made the decision to pay for George's treatment. She hated George; when he was belittling her and pleasing Mary and her daughter, she wished for him to go to hell more than once. But when the responsibility for George's survival fell into her hands, she softened.

If she had to find a reason for her soft-heartedness, it would be her peaceful, loving childhood memories - back then, George used to hold her in his hands, provide money for her piano and dance lessons, and take her mountain climbing and skiing...

Although she didn't know what awaited her, she didn't want to have any regrets in her own life.

Calculating all her savings, Yvonne walked out of the hospital room, burdened with the payment notice.

"Do you need money?" Elijah called out to her.

She shook her head. "I can manage for a while."

"Don't be stubborn at a time like this," Elijah said, blocking her at the elevator; his gaze was gentle. "If I'm not mistaken, you haven't received the commission from Ryan's villa renovation yet. Right now, you only have that hundred-thousand-dollar card."

She never expected Elijah to understand her financial situation so well.

"And the red envelope from the Winston family," she whispered.

"Since you cut ties with Ryan yesterday, you should return the Winston family's belongings," Elijah said firmly, pulling her closer to face him.

She smiled bitterly. "I’ve returned the dowry and the betrothal gifts to Ryan. I only have the red envelope from the Winston family. I intended to return it to Mrs. Winston myself after work today. But now, saving a life is more important, so I have to use it."

Elijah took the payment notice from her hand. "I'll go make the payment, but on one condition. Today, you must return every penny to the Winston family."

Yvonne froze. Before she could respond, Elijah had already left the elevator.

By now, the doctors had pushed George into the dedicated operating area, and she hurriedly followed. The doors to the operating room closed quickly.

Yvonne sat in the waiting area and dialed Mary's number thrice, but no one answered. The same happened with Grace's number. If they don't pick up, Yvonne would keep calling.

If they handed George over to her, they shouldn't think they could have peace!

"From the moment you received the hospital's call, you should have given up all fantasies about others," Elijah said, sitting next to her, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

Yvonne closed her eyes in pain. "Mary and her daughter drained him, tricked him into taking on all the debts, and then kicked him away with one fell swoop."

"Betrayal between spouses is within the realm of reason," Elijah responded calmly.

This made Yvonne quite angry. Out of a sense of moral duty, she felt that Elijah should have scolded her severely before finding relief.

"Fortunately, I appeared in time, and you didn't end up marrying Grace, who has no conscience!"

"Back then, it was all for my grandmother. She passed away suddenly, and there was no need to continue the charade. I stopped it in time, which had nothing to do with you," Elijah directly denied her credit.

Thinking about the medical expenses he had just paid for her, she avoided that topic.

"You haven't slept all night. Go back and rest. Even though I hate him, I have to wait until the surgery is over before I can leave.”

Elijah stood up, giving her a deep look. "Remember to call me if you need anything."

She nodded at Elijah, and as he waited for the elevator, she called out, "Thank you."

Elijah paused for a moment, without turning back, and entered the elevator directly.

The light at the door of the operating room pierced Yvonne's eyes.

Yvonne was extremely agitated. After searching her whole body, she couldn't find her cigarette.

Wrapping her coat tightly around her, she went to the supermarket below and found her usual brand. After paying, she sat on the stairs on the first floor and started smoking.

One after another.

A piercing ambulance siren could be heard from outside, stopping on the main road. A young woman was quickly taken off the stretcher and rushed into the emergency room. Three family members followed closely behind.

When the ambulance left, a lonely man finally jumped off the vehicle.

The man suddenly stopped in front of her.

Yvonne exhaled smoke rings and looked up, with Anthony instantly catching her eye.

Anthony always paid attention to his appearance, but now he had some stubble on his chin and a touch of crimson in his eyes, as if he hadn't washed his face in days.

"Give me one." Anthony sat directly beside her, his voice hoarse.

He smelled strongly of alcohol, and Yvonne guessed that Abigail must have been the one who was brought into the emergency room just now.

Yvonne took out a cigarette and gave it to Anthony. He bit onto it, about to light it with her cigarette, but she stood up and moved away while throwing the lighter at him.

Anthony lit his cigarette and took a few deep puffs. "Why are you here so late at night?"

"Being here naturally means there's nothing good happening," Yvonne replied coldly, flicking the cigarette ash. "It seems like Mrs. White was just rushed into the emergency room. Aren't you going to check on her?"

Anthony remained silent. After finishing the cigarette in his hand, he angrily said, "All she does is use her pregnancy to blackmail me every day. I've accommodated everything for her, but she never stops!"

Yvonne flicked the cigarette butt away and quickly went to the operating room.

The surgery ended at 7:30 in the morning.

The head surgeon said the operation went very well, but this week was a critical period, and George would have to spend time in the ICU.

Before leaving the hospital, Yvonne looked at George through the glass window. He was still asleep with tubes inserted all over him.

Instead of returning to Rhode Hills, she went straight to FA Center Company for work.

After clocking in, Elijah called her. She informed him about the surgery results and thanked him once again.

He paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, "Yvonne, you promised me that you would return the Winston family's money today."

"Don't worry, I'll go to the Winston family today after work," Yvonne quickly assured him.

Elijah's generosity this time made her look at him differently. Since she had already severed ties with Ryan and Elijah was willing to help her, she no longer had any reason to hold onto the Winston family's money.

"You've stayed up all night. If you're not feeling well, take a leave and go back to Rhode Hills to get some rest." Elijah's tone was much gentler than before.

The sudden concern made her nose tingle. "I can manage."

"Let me know if you need money," Elijah said before hanging up.

The busy tone in her ear instantly warmed her heart.

She dialed Grace's number.

After countless phone calls, Grace finally answered at two o'clock in the afternoon. Before Yvonne could speak, Grace interrupted, "It's hard to explain over the phone, let's meet in person. I'm very busy right now at Glory Diner, and I only have half an hour, so don't be late."

"If you leave before I get there, I won't let you off the hook!" Yvonne warned.

"After all these years, it's time to settle the score. Don't worry, I won't leave without seeing you," Grace assured her.

After ending the call with Yvonne, Grace called Edward and asked in a hushed voice, "Did you get Anthony drunk?"

"Anthony's been having marital problems lately, he’s not feeling well. I invited him for lunch, and he got heavily drunk. I've arranged for him to stay at the hotel in Glory Diner," Edward replied, trying to please her.

"Don't forget to give him something extra. We need him to be passionate when he meets Mr. Harper." Grace's smile turned sinister.

"Don't worry," Edward replied confidently.

Twenty minutes later, Yvonne arrived at a private room on the second floor of Glory Diner. As she pushed the door open, she saw Grace sipping tea. Their eyes locked in the air.

"For the past sixteen years, you and your mother have been living off George's money. Now that he's bankrupt, you abandoned him. You're truly despicable!" Yvonne cursed.

"Please, have a seat," Grace said with a smile, offering her a teacup. "Calm down, dear sister."

A strange scent filled the air, causing Yvonne to cover her mouth and nose, but her body uncontrollably collapsed to the ground.

She felt weak and powerless. Just as she was about to speak, two hotel staff members lifted her up and carried her to the presidential suite on the top floor of the hotel.

As the door closed, a pair of passionate and strong arms wrapped around her, eagerly tearing at her clothes.

"Get off me!" She mustered all her strength to shout, but her body was too weak to resist.

"Yvonne, is that you?" Anthony urgently asked.

"Don't touch me, Anthony! I will never forgive you for this!" Yvonne managed to stay rational, tears streaming down her face.

"Even God cannot bear to see the pain I've endured! Yvonne, it's time you paid back what you owe me!" Anthony's alcoholic breath lingered as he pressed his lips against hers.

His strength and precision were unlike that of a heavily drunk person.

Yvonne's clothes fell to the floor.

She broke down in tears. "Don't touch me..."

Anthony couldn't control the raging desire within him.

But the desperate cries of the woman beneath him pierced his heart.

This was the woman he deeply loved, the same woman he had hurt three years ago. How could he hurt her again?

"Yvonne..." He struggled to speak, as his body was on the verge of exploding. “...while I still have a shred of self-control, leave now."

Suddenly, the door was forcefully kicked open!

Elijah stood at the doorway with a grim expression.