âDid you just say that your grandpa lives in Quinn Town?â Leo instantly grabbed Briaâs arms as he asked.Briaâs expression shifted as Leoâs sudden change in behavior startled her.Leo realized that he was being impulsive, so he quickly let go. âSorry, Bria, I just didnât expect that your grandpa and your mommy would be from Quinn Town.âEven though he had bumped into Amelie when he went to Quinn Town before, he initially thought that she was just following him there.Later on, he thought that she was going there on vacation.When they got married in the beginning, he was aggrieved, so he didnât ask much about Amelie.He knew nothing about her except for the fact that she had a father.Because of this new revelation, his heart skipped a beat.Bria knew he didnât mean it, so she stopped being afraid as she said tentatively, âMommy grew up there. Thereâs a huge river with fish in it. Grandpa took me fishing last time, and we caught a lot of them.âLittle children only chose to talk about things they remembered the most, so they couldnât give the answers adults were looking for.Nevertheless, Leo didnât mind it, and his emotions slowly settled down.All his investigations proved that Ellen was Big Eyes, the person who donated their cornea to him. What did that have to do with whether Amelie was from Quinn Town or not?He was overreacting.Soon came the day of the event at Briaâs school.Early in the morning, Leo made arrangements for company matters, then hastily got ready to drive so that he could meet up with Bria and Amelie.He had just walked a few steps when his phone rang. It was a call from Elyse.Seeing Elyseâs number, Leo felt a sense of disgust rising within his heart, and he decided not to answer.Elyse only attempted to call him once and never tried again after that.However, when Leo walked to the entrance of the company, he saw her seated in a wheelchair, dressed thinly and looking pitifully at him.Her face and lips were especially pale. She looked weak, sickly, and oh-so-pitiful.When Leo saw her, his unaffected gaze darkened a little as his handsome face tensed up. âWhy are you here?âHis tone was nonchalant.Elyse opened her mouth, but before she could speak, tears fell out of her eyes and streamed down her face.âLeo, Iâm scared.â Her voice was shaky as well. âMy phase 2 physical examination report just came out, and the tumor in my brain is getting worse.âAs she spoke, she painstakingly wheeled herself over to him, then pitifully grabbed his leg. âIâm scared that I might just die. Leo, canât you accompany me?âWhen Leo heard Elyseâs sobs, the warmth didnât return to his cold eyes. Almost without hesitation, he pulled his hand away. âIâll find you the best doctor.ââYou know that I just want you to be with me.â As if breaking down, Elyse sobbed so hard that her body trembled. She hugged herself pitifully, acting like an abandoned little bird.Any man would feel pity if they saw her feeble appearance.The care worker who was pushing the wheelchair couldnât help but say, âEver since Miss Clayton received the report last night, she hasnât slept a wink. She just kept crying, and if this goes on, her health will get worse.ââItâs your own body. If you donât take care of it, youâll be the only one suffering when things get worse,â Leo said calmly with an indifferent look in his eyes.He lowered his head and made a call to Eugene. âFind the worldâs best brain tumor specialist within 24 hours.âWith that, he lowered his hand. âGo back to the hospital and wait.âThen, he left.Behind him, the care worker shook her head as she watched him leave. âWhat a cold-hearted man. Under these circumstances, itâs only proper to offer at least a few words of comfort.âElyse was already pursing her lips tightly.Her body, which was weak and soft moments before, had now tensed and straightened up.Her fingers gripped the handle of the wheelchair fiercely as hatred spilled from her eyes.âMiss Clayton, if you threaten him with your life, perhaps he would turn back.â The care worker had received too much from Elyse, so she couldnât help but provide some ideas. Elyse huffed, the corners of her lips getting even more twisted.âWith my life, you say?â Leo hated her so much now, he probably wished she would just die.If she died, he would be set free. He would no longer have any obligations to fulfill and repay what Ellen did for him.She must not die.She would fight Leo to the bitter end!Once back in the ward, Elyse diverted the care worker away, then made a call to Laura. âLeo seemed to be in a hurry just now.
Where is he going?ââElyse.â When Laura heard Elyseâs voice, she spoke with some hesitation. âMr.
Alston doesnât want me to reveal his whereabouts. Iâm sorry.ââEven you are looking down on me now!â
Elyse was so good at acting. In just a split second, her voice turned sad and pitiful. âLaura, weâre the best of friends! How can you treat me like this?âLaura was speechless.âI donât have any other intentions; itâs just too painful to endure. I just want to know when Leo would have time to visit me. Are you not willing to help me even with a small request like this?âLaura sighed in exasperation.âIâm not quite sure where theyâve gone. I heard them mentioning a kindergarten when they went out. Elyse, itâs not that I donât want to help you; Iâm truly powerless.ââFine, then.â Elyse hung up emotionlessly.Laura was such a snob.As soon as she realized that Elyse had lost, she stopped taking the latter seriously.Still, a general direction was better than none.There was only one kindergarten Leo would go to, which was the one Bria was at.At the thought of Leo meeting Bria and spending time with Amelie, Elyse was so furious that she gnashed her teeth.She hastily got someone to investigate Briaâs school, and she soon heard about the event.A cold chuckle escaped her lips.How could she miss such a good opportunity?Soon, a thought occurred to her.Even though Bria only had a fracture in her leg, she wasnât allowed to walk before she completely recovered.Hence, she went to school in her wheelchair.The school was holding a community service event, and the children were going to the nursing home to visit the old folks there. They would help tidy the place and put on some performances.Because of her injured leg, Bria couldnât join the group event. She couldnât help with either task, so she looked a little sullen like a withered flower.However, the teachers felt that she was pretty and quite good with words, so she was tasked with presenting flowers to the old folks.With Amelieâs help, Bria happily brought back a large bouquet, her small face lighting up like the sun.âWait for me here, Bria. Iâm going to the bathroom.â Amelie patted Briaâs little head as she spoke.Bria nodded in understanding. âBe careful, Mommy.âAs she watched Amelie leave, the smile on her lips never once faded.âBria.â A girl wearing a princess crown and a pretty princess dress ran over to her, her eyes staring right at the bouquet Bria was holding. âYou have a bad leg and canât walk, so why donât you let me present the flowers instead?ââThereâs no need for that,â Bria declined without hesitation.Her thought process was simple;
since the teacher had given her the task, she had to accomplish it.The little girl was upset now. âThe teacher gave you all the flowers, but I want to present them as well!âIt was only then that Bria understood what the girl meant. She nodded generously, âSince you want to present the flowers, Iâll give you half so that we can present the flowers together.âShe thought that the girl would be happy with this suggestion, but the girl stomped her feet and cried reluctantly, âI donât want half of them! In my house, as long as I want it, Daddy and Mommy will give me the whole thing!âWith that, the little girl glared intently at Bria, willing the latter to give her all the flowers.âCome on, give it to me!â Seeing that Bria wasnât moving, she moved to grab the flowers.Bria was in a wheelchair, so it wasnât convenient for her to move. The flowers were about to be snatched whenâ¦