Chapter 188


    She sat on a bench in the hospital corridor, her face devoid of color, not knowing when the call on


    her phone got disconnected.


    Chad’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind, alternating with the image of her grandfather lying in


    the hospital bed, covered in tubes,


    Candice felt like her throat was constricted, and even expelling a breath required tremendous effort.


    Her face was chillingly cold, and she numbly reached out, feeling some moisture.


    Was she crying?


    Candice stared at her moist fingertips In a daze.


    Alex was right. She had indeed overestimated herself, thinking that she alone could move Chad and


    improve her grandfather’s condition.


    How could that be possible?


    Her shoulders drooped, and her long hair fell, obscuring her expression from view.


    Footsteps approached, and a familiar chilly aura mingled with the chaotic scent of disinfectant


    piercing her senses,


    She tensed, hearing Alex’s cold volce, “Want me to operate on your grandfather?*


    His wordscked any emotion. She slowly lifted her head, tears clinging to the corners of her eyes.


    She gazed at Alex, who wore an Indifferent expression, his dark eyes betraying emotions she


    couldn’t decipher.


    He looked down at her. “Do you want it?”


    For a long while, Candice’s bewildered mind slowly started working. She croaked, “Your terms?”


    She stared at him, her beautiful eyes devoid of their usual liveliness, resembling an unfathomable


    abyss, tranquil and undisturbed.


    Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly, and then he casually said, “This is a problem for you to consider.


    Why do you think I would help you?”


    Candice’sce was already pale, and upon hearing his words, she didn’t react much, just continued


    to gaze at him.


    Alex’s eyebrow twitched, and he scrutinized her for a moment before reaching out and grasping


    +15 BONOS


    His tone was gentle. “I’m not a phnthropist, Candice.”


    His fingertips were tender, but the hand gripping Candice’s chin exerted a slight force.


    She had to tilt her face upward along his force. She understood his meaning.


    He would help her.


    But the condition was that she had to satisfy him and make him willing to assist her.


    After he left she stayed alone in the corridor for a long time before returning to the ward to see


    her grandfather.


    She happened to witness nurses turning her grandfather over like he was a puppet, being around


    by them.


    pushed


    He could barely speak clearly now. Standing at the doorway, Candice could only hear indistinct


    murmurs.


    It was heart–wrenching.


    She couldn’t bear to watch any longer.


    Only after the nurses left the room did Candicepose herself and step back in.


    Even though she had been trying to mentally prepare herself during this period, each time she saw


    her grandfather in this state, the defenses she had built within her mind would copse once


    again.


    When she started trimming his nails, she noticed how long they had grown.


    She looked at his hands, the same hands that had once held her,bed her hair, and taught her


    to write, now dry and stiff like a piece of withered branch.


    While clipping his nails, Candice’s vision suddenly blurred.


    She could endure Chad’s scolding and Alex’s humiliation. But seeing her grandfather so


    emaciated, hooked up to IVs, she couldn’t contain her emotions.


    Why did it have to be like this? Why did it have to be her?


    Teardrops fell on the back of her grandfather’s hand. The old man seemed to sense something.


    looked at Candice, and struggled to say. “Can Candice.”


    After that, he tried to raise his hand to wipe her tears, but he couldn’t manage it and could only


    repeatedly utter Candice’s name.


    +15 BONOS


    She knew she was losing control of her emotions, but she truly couldn’t stabilize the surging


    bitterness in her heart.


    She, too, could get tired and feel unable to hold on.


    But she had no choice.


    She could only hold on, hold on with all her might.


    Her fingers were gently pulled down, and Candice felt her grandfather slowly writing something in


    her paim.


    I’m sorry.


    Joe wrote “I’m sorry” in Candice’s palm every time he called her name until the nurse reminded her


    later that her grandfather’s emotions shouldn’t fluctuate too much. She gradually managed to


    stabilize her feelings. However, her grandfather still held onto her hand.


    By the time she calmed him down and left the hospital, it was already evening. Alex’s call happened


    toe in. Candice paused for a moment upon answering only to hear his cold voice saying, “GT,


    come by yourself.”


    He hung up without caring about Candice’s response. She stared at her nk screen for a while


    and then drove to the GT with little emotion.


    GT was a club run by a yboy in the circle, bustling with a ground–floor hall, private booths, a bar,


    and a dance floor. The second floor consisted of exclusive rooms reserved for wealthy individuals‘


    sons and daughters.


    The room Alex often frequented was where Candice had just entered. She found herself facing


    someone opening champagne, and the foam sttered onto her face.


    The lights were dim in the room. Unable to see clearly, she prepared to exit to call him when


    suddenly, the entire room’s lights were turned on. Candice, unustomed to the sudden


    brightness, instinctively closed her eyes.


    Then, Sieg’s casual and teasing voice rang out, “Oh, Candice?”


    As she opened her eyes, she noticed Sieg sitting on a high stool nearby, his gaze examining her


    yfully.


    Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    “I thought you had some backbone. Howe you rushed here with just a call from Alex?” He


    sneered, “Are you this obedient? Does Hanley know?”


    Sieg was present when Alex called Candice, so he knew it was Alex who had summoned her.


    However, he deliberately taunted her, still bothered by the previous embarrassing incident


    +15 BONOS


    She wasn’t in the mood to engage with him. She only focused her gaze on Alex.


    He sat in a corner, expressionless, staring at his phone. Even Sleg’s words failed to attract even


    half of his attention; he didn’t even lift his head.


    Unsure of Alex’s intentions, Candice lowered her gaze and slowly walked toward him.


    Finally acknowledging the footsteps, he reluctantly lifted his eyelids.


    He nced at Candice, his voice low, “Are you unwilling toe here?”


    Candice indeed had a nk expression. Having just left the hospital, her mind was still preupied


    with concerns about her grandfather; she had little emotional capacity.


    She asked him, “What do you want me to do bying here?”


    Alex hesitated briefly, his emotionless eyes fixed on Candice, then casually asked, “What do you


    think?”


    Candice understood that Alex was waiting for her to show some sincerity, especially as she was


    seeking his help for her grandfather’s sake. His intention was clear; she needed to satisfy him.


    However, what precisely would satisfy him was something she could only vaguely specte


    about in her mind.