When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I didn’t return to the villa that night after my fight with Ashton. That wasn’t the main reason for my absence, though. Summer and Hailey were both in the hospital, and Hailey didn’t have any family. I couldn’t ask my Mom to stay with her at the hospital, so I went there instead.

The hospital was shrouded in a gloomy aura; I ended up sleeping fitfully that night. Cameron and Zachary dropped by early the next morning with some breakfast.

Hailey was recovering well, as was Summer. After greeting Cameron, I left for my appointment with Brandon.

We met at a heritage eatery that was neither big nor grand. When I arrived, I spied Brandon sitting in the corner of the eatery. Seated, his posture made him seem shorter and fatter.

He looks just like a wobbly man toy.

He waved and hollered when he saw me. Then, he caught the attention of the eatery owner and ordered a few oily dishes. I sat down in front of him, not in a rush to speak.

didn’t appear to be in a rush either. He’d ordered more than ten dishes for the two of us, and he ate most of the food. He didn’t question my lack of appetite. I guess he’s probably used to it. He devoured his food so

said, “Take a look at the contract.

blinded by the rows of complex legalese on the sheets. I frowned,

counted the number of zeroes and

with a toothpick. “Ms. Stovall, I heard from Mr. Murphy that money isn’t a concern to you. Plus, this is a private operation. The operating theatre, doctors, the equipment; everything has a price. I’m sure you know how expensive these things are. And hey, what about compensation for my efforts? I also

He’d managed to make a life-or-death operation sound like a business deal. Still, I wasn’t in a hurry to sign. I looked at him directly and said, “You’re right. It’s actually not a big sum. I do have

slightly. After some thought, he replied, “I need to

I nodded. “Sure.”

discuss my request with his boss before he could give me

while, I came out of the alley and followed him. Sometime later, I saw him get into a black Accord. The driver wore a pair of shades, and he looked vaguely familiar.

but luckily the driver rolled down his windows as the car