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.

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 quickly I half-suspected that he barely chewed at all.

that the food was gone, he wiped his oil-stained mouth and said, “Take a look at the contract. If there aren’t any issues, you can

stack of papers to me. I was blinded by the rows of complex legalese on the sheets. I frowned, unable to understand much

least I could understand the sums in the contract. I counted the number of zeroes and knitted my brows. “Why is the cost of the surgery suddenly increased to a

before cleaning his teeth 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 need money to settle with that kid’s parents. Please, that

looked at him directly and said, “You’re right. It’s actually not a big sum. I do have one request, though. Since this isn’t

some thought, he replied, “I need to

I nodded. “Sure.”

to discuss my request with his boss before he could give me a firm reply. If Hailey

into an alley. After waiting for a short while, I came out of the alley and followed him. Sometime later, I saw him get into a black Accord. The driver wore a

the driver rolled down his windows