Chapter 371

Olivia lay curled on the hospital bed, trapped in restless sleep. Visions of darkness chased her, denying her any peace.

The shrill ringtone jolted her awake.

She gasped, grabbing the phone with trembling fingers. Patricia Kensington's name flashed on the screen.

"Hello, Mother..." Her voice came out hoarse.

"Finally answering your phone!" Patricia's razor-sharp tone sliced through the receiver. "Do I even have a daughter anymore? Vanishing for six weeks without a word! Where have you been whoring around this time? Get your worthless self home immediately! That pitiful sum you gave me last time is gone. I need another million by tomorrow!"

Despite the thick hospital blankets, Olivia couldn't stop shaking.

This was her mother's first contact after her disappearance. No concern. No relief. Just demands and insults.

When others spoke of maternal love, Olivia only knew this hollow ache.

"I'm... in the hospital." Olivia's fingers dug into the sheets. "Not feeling well. We'll talk later—"

She ended the call before collapsing back onto the pillows.

Silent tears carved paths down her gaunt cheeks.

"Ms. Kensington," the young nurse murmured while changing the IV bag, "post-surgery emotions can affect recovery. Please try to stay calm."

The abdominal wound burned, but it was nothing compared to the gaping hole in her chest.

Olivia gave a weak nod, swallowing the bitterness rising in her throat.

Even strangers showed more compassion than her own flesh and blood.

"Hello? HELLO?" Patricia stared at her silent phone, fury twisting her features. "How dare that ungrateful brat hang up on me!"

Something about Olivia's weak voice nagged at her. Her daughter had always been robust—rarely even catching colds. Why suddenly hospitalized?

Patricia grabbed her purse. She'd get answers face-to-face.

And that million dollars.

Her friend's daughter Fiona had connections—a wealthy benefactor who could spring Nathan from prison for three million. They'd even offered a money-back guarantee if the deal fell through.

Patricia had already handed over her life savings plus Olivia's last payment. Just nine hundred twenty thousand short.

Olivia had produced two million last time. Surely she could scrape together more.

Meanwhile, Evelyn Sinclair hurried back to the hospital.

She'd stopped at an ATM to empty her account—six months' salary from T Corporation's generous pay scale. Money she'd saved for a car, now destined for more urgent purposes.

As she turned down the corridor, shrill shouting reached her.

"Do you think raising you was easy? I single-handedly fed and clothed you brats after your useless father left! Now your brother's in trouble and you won't lift a finger? What kind of daughter are you?"

Evelyn's blood ran cold. Patricia Kensington.

She broke into a run.

"Enough!" Olivia's broken voice carried through the open door. "I'm in a hospital bed, Mother! I've given you every cent I had. Where am I supposed to get a million dollars? You see me like this and don't even ask what's wrong!"

Evelyn burst in to find Olivia trembling beneath white sheets, her face as pale as the pillowcase. Patricia stood over her, jabbing a finger at her daughter's forehead.

"Stop the theatrics! Since when do you need hospitalization? Pop some aspirin and get back to work! We need that money!"

"Ma'am, your daughter just underwent—" a nurse tried to intervene.

"Stay out of family business!" Patricia snapped.

Olivia slumped against the headboard, her vacant stare fixed on some distant point. Silent tears fell.

The sight ignited a fire in Evelyn's chest.