Ch. 621..630

Chapter 621

"What's with the mystery?" Kendall played the recording and held the recorder close to her ear. But the more she listened, the redder her face became. What the hell are they doing? Yet she held down her embarrassment and kept listening. Eventually, it came to an end, and she put down. This time, she looked at Yasmine in silence, as if saying "I don't know what to say."

"Oh, she's a sl*t, Kendall. A twisted, demented, brazen, shameless harlot. And I can't believe Brian either. Kelly's already pregnant, and he… I can't believe he still did her. I can't believe he's that thirsty." When Yasmine first heard the recording, she was livid and embarrassed. She couldn't believe her brother would rail a pregnant woman.

Kendall stayed silent.

"And Kelly actually recorded it, that c*nt. She played it right in front of Mom, and Mom almost fainted. She's getting back at us, I swear. My mom won't let her date Brian, so she did this to spite her."

"And she sent the recording to Dulcie and her siblings too. They called Mom. Sounded really angry. Dulcie's crying her heart out. Great. Now the Sullivans won't agree to this marriage." And they're gonna hate us. Brian, honestly, how stupid can you get? And she despised Kelly. They used to be friends, but now all Yasmine had for her was hatred.

That's… impressive on Kelly's side. In a sense. In my last life, she let Jackson date me even though she loved him. If I hadn't been reincarnated, she'd probably beat me ultimately. "Kelly and I went for a meetup with a client. They reserved a room in a hotel your family manages. We met Brian and Miss Sullivan at the entrance."

Yasmine froze for a moment. "I see. She must have got jealous and ruined Brian's relationship."

Yasmine didn't like Dulcie a lot, but she was at least better than Kelly. "Dulcie's a bit like Kelly. I wondered if they were sisters, but no. She's part of the Sullivans and not connected to Kelly in any way. I don't really like Brian dating her, but he just wants to date her, so we went with it. Can you ask your parents to keep Kelly in check, please?" Yasmine begged.

Kendall took a sip of her water and put her glass down. "They tried, but she told them to stay out of her business. You know she's not their real daughter. She doesn't even listen to her real parents, let alone her foster ones."

"Miss Zorn, my parents have talked to her about this back when she hooked up with Jackson. Got into a big fight, and my folks got really mad, so they stayed out of her private affairs since then. The Woods are her real family, but she never acknowledged them. My foster father tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't listen. Sorry, but I can't help you. You should tell Brian to stay away from her. It takes two to tango, if you know what I mean." Kelly might be a disgusting wench, but Brian is no gentleman either.

Yasmine sighed. "I know part of this affair is Brian's fault. He used to love Kelly. Respected her. But then she, well… We tried to stop him from seeing her, but he'd sneak past us whenever she came to see him." She used to be his one true love. He can't let her go, just like how I couldn't let Dylan go.

Kendall shrugged. "I'm out of options, then. Sorry."

Yasmine cursed Kelly again.

Kendall listened to her for a while, then she said, "Time's up, Miss Zorn. I need to go back to work."

"You actually only gave me thirty minutes?"

"Yeah. Not like we're best friends. Thirty minutes is the best I can offer."

Yasmine pouted. "Fine. You may leave. Thanks for listening to me."

Kendall smiled and left. When she came back to work, she met Kelly.

Kelly was standing right outside the elevator, her arms crossed. When Kendall showed up, she smirked. "Didn't think you were good friends with Yasmine."

"We're not friends. She just wanted someone to vent to, so I went. Wasted about half an hour, but she couldn't even come up with a creative way to insult you. Disappointing. She used to be feisty. Thought she would be more creative when it came to verbal abuse."

Kelly's face fell.

"So, have you been waiting for me?" Kendall smirked and when she noticed Kelly's fury, her smile got bigger. The more she smiled, the angrier Kelly would be.

"What did she say to you?"

Instead of answering, Kendall said, "You should know. You know what you did, so… She called you a sl*t. A whore. A shameless harlot. Not the first time you've heard that. Shouldn't affect you too much."

"Shut it, Kendall. I'm not giving up the company. If it weren't for you, I would've taken over."

Kendall took two steps ahead and leaned forward, smiling. "What's yours is yours, Kelly. But what's

not… Well, it'll never be yours. Don't push your luck, or you might lose everything."

Furious, Kelly tried to push Kendall, but Kendall grabbed her wrist and quickly turned her arm around her back.

"Let me go right now or I'll lie down and tell everyone you pushed me. I'm a pregnant woman!"

"Yeah, sure. Let's see if anyone's gonna trust you. There are surveillance cameras everywhere. They'll see if you're faking it."

"Why you little…"

Kendall let her hand go and dusted her hands off. With disgust in her voice, she said, "Ugh, can't believe I touched you. Now I have to wash my hands ten times to get rid of your smell."

Kendall stomped her foot, but she couldn't do anything to Kendall. Kendall was a fighter. Every time she tried to fight Kendall, she lost.

"Anything else? I have to go now." Delighted after her successful attempt at annoying Kelly, Kendall left. Kelly stuck her leg out in an attempt to trip her up, but Kendall stomped her foot down.

"Ow!"

"Whoops, sorry. Didn't see it. You ought to pull your legs back when someone's around. Good thing I wasn't wearing stilettos, huh?" Damn, I wish I were wearing stilettos. Too bad I'm pregnant.

 

Chapter 622

Kelly wanted to scream. She wanted to trip Kendall, but instead, her foot was stomped on instead, and the pain was unbearable.

"So, did I break any bones?"

"F*ck off."

"Oh, you're so vulgar. I don't do that. Why don't you call Brian and show me how to… f*ck off."

"Kendall!"

Kendall dug her ears. "I can hear you. You don't have to shout. Don't wanna hurt your vocal cords now. You still wanna moan his name, don't you? Man, I got chills listening to that. No wonder Brian couldn't leave you."

Kelly's face fell. "What did she tell you?"

"Weren't you listening? She called you a whore, a harlot, and a slut," said Kendall innocently. "Please stop asking. I don't want to call you any more names. You know what you did. Oh, I know we've had our differences, but a friendly reminder: don't move too much, or your precious baby might… disappear. It's starting to move, isn't it? Poor thing. Take care. You don't want to kill it." And then Kendall left, humming happily.

Kelly almost had a heart attack just from that confrontation alone. She gave that recording to Jacqueline just to spite her. And then she sent it to the Sullivans to break Dulcie and Brian up.

If Dulcie still would stay with Brian after listening to the recording of their… mating session, she would be a repeat of Krystal. Don't blame me if you find your boyfriend cheating on you. After that encounter, Kelly lost all mood to work. She came back to her office and looked at the company entrance through her binoculars. Good. Yasmine isn't there. She called her father and got the rest of the day off, and then she went home.

Rosemi was still waiting for her. Kelly had been acting like a nice daughter in front of the Parkers so she would find out when they would go on a trip. Better if she could find out if they were going in the same car. Then she could tell Rosemi to arrange the car crash. Rosemi despised Kendall. If she had a chance, she would destroy the Parkers even if it cost her her life. And if the Parkers died, the company would belong to Kelly alone.

Charlotte was at home when Kelly came back. Kelly was surprised. Charlotte would either go to the salon or hot spring whenever Adam and Kelly went to work. That, or she would ask her friends out on a vacation. Rich wives. Their lives were always nice. And now Charlotte was famous among the ladies of Orapolis, and it was all thanks to Kendall. She was the mother of the Colemans' young madam, after all. Everyone wanted to be her sycophant. Same reason why Parker Corporation was getting more famous in Orapolis.

The company presidents were trying their best to strike a deal with Parker Corporation in case Coleman Empire Holdings and Zorn Holdings went to war. Both were big companies, and if they were to fight, the smaller companies would lose out. A lot of businessmen were wary about investing in Orapolis because of the instability of the business scene.

"Madam, Miss Kelly is back," the servant told Charlotte.

Surprised, Charlotte asked, "Why?"

"I think her leg is hurt."

Charlotte quickly put her recipe book down and approached Kelly. "How did this happen?"

"I'm fine, Mom." Kelly came in with the help of a servant.

"What happened to your leg?" asked Charlotte. "How did it get hurt? Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No," Kelly quickly said. "Kendall stepped on me by accident. Bit of a stomp, and I have a bruise. But I'll be fine. All I need is some salve."

Charlotte told the servant to help her daughter sit down, and she walked with them. "Did you get into a fight with Kendall again? Don't. She's trained in combat. You aren't. And you're pregnant." She is too. I don't want you two to start a fight. What if you girls kill off my grandkids? At least wait until the babies are born.

If this was an imaginary scene where Kendall heard that, she would say, "But my kid isn't even born yet, and you're already taking its side?"

And then Charlotte would say, "My grandchild is lovable. You are not."

And then Kendall would shut up.

But her mother would only have a chance to hold the child if it was a boy. If it was a girl, the Colemans

would hold her in their arms every day. Charlotte might have to wait in line for the baby.

"I didn't fight with her," quibbled Kelly. "Can you not imagine the worst-case scenario? She didn't mean it. She walks fast and firmly. Her steps hurt, of course. It's like a stomp."

You are so unfair. I know you think I tried to start an argument again. I can't even win in any fight. She'd beat me every time, but you only care about her feelings. I'm the one who loses every time. That b*tch. I hate her smile. It's infuriating.

"Just be careful next time. You're pregnant. What if someone bumps into you next time? You're lucky she just stepped on your foot. If she bumps into your belly and you end up getting a miscarriage, she's going to take the fall."

Kelly would have done that to bring Kendall down, but she didn't want to kill her own baby. She couldn't do it.

"I know, Mom. Don't bring this up to Kendall. I don't want her calling me a snitch."

Charlotte looked at her for a moment. "I'll get some salve for you. Ask Google if I can use it on pregnant women."

"Not like I'm going to drink the salve. I think it's fine." Kelly still Googled it anyway.

The baby was already starting to move around, and she loved it. She didn't want any harm to befall it. And the baby was her bargaining chip. Rosemi wouldn't help her if she had a miscarriage.

She couldn't commit murder herself, so Rosemi was the best scapegoat. And nobody would link it to

her. Everyone knew Rosemi had a reason to murder Kendall. To her, Kendall was the reason all this mess happened. She fell out of love with Jackson, married Dylan, and asked him to destroy her family's company. It was all Kendall's fault, or that was what Rosemi thought.

 

Chapter 623

Charlotte came back with the salve. She went through the user's manual and said, "You can use this, but not too much at once."

She wanted to rub the salve for Kelly, but Kelly quickly said, "I'll do it myself."

Charlotte handed the salve to her.

Kelly rubbed it on her wound and asked, "How come you're home today? Thought you'd be with your friends."

"Kendall and Dylan are coming for dinner tonight. They'll be staying for a few days, so I was going through my recipe book for something good. I'm cooking something up."

Kelly's eyes glinted. I see. She pretended to be jealous. "You're so nice to Kendall. You never cook for me when I come home."

Charlotte smiled. "You've been with me for a much longer time than Kendall does. I've cooked tons for you. And now that Kendall's married, she won't be coming home a lot of times. You don't have to be jealous. And I've made something for you too. Good for pregnant women." Charlotte was happy that Kendall was pregnant as well, but she wasn't stupid enough to tell Kelly that. She was more than happy to pretend to be a loving mother if Kelly would put up the act of a good daughter. You're not the only one who can act. Let's see what you're up to this time.

Kelly took a look at the recipes and noticed two recipe books for pregnant women. Aw, she does care. And for an instant, she wanted to call Rosemi to cancel the plan. Just for an instant, however. The Parkers might love her, but they loved Kendall more. As long as she was alive, Kelly could never get

what she wanted. I might be cruel, but I'm nice to you guys. At least I'm planning to kill you off together. You will die together. Isn't that nice? "Aren't they going somewhere this weekend?"

"Oh, I didn't ask. Not my business. They're a loving couple. Even if they stay in on the weekend, they can still have fun." Charlotte sighed. "Kelly, I know you don't like my nagging, but I still need to say this. If you'd listened to us, you wouldn't have… I know you're not our real daughter, but you did grow up under our care, and we see you as our own. We care about you. Once the baby is born, you'll have to decide what to do. Stay away from those who don't care about you. Settle down and marry someone good. Someone honest."

But not many good men in Orapolis would marry Kelly, and Kelly wouldn't marry anyone too ordinary. If she'd listened to them and left Orapolis, then none of this would have happened. None of this would have happened if she never tried to attack Kendall. But she couldn't blame anyone for this outcome. She chose her path, and she must see it through. The company's people were starting to change their alignment. Nobody would object to it if Kelly were to be sent somewhere else in the near future, nor would they leave with her. Charlotte couldn't help but think, Oh, my. I think Adam and I are really unfair. We care about Kendall too much. But we'll leave something for Kelly. I just hope she'll be content with what she gets.

"We'll talk about that later. I don't want to think about that for now."

Charlotte took the seat beside her. She looked at Kelly in silence for a while, and she said, "About you and Brian…"

"It's in the past now. I'll deal with it. If Mrs. Zorn tries to demand anything, ignore her. It's not fully my fault. Tell her to keep her son in check."

Very well.

Kelly was done rubbing the salve eventually, and she wrapped her arm around Charlotte's shoulder. "Let's not talk about them. It ruins the mood. Let's talk about something good. They're coming home, aren't they? Why don't you guys go on a trip? It's been a while since Kendall went on a trip with you." But if Dylan's there, the plan might not work.

Well, she does have a point. "It has been a while. I think we'll be fine with just a road trip in Orapolis."

"Yeah. It's hot, so you guys can opt for the beach or a resort."

Kelly was trying her best to persuade Charlotte to go out with Kendall on the weekend. It would be best if someone could distract Dylan, but she couldn't do anything about that. Her legs would still buckle when she saw him. She felt like he could kill her, and she wondered why she was so terrified of him. Did he kill me in another world? Is that why that fear resonates with me?

"I'll bring this up with Kendall when she comes home. You come with us too."

"It's alright. Kendall doesn't like me. I… I don't want to ruin the mood." At least Kelly knew that much. "Oh, when's the wedding going to be? They've been officially married for a while now, haven't they?"

Charlotte told her the answer this time. "Before the Spring Festival, of course. But we'll pick the date once the Colemans send their gift list over."

Tilly shortlisted a few dates, but no decision had been reached. They would discuss it after the gift list had been sent. That was how the Colemans showed the Parkers respect, and Charlotte liked their attitude. The gift list-giving was a bit of a short notice, but she had confidence in Dylan. He had madenoveldrama

preparations beforehand.

"When are they coming, then? The wedding's not far away. I think Kendall should stay with you guys for the time being. She's going to leave our place on her big day for the ceremony." If I can't pull it off on the weekend, I will do it after that, provided Kendall stays here. She tried her best to convince Charlotte to tell Kendall to stay here until the wedding.

"They'll come next Tuesday. Oh, I almost forgot. Gotta call your mother. They did raise Kendall, and they should be here to witness the event."

Charlotte picked up her phone from the coffee table and flipped through her contacts for a while before she found Sally's number. And then she made the call.

Kelly's eyes glinted. When did they get this close? Charlotte doesn't like Kendall getting too close to the Woods. The last time the Colemans came, Dylan told his men to lead the Woods to them. Charlotte and Adam had no choice but to go with the arrangements.

 

Chapter 624

Should I use the Woods for my plan? But they still like Kendall more, and I've been reluctant to see them. They're going to think I'm up to something if I suddenly get close to them. Forget it. They're my real parents anyway. They shouldn't be dragged into this.

She quietly listened to Charlotte making the call. When the wedding was mentioned, a feeling of envy filled her heart. Sometimes she did regret what she did. She regretted trying to set Kendall up. If she had just stayed in her lane, the Parkers would still give her a hefty reward.

Her greed and frustration took her on a path of no return. Ever since Kendall was taken back, she tried everything she could to ruin Kendall so she could hog all the Parkers' wealth for herself. It was a perfect plan, yet Kendall seemed to have changed out of nowhere. Not only did she ruin Kelly's plan, but she also dragged Kelly into a big mess. Now Kelly had no way back. She lost Jackson, her reputation, and someone who loved her. Brian only dated her because they both had something to gain. No man was truly nice to her. She couldn't and wouldn't go back. Neither can live while the other survives, Kendall.

…

Kendall didn't go to the appointment with her father after work. Instead, she went straight to Coleman Empire Holdings, and Emma took her there. Kendall teased, "Trying to surprise Toddy?"

Emma said, "Tease me again and I'm taking you straight back to Parker Corporation and let Henry pick you up. Can't believe you'd tease me, and I just wanted to help."

Kendall chuckled. "Alright, I'm sorry. Calm down. You know I'm on Roger's side. I would love it if we could become a family. Please give Roger a chance. He'll give you happiness. I know he's not the most

romantic man, but he's very caring. If you don't like him staying in the countryside, I'll get him a villa so you guys can still stay in the city." Roger won't refuse a villa if it's for Emma, right?

"Kendall, I am not complaining. Nobody's going to look down on your family now. But you know how love works. No forcing it. I do like getting along with Roger, but to be honest, I don't feel any love for him. Give me some time. I'll deal with it." Welp. First, I need to make sure Toddy gives up on me.

"He probably won't give up." Kendall sighed. "Love is… excruciating sometimes."

"Yeah. That's why I envy you and Jane. You two are blessed, especially Jane. She grew up with Yoseph, and now they're going to be married. I'm happy for them. Oh, and I wanna be your bridesmaid. And Jane's too. Hope I can get a bit of your luck."

Kendall smiled. "You're gonna be one of my bridesmaids alright." Kendall only had a handful of friends in Orapolis. Jane's wedding was after hers, and they were relatives now, so Jane couldn't be her bridesmaid, which left Kendall with Amelia and Emma. "Just remember the gift."

"Ah, so the date is decided, I see." Emma smiled. "Finally. I thought you guys would take a few more years." After all, Kendall had a company to deal with.

"The wedding won't get in the way of my work."

"No honeymoon?"

Kendall stayed silent for a while. "No. We'll do it another time." She would love a honeymoon, but now that she was pregnant, the Colemans wouldn't agree to it, nor would her own family.

Emma didn't catch the subtle silence. She said, "You guys have a long road ahead of you. You have enough time for a honeymoon. Besides, you guys are madly in love with each other. As long as there's love, every day is a honeymoon."

Kendall smiled. "Yeah. As long as we're together, we'll be fine. Honeymoon or not."

No overseas trip, I guess. But a road trip is certainly possible. It's the weekend tomorrow. I can arrange a trip with my family.

Kendall felt a bit guilty for not spending more time with the Woods or the Parkers. So bad. I need to make it up to them. "Slow down, Emma. I need to call my mom." They could see the building now.

Emma smiled. "Oh, it's alright. Not like I'm going to get in the way of you and your mother." Oh, wait. This is something else. "Don't tell me he gets jealous of your mother too."

"If I get distracted for even one second when I'm with him, he's gonna pull a long face. He even got jealous of a three-year-old boy just because the boy spent more time with me."

"You're the only one who can tolerate that. You are perfect for him." I can't. That kind of bossy love is… suffocating. She didn't care what stage the relationship was in, a couple needed their own space. Being too controlling would be bad.

"He does get jealous easily, but he gives me enough space and respect. It's just part of a relationship. You'll know when you fall in love." Kendall wouldn't complain about this little flaw. Dylan loved her deeply and him being jealous was just a part of the relationship. A single woman like Emma wouldn't understand.

Ouch, Kendall.

Kendall called Sally. The moment Sally picked it up, she said, "Mom, my driver will pick you up this weekend. We're going on a road trip, so you and Dad should take the weekend off."

"My God, Kendall. For the sake of the baby, don't run around too much. And you don't have to trouble the driver. Mrs. Parker has made the necessary arrangements. We'll be in town tomorrow." There was laughter in Sally's voice. She sounded happy.

Kendall was surprised. "My mother made the arrangements?"

"Of course. Wait, are you doubting her? Mrs. Parker isn't a bad person. We know why she did that. It's understandable," said Sally. She didn't want Kendall to be distant from Charlotte because of them.

 

Chapter 625

"Thank you, Mom." Kendall was grateful for Sally's generosity. She didn't harbor any grudge toward Charlotte because of what she did, nor did she become distant.

"Oh, it's all right, girl. All we want is for you to be happy."

"I love you, Mom."

Sally smiled. "I'm getting goosebumps here. Love you too. No matter what happens, you're always my daughter. So, work is done for the day, huh? You should grab something to eat. Your father and I will be wrapping up some work, and we'll go to town tomorrow. Nelson is healing up well, so we're going together."

"Don't push yourself, Mom. You take care. And of course, Nelson is coming. No trip without him."

"Oh, I need to ask. How's it going between Roger and Emma?" Now that Kendall had found herself a good husband, Sally was starting to worry about her sons' relationships. Nelson was still healing up, so his case could wait. But Roger had someone he liked, and Sally was really nervous about it. She would love it if she could monitor Roger's progress with Emma constantly, but Roger wouldn't tell her anything. In the end, only Kendall could answer her question since Emma was Kendall's friend and secretary.

Kendall looked at Emma, who was driving into Empire Holdings. "Not sure. Roger has to work a bit."

"Yeah, alright. Miss Finley is a great woman. Roger might be the best guy in our eyes, but she might not think so. She probably thinks he's a bumpkin. Probably thinks Toddy is better, but as long as Roger did his best, that's all that matters." Sally would still feel sad if Emma picked Toddy in the end, but she

could accept it. "Just tell Roger to do his best. And don't blame Miss Finley for her choice."

"Roger won't do that, Mom." Kendall knew Roger well. As long as Emma was happy, he would be happy for her, even if the groom wasn't him.

"Alright, time to see the crop. Talk later." And Sally hung up.

Emma stopped the car and asked, "Mrs. Wood talked about me, didn't she?"

"Yeah. Wanted to know how far you and Roger have gone."

Emma blushed a little. "Mrs. Wood is a good mother. I think she'll be a great mother-in-law, but I really can't promise Roger anything. I'm still confused about the whole thing."

"Why don't you get some days off and cool your head somewhere, then?" asked Kendall.

"No. I need to face this head-on, or I'll regret it. What about Amelia and Mr. Mendelson?"

"Frank must suffer. The courtship will be his personal hell."

"Oh, he must." Emma smiled.

Frank would be crying for mercy if he were here.

But none would be spared for him.

And thus, Frank's suffering went on.

"Time to pick him up. You wanna meet up with Roger or go home?"

"I'll have a spin around."

Kendall smiled and got out of the car. She then waved Emma goodbye and approached the building. Just in time as well. She saw Dylan coming to the exit escorted by his bodyguards. His employees greeted him on the way, but he didn't even spare them a smile. It felt like he didn't care about anyone.

Yet his façade melted away when he saw Kendall. Everyone noticed a smile slowly cracking his lips as he hurried over to Kendall. And then he said something his employees never thought he would. "Oh, honey, you should've waited in the car. Walking around is tiring."

Oh my, a show of public affection. He thinks she's tired just from a short journey. If we weren't here, he'd probably pick her up right away.

"Well, here to pick you up. Been sitting the whole day, so I thought I should walk."

Dylan went ahead and hugged his wife. "You could have called. I would've come earlier. Say, did you come because you were missing me?" he whispered into her ear and stole a kiss.

Kendall pushed him away. "Hey, everyone's watching."

The employees were going home, but they stopped to take a glance.

"So what? We have a lot of single employees. Maybe this will encourage them to seek a partner out."

Kendall turned around. Aside from Ronnie, she saw the other Coleman boys. Ah. So, he's trying to push the boys into relationships. The Coleman boys were running the other branches of their family business, and they came that day to report their work progress to Dylan. Dylan made them stay for a bit, and now they were leaving together. And then they saw Dylan showing off his love for Kendall.

Mortimer nudged Matthew.

"What is it, Mort?" Matthew looked at Mortimer.

"Hey, Dylan's telling you to find a girlfriend. Yoseph found one, you know."

"Shut it, Mortimer," Matthew shot back. "We're about the same age. So, what if Yoseph found himself a girlfriend? Steve is still single. If anyone is next, he is."

Steve said, "I'm focusing on my career. Relationships are out of the question, and I don't have anyone I like. Marriage is not on my list of stuff to do."

"Please. Like we have any girlfriends," Robert said. "I'm twenty-five. Still young, and I'm about the youngest guy around. Still far away from my marriage," Robert said sardonically.

Dylan and Kendall were flirting around. Since Kendall got pregnant, Dylan delegated the company's work to his brothers so he would have time for Kendall. And he could also push his siblings and cousins into marriage. Robert was glad he was running the racecourse. He didn't have to report as frequently, so he didn't have to see Dylan that much. They didn't care if their parents were nagging them to find a girlfriend, but if Dylan did it, that was a different story.

"Hey, maybe Dylan was talking about you. You're the youngest."

"I am not the youngest," said Robert. "Alice is."

"You want to marry her off? At her age? Boy, wait till Grandma hears about this. She'll kill you. Alice can stay single till her late twenties at least. She can pick and choose however she wants," bickered Steve.

Robert quickly defended himself. "All I said was I am not the youngest. Said nothing about marrying Alice off. She's the only girl of our generation. Of course, I want her to stay around for a bit longer."

 

Chapter 626

I'm almost 24 now and no one has ever asked me out, and that's all because of you guys who dote on your sister so much, Alice thought to herself.

Matthew even said he won't let me get married until I'm at least 28 years old!

It was as if they wanted her to stay single until she was old and gray.

She was even more afraid that no one would be asking her out even when she did turn 28.

Alice lamented ruefully.

"None of us are getting married anyway, so we don't need to let Ally marry anyone anytime soon. Even though our family's standing in society is enough to ensure that Ally's in-laws wouldn't mistreat her in any way, it still won't be easy to be someone's daughter-in-law. Ally will have a lot more freedom when she's just the Coleman Family's daughter."

That's coming from my very own brother, Matthew.

Alice was speechless. If they're all going to follow in Dylan's footsteps and get married in their thirties, or maybe even later, then I'll really stay single until I'm old and gray.

Whatever! Even if I become an old maid, I'll still be the family's favorite! Yeah. That's not so bad!

Alice decided to stop thinking about getting married.

It's not like I can get married anyway. Who'd dare to marry me?

The young Coleman men weren't bothered by Dylan and Kendall's display of affection. They split up at the entrance.

Kendall left with Dylan, and Emma was about to drive off as well.

"Miss Finley," someone called out to her.

Emma turned around and saw that it was Pansy Dickey, a secretary who worked for one of the vice presidents.

Emma and Pansy had joined Coleman Empire Holdings at the same time, and Emma was fortunate enough to have been selected by Toddy, who later mentored her. That led to her becoming Dylan's secretary at a young age and gaining his trust.

Even though a lot of people mocked and ridiculed Emma for being in love with Toddy and receiving all manner of rejection, disdain, and humiliation from him, everyone in the company still addressed her respectfully as Miss Finley when they ran into her.

"Miss Dickey," Emma greeted curtly.

She didn't get out of the car.

Pansy came over and immediately tried to open the car door. "My car's getting serviced so I didn't drive to work today. Since you don't need to drive Mrs. Coleman around, you can give me a ride, Miss Finley. Unlock the door and let me in."

Pansy was smiling sweetly, but it was still a gloating sneer.

So, what if she's President Coleman's most trusted secretary? She ended up getting sent to Parker Corporation to be Mrs. Coleman's secretary anyway.

Being a secretary at Parker Corporation could hardly compare to being Dylan's secretary.

In Pansy's eyes, Emma had been demoted.

Hahaha! You shouldn't have been so haughty and indifferent to everyone when you were still working at the company, Emma!

Emma never had any interaction with the rest of the employees outside of work.

"We're not heading in the same direction, Miss Dickey."

Emma didn't unlock her car doors as she didn't want to let Pansy in.

She knew full well what Pansy thought of her, but she couldn't be bothered to explain anything to Pansy as they weren't close at all.

When Emma was still Dylan's secretary, Pansy would butter her up, curry favor with her, and try to get her to let slip Dylan's decisions for the company, but she ignored Pansy, and she figured that Pansy bore a grudge against her for it.

Furthermore, Pansy was one of the many women in the company who had a crush on Toddy.

Pansy mocked Emma behind her back with exuberant glee when Toddy ignored Emma.

While Pansy also had a crush on Toddy, she never confessed to him. However, Emma knew about the crush Pansy had on Toddy, and that the latter was too afraid to confess after seeing the way Toddy rejected Emma. Pansy didn't want to humiliate herself.

"Either way, you're free now, aren't you? President Coleman has already taken Mrs. Coleman with him, so what else is there for you to do? It won't hurt you to give me a ride."

Pansy smacked the door. "Unlock the door, Miss Finley. I want to get in. If it's such a big deal, I can always just pay you for the ride."

"I'm not a cab driver," Emma retorted coolly. "And actually, I have matters to tend to. I'm supposed to go on a joyride. If I gave you a ride, it'd be cutting my joyriding time by half. Are you going to pay me for that? Alright. I'll charge you a thousand per minute then."

"Why don't you try and rob a bank instead? Why did you become like this, Emma? Is it because the salary at Parker Corporation is so pitiful that you ran out of money so you're trying to squeeze me dry?"

"Yes, that's right. I want to squeeze you dry. What about it? Are you going to let me? Pay up. Once I get the money, I'll unlock the door and give you a ride."

Pansy's expression darkened as she screeched, "What makes you think you can be so arrogant, huh? Do you think you're still the high and mighty Miss Finley that everyone tries to curry favor with because you're President Coleman's secretary?"

"I never put myself up on a pedestal and expected everyone to try and curry favor with me. But, I know someone who tried to curry favor with me and failed, so that's why she resents me and is trying to humiliate me now. You shouldn't behave this childishly, Miss Dickey. I feel embarrassed on your behalf. Who do you think I am?"

She wouldn't be Emma Finley if she were this easily humiliated!

"Why, you! No good deed goes unpunished! I'm just trying to let you earn some extra cash out of the kindness of my heart, and yet you say such awful things about me! You seem to be in a dreadful state of mind, Miss Finley. I'm sure work must be going terribly for you."

Pansy wanted to see Emma suffer. That way, her own life would look great in comparison.

So what if President Coleman didn't put me in an important position? I'm still working at Coleman Empire Holdings! As for Emma, President Coleman dumped her at Parker Corporation! Sure, it's ostensibly to help Mrs. Coleman, but it's not as if there aren't any secretaries at Parker Corporation. It's obvious that Emma made President Coleman angry and he wanted to get rid of her, but Mrs. Coleman was nice enough to let Emma preserve her dignity by transferring her to Parker Corporation instead.

After all, Emma shamelessly groveled at Mrs. Coleman's feet until Mrs. Coleman began thinking of her as a friend.

People would react differently when they heard that someone was working at Coleman Empire Holdings versus Parker Corporation.

Pansy became the subject of envy and jealousy among her friends when she declared that she was working at Coleman Empire Holdings and was even a vice president's secretary.

Many people wanted to join Coleman Empire Holdings but failed to despite fighting tooth and nail for the chance.

However, no one would be reacting this way if they heard of someone working for Parker Corporation.

The two companies were in two entirely different leagues.

Even though Parker Corporation is doing pretty well now, that's only because of President Coleman. He's just helping Parker Corporation out of love for his wife.

"What does my work have to do with you?" Emma shot back at Pansy.

Just then, Emma saw Toddy hurrying over, so she quickly raised the window to close it as she said one final thing to Pansy, "Mr. Heller's here. Ask him to give you a ride instead. I'm heading off. Goodbye."

She immediately tried to drive off.

"Emma!"

Toddy saw what she was doing and lunged forward to stand in front of Emma's car.

Emma had to slam her brakes.

She cursed Pansy for being so useless. Couldn't you have stopped Toddy?

"Mr. Heller."

It wasn't as if Pansy didn't want to stop Toddy. She had simply reacted too late.

By the time she caught on, she wanted to latch onto Toddy, but he was already out on the road blocking Emma.

Pansy didn't dare to go over, but she didn't leave either. She stood in place and glared hatefully at Emma.

She's so bloody annoying! She's already gone from the company so why is she still pestering Mr. Heller? How shameless!

If Emma knew what Pansy was thinking, her only reaction would be, Are you blind, b*tch? Can't you see who's pestering who?

 

Chapter 627

"Emma."

Once Emma stopped, Toddy walked over to the driver's seat and tapped on the window. "Emma, can we talk?"

Emma took a few deep breaths. She knew she couldn't just let things carry on like this, so she unlocked her door and lowered her window. "Get in."

Toddy jumped for joy and hurried into the car.

"Can I get a ride too, Mr. Heller?"

When Pansy saw Toddy getting into Emma's car, she made the impulsive, brazen decision to ask Toddy.

Toddy frowned and replied coolly, "It's not my car. I'm already getting a ride from Emma. I'm not shameless enough to ask Emma to give you one too. You can get a cab yourself."

"It's peak hours right now and it's hard to get a car. You drop me off along the way, Miss Finley."

"Sorry, but we're not going in the same direction so I can't drop you off along the way. Even if we were, I still wouldn't be giving you a ride. Have you already forgotten what you said about me just now, Miss Dickey? Do you remember my response?"

Pansy couldn't reply.

"What did she say, Emma?" Toddy expressed his concern. "Did she criticize you or ridicule you?"

"I didn't, Mr. Heller!" Pansy instantly exclaimed. She gave Emma a pleading look to beg her not to tell the truth.

Emma didn't repeat what Pansy said. She simply answered, "Miss Dickey has been in love with you for as many years as she has been with the company, Mr. Heller. What do you think she'd do to me? I feel rather aggrieved, you know. You're the one who keeps badgering me right now."

Toddy glared at Pansy. He wanted to get out of the car and berate Pansy, but he was afraid that Emma would drive off without him if he did, so he could only growl coldly, "Miss Dickey, right? I'll make a note of this."

All the color drained from Pansy's face.

Emma glanced at Pansy and smirked before driving off.

She never bothered wasting her time on people like Pansy.

If she did want to fight, Pansy would lose every single time.

Does she really think moving to Parker Corporation means President Coleman has given up on me? On the contrary, it proves just how much he trusts me.

Emma knew better than anyone else just how much Dylan loved his wife.

He would be even happier if she helped Kendall than if she helped him.

"What did that woman say about you, Emma? Tell me and I'll get even on your behalf."

Toddy wanted to seize this opportunity to make a good showing of himself.

"Forget it," Emma replied indifferently. "She's just jealous of me because she's too in love with you. She didn't manage to hurt me. I'm the one who pissed her off."

She side-eyed Toddy before adding, "You're quite the b*stard, you know that?"

"How am I a b*stard?" Toddy asked indignantly. "I've never encouraged them in any way. I can't help it if they like me."

After a spell of silence, Emma commented, "You know that a lot of the women in the office have a thing for you, and it seems as if you don't lead us on in any way. Yet, even though you know how we feel about you, you don't move us to a different position. You leave us right in your vicinity where we can't avoid seeing you everyday. If you reassigned me after I confessed to you, I'm sure things wouldn't have gotten this far between us. President Coleman didn't rely on me as much at the time. It wouldn't have affected him at all if you reassigned me elsewhere. You thought that I'd give up because you rejected me, and even though you seemed annoyed that I kept bothering you for years, you liked how it felt to have me devoting myself to you, right? That's why you kept me around and didn't do anything about it. It's the same with the others."

After a pause, Toddy replied, "Are you saying it's my fault for not reassigning you to a different branch of the company? So many women have a crush on me. Am I supposed to reassign all of them?"

"You could've made an example out of me to ensure that everyone else stopped having ideas about you. That's what President Coleman did. He fired all of the secretaries that had their eyes on him and no one else dared to make a move on him after that. Any woman in the office who even tries to get his attention would not be coming back to the company the next day. You're President Coleman's right- hand man. You're the head of his subordinates. You see everything that he does, so why didn't you learn a few of his tricks?"

Toddy had no answer for that.

After silencing Toddy, Emma kept quiet as well.

Soon, she came to a stop outside a casual dining restaurant.

"Roger and I ate here a few times. The food's pretty good. We can have dinner here. It's on me."

"I can't possibly let you pay. It'll be my treat."

Toddy couldn't let Emma foot the bill on the rare occasion when she was willing to eat with him.

Emma didn't bother arguing with him over this. After parking the car, she walked into the restaurant with him.

They sat down at a table by the window and Emma flagged down a waiter. The waiter came over at once and Emma listed a few things that she and Roger had tried in the past.

Once she ordered what she wanted, Emma glanced at Toddy and pursed her lips before ordering a couple of things he liked.

After being in love with him for so many years, she was well aware of his preferences.

When Toddy heard Emma ordering his favorite food, his eyes lit up with a smile.

She still cares about me. She understands me very well too. Roger can't compete with me on these accounts.

Ring, ring, ring!

Emma's phone started ringing.

It was a call from Roger and she answered it.

When Toddy heard Emma saying Roger's name, his ears perked up at once and he eavesdropped on the conversation.

It was just a simple exchange of pleasantries and checking up on each other.

Soon, Emma ended the call.

It seems as if they don't have much in common to talk about. See? The call ended in less than two minutes.

Toddy was full of confidence once more. Either way, as long as Emma wasn't married to Roger, he wasn't going to give up.

"Toddy."

"Yeah?"

Toddy smiled and stared affectionately at Emma.

However, Emma's gaze was completely still. She looked straight at him and saw the emotions in his eyes, but she simply chuckled bitterly to herself.

She wouldn't have decided to give up on him completely if he had been just a little bit nicer to her in the past.

Now that she did give up, he was the one who kept pestering her, telling her that he had long since fallen in love with her. What's the point?

"Do you think I'm smart or dumb, Toddy?"

"You're smart, of course."

Emma chuckled. "Thanks for the compliment. In that case, I'm sure you know that smart people will leave the past behind, right? To me, you're the past."

Toddy's smile faded.

"Emma, I know I hurt you deeply in the past. I don't blame you for rejecting me and refusing to give me a chance now. I deserve this. That being said, I still want to tell you that I won't give up. Unless you get married right away, I'll keep pestering you."

He was determined to wear her down!

Perhaps one day, she would warm up to him again and willingly come back to his side.

"It's perfectly easy for me to get married."

 

Chapter 628

Emma poured herself some tea and took a sip before setting the cup down again.

Toddy paled as he stared anxiously at her.

He chided himself for not thinking before he spoke. Why did you say that? What if she marries Roger just to stop me from bothering her anymore?

He knew he'd regret that for the rest of his life.

"Marriage is a big deal, Emma. You can't just do it in the spur of the moment. If I'm bothering you too much, I can just stay a little further away from you. Don't marry Roger just because you can't stand me hanging around. Neither one of you will be happy that way," Toddy advised worriedly as he was afraid that Emma would go off and get married at once.

"It's easy for me to get married, but I don't want to marry anyone, and I don't want to hurt Roger."

Emma picked up her bag. After thinking about it for a little while, she took out a few medical reports.

She passed the medical reports to Toddy and said, "I did a health check when I joined Parker Corporation. There were a few anomalies, so the doctor advised me to do a more thorough check-up. I found the time to get it done and I got the reports back. I have a terminal illness, Toddy. The doctor said that no matter which treatment I receive, I have no chance of survival. With luck, I have a year or two left to live. If not, it could be as quick as six months."

Toddy was thunderstruck.

He didn't believe her, so he flipped through the medical reports himself. Once he finished looking through everything, he cried out, "Emma, even though Orapolis General Hospital is a highly rated hospital, you can't determine that there's no hope in your situation just because of their reports. You should see other specialists at different hospitals. It's best if you can see a doctor in Imperia. The Imperia Oncology Center has a lot of experience treating all sorts of cancers and tumors. Submit your resignation right away. I'll apply for leave too and I'll accompany you to Imperia. Maybe you were misdiagnosed. You're so young! How can you have cancer?"

Toddy grabbed Emma's hand and declared, "Don't be scared, Emma. I'm here. No matter what happens to you, I won't leave you."

Emma yanked her hand away from his and averted her eyes. "You need to think carefully, Toddy. I have cancer. Even if I receive treatment at the best hospital, it'll only be delaying the inevitable. I don't want to suffer through treatment only to die at the end of it. That's why I chose conservative treatment. The doctor said I can only hold out for another eighteen months or so. You're a young and accomplished man. What are you going to do when I die? I'm thankful that you're willing to stay by my side even though I'm sick, but I can't be that selfish."

She rubbed her waist and added, "I've already looked it up. My illness spreads quickly. I'm definitely going to die."

"No. Stop talking about dying. I'm sure it's a misdiagnosis. And, even if you are sick, I won't abandon you. Even if you'll… I still want to stay by your side."

Emma took her medical reports back from him. "Don't be like this, Toddy. You should go home and think things through. Talk to your parents about it too. They're looking forward to having grandchildren. Also, don't tell Kendall about my illness."

"You're sick! Are you still thinking about staying in the job?"

Toddy widened his eyes and stated disapprovingly, "What's most important right now is for you to go for treatment. Submit your resignation tomorrow. If you don't say anything, I'll tell President Coleman. If Kendall found out that you're working despite being ill, she wouldn't agree to it either."

Emma still chose to avoid Toddy's gaze. She stuffed the reports back inside her bag.

"Talk to your family first. If they support your decision, then I'll let you accompany me to a few other hospitals to run a few more tests."

"Emma."

Toddy grabbed her hand once more and stared at her in all seriousness as he asked, "Are you just trying to scare me off, Emma? Is this a test? The reports are fake, right?"

He didn't believe that Emma would have a terminal illness at such a young an age and suspected that she was just trying to fool him so that he would give up.

Does she hate me so much? Is she willing to say she has a terminal illness just to get away from me?

"Who'd wish cancer on themselves? I have a growth on my esophagus and many doctors suspect that it could be primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus. I have a growth in my lungs too. I've had to watch as a few of my family members passed on so I've made my peace with death. That's why I'm able to face this calmly."

In reality, Emma didn't have a confirmed medical result yet.

The reports the doctor gave her were all inconclusive. He told her to do more tests.

She hadn't even done the pathology test yet.

Nevertheless, the reports were true too.

If she did have primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus and decided against getting treatment, she would die fairly quickly.

At the moment, she felt fine and didn't seem at all like a cancer patient.

Naturally, she chose to bring out these reports because she wanted to test Toddy.

Was he truly willing to accompany her in her final days if he knew she had cancer?

Would his family agree to it too?

Emma was going to test Roger as well.

As they say, it's easiest to test a person's sincerity when you confront them with matters of life and death.

Emma had no other choice. She couldn't decide between the two men who were after her, and these medical reports came at just the right time, so she decided to test them.

Roger was Kendall's brother so she couldn't let Kendall find out about it first.

"Emma…"

Toddy's heart ached when he confirmed that she didn't seem to be lying.

"There's no way you're sick. It has to be a misdiagnosis. You don't look like someone who has cancer."

"I don't look like one? Who'd look like a patient unless they were on their deathbed?"

Toddy couldn't say anything in response.

"I haven't changed my stance, Toddy. If you truly want to be with me, you're going to have to think things through carefully. If either you or your family can't accept this, you should let me spend the rest of my life in peace and not bother me ever again. When my body can't take it anymore, I'll resign and go back to my hometown."

Her family would take care of her during her final days.

Emma took her phone out and called someone whose contact she had for years but never used. It was Toddy's mother.

Soon, his mother Marion answered her phone.

"Hello, Mrs. Heller. My name is Emma Finley. Toddy's here right now and there's something he wishes to say."

Emma passed her phone to Toddy.

Toddy was completely caught unaware. He never would've thought that Emma had his mother's number. She must've loved me a lot back then.

He was a mess right now.

His love for Emma was real.

If she was sick, he was willing to take care of her and even marry her so that she could die without regrets, but he was afraid that his family wouldn't agree to that.

"I'll go to the restroom."

Emma thoughtfully left so that Toddy could speak to his mother in private.

She walked over to the restroom.

Once she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it and stared up at the ceiling.

Minutes passed before she sighed. "This is the quickest and most decisive way to settle everything. It'll hurt, but at least everything will be taken care of neatly and cleanly."

Although the reports were real, Emma wasn't all that concerned. She didn't think it was going to be primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus.

She had accidentally swallowed a bone once which ended up cutting her esophagus, so that could be the reason why a nodule had formed there.

It was just like how people's feet could develop a corn after getting stabbed by something.

Still, she had to get a pathology test to find out whether it was just an inflammation of some kind or cancer.

 

Chapter 629

Toddy was at the table talking to his mother.

"Who's that girl?" Marion asked. "This isn't your number. You've never brought a girl home to see us, and whenever we ask you about it, you keep saying you don't have a girlfriend. Are you dating someone, Toddy? That girl is your girlfriend, right? What was her name again? Emma Finley? That's a nice name. I'm sure she's a lovely girl. When are you going to let us meet her? Should I head over to your office to take a look myself?"

Marion was all smiles. It was clear that she had been fretting over Toddy's love life.

Toddy and Dylan were about the same age, but Dylan was about to become a father now while her son was still single.

Marion tried to urge Toddy into marriage, but all her attempts failed, and she couldn't do anything.

Thus, it was unsurprising that she was thrilled that a young woman had called her. She could tell that the young woman's relationship with her son was far from ordinary.

"She's the person I like, Mom, and she's a wonderful girl. She used to be my colleague and she was very good at her job."

"You're looking for a wife, not a business partner. How good she is at her job doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's a good person and that you like her. Where's she from? Is her family from Orapolis too? How far have you gone with her? When are you going to invite her parents out? We should meet them too."

It was as if Marion couldn't wait to start planning the wedding.

Toddy could tell how happy his mother was. He didn't know how to tell her what was happening.

"Why do you seem upset, Toddy? Do you not like Emma? Or did you hurt her in some way? Did she call me to complain about you?"

Marion knew her son well.

Despite her joy, she picked up on the awkward tone in her son's voice and guessed that he wasn't in a good mood right now.

Thus, she assumed that the two had argued and her future daughter-in-law was calling her to lodge a complaint.

"Emma and I aren't arguing, Mom. Let me explain first. Emma's not my girlfriend yet. I hurt her badly in the past and I'm going to hell and back to try and win her over again."

Marion immediately became furious and started berating Toddy. "How did you hurt Emma, you brat? You're already in your thirties! You're fortunate enough that she likes you and yet you hurt her? Do you plan on spending the rest of your life alone? Going to hell and back to try and win her over again? Does that mean Emma liked you a lot back then? Did you hurt her because you were so confident in her love for you, you silly boy? You have no idea how much I wish I could teach you a lesson right now. Do you think you're so great because of all your accomplishments? You should be over the moon that someone wants to marry you! How dare you hurt her instead?"

"Mom, I—"

"Don't call me Mom! I was so worried about your love life that I started getting gray hairs, and yet you went around hurting a woman before trying to win her back again! You deserve to stay single your whole life! Where's Emma? Pass the phone back to her. I'll talk to her and see if I can salvage the situation. Don't bother coming home if I miss out on this daughter-in-law thanks to you, you brat! I'll throw all your things out!"

Marion was beside herself with fury.

"Mom, can you let me finish before giving a tirade?" Toddy pleaded helplessly.

His mother had a fiery temper, and when angered, she wouldn't hold back at all.

If he made a mistake at home, he'd have to run for his life. Otherwise, he'd feel like crying from all his mother's scolding.

Not only was Marion good at scolding, but she was an expert nagger too. Toddy was most afraid of his mother.

"Fine. Go ahead. If you don't explain yourself properly, I might very well send you to hell myself."

Marion did her best to quell her temper.

Toddy didn't waste a single second. He was afraid that his mother would start berating him again.

He hadn't even had his dinner yet. Getting scolded would only make him lose his appetite.

Though, it was not as if he was in the mood to eat right now. The thought of Emma being ill made him so upset that he couldn't swallow anything.

"Emma has always liked me, Mom, but I didn't like her back then, so I was extremely cold to her. Recently, she decided to give up on me, and that's when I realized that I had feelings for her too. When I tried to salvage things with her, someone else started wooing her too, and that person's a huge threat to me."

"You deserve it, you fool! You brought it on yourself! And to think that you're a senior executive at Coleman Empire Holdings too! You're so blind to your emotions that you didn't even know whether or not you loved her!"

Marion was so infuriated that she wanted to throw her shoes at him.

Alas, her foolish son wasn't in front of her right now. No matter how mad she was, she couldn't resort to anything physical.

"I'm trying to win her back now, Mom, but she just showed me a few of her medical reports and insisted that I talk to you to see what you think."

"What medical reports? What's wrong with her health?"

After a moment of silence, Toddy filled his mother in. His voice was pained as he explained, "She could have primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus, which means a malignant tumor on her esophagus. This illness spreads extremely fast and she says she doesn't plan on getting surgery. She wants to get conservative treatment instead. She's still so young. She's…"

Toddy choked up.

He couldn't bring himself to think what would happen if Emma did indeed have cancer. What was he going to do?

His life would lose all meaning if he lost her! It'd be a fate worse than death!

"What kind of tumor? Is it cancer?"

"Yes, it's cancer."

Marion gasped. "How did she get cancer at such a young age? Has the diagnosis been confirmed?"

"Not yet. The doctors just think that it's highly likely."

"Take her to a good hospital and run a few more tests," Marion immediately commanded. "Maybe it's just a misdiagnosis. Even if… it's true, we can't give up. You must convince her to get proper treatment. Didn't they invent some kind of molecularly targeted therapy that can be used to treat cancer now? We have more than enough money. You must take her to the best hospital and find the best doctors for her. Why doesn't she want to treat it? We must make sure she goes for treatment. Even if it doesn't work, we must try. What if it ends up being effective? Also, you're not allowed to turn your back on her now. Don't you dare walk away from her, you hear me? If you do, I'll beat you up myself."

Toddy's heart settled down a little as he asked, "Won't you mind if she's ill, Mom? Aren't you afraid that if I stay with her, I'd end up burning through all my money and still lose her anyway?"

"I'm scared, of course," Marion replied without hesitating. "Anyone would be worried about that, but that doesn't mean you can abandon her and leave her to die. Just follow your heart. You don't need to worry that I might drag you down. Tell Emma that I won't dislike her for it, and I don't mind either. All that matters is that she complies with the treatment. Tell her not to worry. Medicine has advanced a lot these days. There's bound to be a way for the doctors to cure her. It's important for patients to be in good spirits. You need to spend more time with her and make her happy. If you can, take her on a trip to relax and take her mind off things. If her mood improves, her health will benefit too."

With Marion's support, Toddy became even more determined.

He never thought about abandoning Emma. Regardless of whether she had cancer or not, he was going to spend the rest of her life with her.

"Thank you, Mom. I know what to do now. When Emma comes back, you should tell her these things too. I don't want her to think I'm lying to her."

 

Chapter 630

"Sure. Where did Emma go? Oh. The restroom, right? I'll have a proper talk with her when she comes back."

Marion was a lot less aggravated now. She even had the presence of mind to start nagging Toddy, but the majority of what she said were reminders for him to cherish Emma.

Toddy chuckled bitterly. "Mom, I already know what it feels like to go to hell and back to try and win her over again. If I still don't know that I should be cherishing her, then I deserve to die a lonely old bachelor."

He was drowning in regret right now. If he hadn't been as cold and had realized his feelings sooner, he and Emma could've been married by now.

Dylan had given him countless reminders, but he never heeded any of them. He kept assuming that Emma would always be there waiting for him…

After a while, Emma figured that Toddy's conversation with his mother should be over, so she came back out of the restroom.

She washed her face and felt a lot better.

"Emma." Toddy passed her phone back to her. "My mom wants to talk to you."

Emma looked at him for a moment before taking the phone and pressing it to her ear. "Hi, Mrs. Heller," she greeted politely.

"Emma, I'm an impatient woman, so I won't beat around the bush. Toddy told me all about you and him, including the fact that you might have a terminal illness."

She listened in silence.

He picked up on her nervousness when he noticed her hand tightening around the phone. He was thrilled by this. If she's nervous, that means she cares a lot about what my mom thinks, and that means she still has feelings for me. She isn't completely over me yet. I still have a chance.

Emma kept saying that she had gotten over Toddy, but he didn't believe her. She had loved him for so many years. It wouldn't be easy for her to stop loving him just like that. She was just too hurt, and he couldn't mend her wounds yet.

It was his fault.

He didn't do enough for her. He wasn't good enough.

He was going to try and win her over with the same methods she did in the past. He wasn't going to try to gain her sympathy. She'd be irritated if he got drunk. Roger would never resort to such tricks.

"I've spoken to Toddy, Emma. I've told him to apply for leave and take you to a few hospitals. You should do a few more tests. Your diagnosis hasn't been confirmed yet so you shouldn't give up on yourself. We're not giving up either. Even if your diagnosis is confirmed, you still shouldn't give up. Medicine has gotten very advanced these days. There's bound to be a way. You don't need to worry about the expenses either. We can afford to pay for your treatment. Don't worry, okay? Even if the sky comes crashing down, Toddy will hold it up for you. Don't get bogged down by all the bad thoughts.

Just apply for leave first and do more tests. Once you get the results, go ahead with the treatment the doctors recommend. I'm sure you can overcome this illness."

Marion rushed through a bunch of encouragement and words of advice.

Emma was touched by everything she heard.

When she first got the reports, she had been stunned, but she wasn't afraid.

She didn't even tell her family about it yet. Toddy was the first to know, and it was only because she wanted to test him.

"I can pay for the treatment myself, Mrs. Heller. It's just that… this type of cancer spreads very quickly. Even after paying for all the expensive treatment, there's still a low chance of survival. I think—"

"Don't say such nonsense, Emma. Even if it spreads very quickly, you still need to undergo treatment. How do you know that there's no hope for you if you don't get treatment first? What if you're one of the fortunate ones who manage to pull through? What if it's just a misdiagnosis? We're not afraid of spending money, even if it doesn't change anything. All you need to do is take things one step at a time and do the tests first. Toddy and his family, the Hellers, won't dislike you for this. We won't abandon you just because of your illness. Listen to my advice, Emma. Go to a few more hospitals and get further testing done."

Emma remained silent for a moment before stating, "I could die, Mrs. Heller. Toddy is a young and accomplished man with a lot of great qualities. He deserves better."

"Don't say such things to me. I don't like hearing that. I just want you to take it easy and do a few more

tests. What's so great about Toddy? He's in his thirties and he still doesn't have a girlfriend. If he was so great, his child would be in kindergarten by now. He's just a middle-aged man that nobody wants. He should be thanking his lucky stars that you like him. You'll be fine, Emma. Don't say you want to give up. You're still young. You're in the prime of your life! You've got a long road ahead of you. I like you very much too. I'm waiting for the day when you'll call me Mom."

Emma blushed. She had known Toddy for many years and had secretly kept his mother's number, but she never dared to call her. She was afraid that Marion would be a difficult person. Who would've thought that Marion was such an open-minded person?

"Thank you, Mrs. Heller. I'll give it a lot of thought."

Marion gave a whole slew of advice before reluctantly ending the call.

Emma had a feeling that Marion wanted to fly over right away.

Once the call was over, Toddy said to Emma, "What my mom thinks is what I think too, Emma. I won't abandon you. The food's here. Let's eat first. Once we're done, I'll tell President Coleman that I need a few days off. You should apply for leave too. I'll book our plane tickets and we'll fly to Imperia tomorrow. I just checked and Imperia Oncology Center has all kinds of specialists. I still think you've been misdiagnosed. How can you have a terminal illness? You look so healthy."

Toddy had heard that cancer patients lost a lot of weight. They would look haggard and feel lethargic all the time.

Emma had rosy cheeks and looked perfectly healthy. She didn't lose any weight. In fact, she looked as

if she had put on a bit of weight.

She wasn't lethargic at all either as she could still help Kendall with a lot of work every day.

"Let me think about this," Emma replied curtly. "Let's eat."

Her test didn't result in a clear outcome. It was back to square one again.

Toddy reached out to hold her hand as he announced with love and utmost sincerity, "Emma, even if the sky comes crashing down, I'll hold it up for you. Even if I'm not the one you choose, I'll still stay by your side."

Emma withdrew her hand and picked up her cutlery. Her expression was as indifferent as ever. "Let's eat. I'm hungry."

"Alright. Let's eat."

"When we're eating, don't try to talk to me about your feelings."

Toddy kept quiet for a moment before agreeing indulgently. "We won't talk about our feelings. Let's talk about the stock market and the projects we're handling right now."

He was the one who mentored her. They had a lot of things in common to talk about.

Back then, he rejected her confession and was extremely cold toward her, which was the reason why they grew distant. Whenever they ran into each other, she would try to strike up a conversation with him, but he would always ignore her. Eventually, she stopped trying.

Looking back on it now, Toddy sorely wished to punch himself in the face.

What did I do? What was I thinking?

He pushed away a wonderful woman who was completely in love with him. He deserved the harsh scolding his mother had given him.

Emma served herself a bowl of soup before passing the ladle to Toddy.