"Seventy thousand dollars?" I squealed, not believing my ears. The clerk nodded his head as he handed me the bill.I didn't know what to do. My mother's hospital fees were far beyond what I could afford. But I also didn't want to give up, I didn't want to lose my mother, my only family.My mom has liver cancer, which was discovered 2 years ago. Her illness is worsening and requires more and more money every day."Sorry, we overheard your conversation earlier. Are you in trouble?" too focused on my own emotions, I didn't realize the presence of a pair of men and women who were already standing in front of me.I quickly wiped away my tears, looking at the two people dressed in fancy office suits before me. "That's right, my mother is sick and needs a lot of money. Otherwise, the doctor won't take any further action," I said in a hoarse voice. The woman smiled sympathetically, stepped closer to me and took a place right next to me. She then extended her hand, inviting me to shake it.
"What? My mom has to get surgery right now. How is this, what should I do?" I exclaimed in panic.The doctor nodded. "Yes, you need to prepare the money so that the surgery can be done immediately,” the doctor said before leaving me. After leaving the hospital, my mind was only filled with the doctor's words until I made a mistake at work. “Can't you do your job properly? How many losses do you think you've made today? Even your salary this week can't cover all these losses!" I can still hear my boss yelling at me for my mistake in calculating a customer's total purchase.Not wanting the issue to spread and give the supermarket a bad image, the boss decided to let the customer go free of charge.Of course, today's loss will be taken from my salary. I can't think straight because my mom's condition is getting worse and I don't know how to get the money to pay for her surgery. Suddenly I remembered the couple's offer yesterday and decided to reach out through the contact left yester
"Oh God! Are you out of your mind?" I exclaimed as I rounded my eyes. Unfortunately, there was no sign that Richard was joking. His expression was very serious.“It may sound crazy to you, but I'm a businessman. I'm just weighing profit and loss. My current offer is the best for the three of us," Richard said calmly. Are all businessmen like this? Thinking only about profit and loss, with no regard for morals? My cell phone suddenly vibrated, breaking my thoughts. I picked up the call without looking at the caller ID."Miss Nikkie? Where are you? Your mother is awake and wants to see you," said a gentle voice that I recognized as the kind nurse who cared for my mother. I told her that I would be there soon and hung up. My mother was unconscious since the relapse yesterday and only woke up this afternoon. But I didn't get up immediately. I can’t meet my mother right now. I feel like I can’t face her yet because I failed to get the medical bill for her hospital expenses.I looked at
"I had a feeling that the insemination must have worked! Aaron said the same thing!" Krystal's face lit up. A smile never left her lips, which somehow made me feel guilty.If she knew that there was no insemination process, I can't imagine what kind of expression she would show. "We must prepare for everything. A favorable environment is necessary for the healthy growth and development of the fetus. I'll prepare everything right away, get ready to move into my house tomorrow!" Krystal hugged me tightly before letting me go. The next afternoon, my mother and I were at home. Mom was very happy to be back home healthy and alive. I felt bad about telling her that I was leaving."Mom, I got a job with a pretty big salary," I said once we got home. Mom looked at me with an incredulous look, then smiled and hugged me.I tried hard to keep my tears at bay as we continued our conversation. "Unfortunately, this job requires me to be away from home," I said carefully. Mom's slightly pale face
"I only ate one packet! Why do you want to fire the chef? He didn't do anything wrong!" I don't know where the courage to counter Krystal words came from. She widened her eyes with one arm around her waist. Her bold makeup made her look even scarier. I was so shocked that I unconsciously developed hiccups. At first, it was once, then twice until finally, it didn't stop.Krystal let out a long breath, lowered her hand, and moved to get me a glass of water. "Listen, Nikkie. This time I'm going to let it slide. I'm not going to fire the chef because it seems to have taken you by surprise. Stress isn't good for the baby, remember?" she explained as she confiscated the rest of my instant noodles."But you're also under contract. Remember, you're currently working with me. You must take good care of your pregnancy. One of them is not carelessly consuming food, especially unhealthy foods that are high in sodium. I have the right to get that from you, understand?"I bowed my head, nodding s
"Stop, Krystal. You're startling Nikkie. It's not good for the baby," Richard soothed Krystal. Krystal gave Richard a fierce glance, then turned to me. "We can't be soft on her forever, Richard. We've been waiting for this baby for so long, and I'm not willing to let our baby down because of her carelessness!" I bowed my head sincerely. Secretly feeling guilty that this baby was not Krystal's as she thought. But on the other hand, I was also tired of not doing anything like this. "I'm sorry, Krystal. I promise I won't do anything to harm this baby in the future," I said quietly without daring to raise my head. I heard a long sigh from Krystal. She still nagged me for a while before deciding to go to her room on the second floor. I felt discouraged after being nagged twice by Krystal. It lasted until the next day and was realized by Richard. "Krystal doesn't mean anything bad. She loves the baby too much," Richard said as we ate breakfast. I hadn't seen Krystal's shadow since this
Richard’s POV "We went together today to buy some supplies for Nikkie," I quickly rescued the situation. Since yesterday afternoon, Krystal still harbored a bit of resentment towards Nikkie. I understood why, but I couldn't bear to see Nikkie shutting up and cringing at Krystal's scolding. I sent Nikkie to her room and invited Krystal to talk to me alone. I asked Krystal not to get angry at Nikkie because it would affect her stress levels. "She's just bored, not trying to harm our baby. Why don't we invite that special gymnastics trainer for pregnant women tomorrow? I think it's time for Nikkie to start some light exercise to make the birthing process go smoothly," I coaxed as I hugged Krystal. Krystal let out a long sigh, lowered her arms, and hugged me back. "That's fine if you say so. I don't want everything to end in vain," Krystal said. I understood her anxiety. Krystal had had a difficult few work days that affected her emotions. After calming her down, I stayed with her
Richard's POV"Who are you? What do you want?" I shouted, trying to calm the panic. "Hands above your head!" repeated the voice. This time, I felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar. I quickly put my hands up. My mind couldn't escape Nikkie. I hoped nothing wrong would happen to her.The faint light continued to approach me slowly. I tried to focus my vision on the figure behind the dim candlelight."Make a wish!" the familiar voice commanded me again. When my brain started to recognize the owner of this voice, I lowered my hand. It was Nikkie's voice."What the hell, Nikkie? You've got me worried, you know?" I couldn't stop myself from nagging her."Quick, make a wish. My hands are tired of holding this cake," Nikkie said with a mischievous grin. She paid no heed to my nagging. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to make a wish like she told me to. I wished for the baby in Nikkie's womb to grow up healthy. It was an unnecessary request, as I would do everything to make tha