Clarisse didn't say anything, just pulled the blanket over her head. Farah sighed,
"Alright, go to sleep. I won't mention it again in the future. I know you. On the surface, you seem delicate and gentle, but you're the most stubborn. Once you've set your mind on something, you won't turn back until you've hit a brick wall."
Jonathan reached the living room, and Bruno happened to be there too. They exchanged smiles as a greeting. Jonathan glanced at the gentle and refined Bruno, who wore glasses, and then thought of his own blood-stained hands over the past few months. He couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic. Once upon a time, he too had been a righteous student.
He lit a cigarette and walked to the window, looking out at the pouring rain. Bruno approached,
"Mr. Drucker, I heard you came from Juárez, north of LA?"
"Yeah..."
Jonathan took a deep drag on his cigarette and responded faintly. Bruno looked at him and tentatively asked,
"Then... do you have any connection with S. Drucker Hospital in Juárez?"
"Why do you ask?"
Jonathan didn't turn around, just casually tossed him a sentence. Bruno keenly sensed a slight ripple beneath his calm exterior,
"Uh... I saw your last name is Drucker, and you're a doctor, so I was just curious."
Jonathan turned to look at Bruno, his face calm,
"My family only has my mother left!"
In his understanding, besides his mother, the rest of his relatives were... dead.
Bruno, hearing this, didn't ask further. He was just curious, and now seeing Jonathan deny it, he smiled and changed the topic. The two, being of similar age and full of ambition, had a good conversation, chatting in the living room all afternoon.
Jonathan stayed until Clarisse's IV drip was finished and he removed the needle before leaving. She was still asleep when he left, but her fever had subsided. With a good rest, she should be fine.
Cesar Rollin Balas's illness eventually couldn't be kept from Clarisse. One day, while walking with him in the garden, he suddenly fainted from stomach pain, scaring Clarisse terribly.
When Jonathan arrived at the hospital, he saw her standing dazedly in the corridor outside the emergency room, tears streaming down her face. He called her several times before she responded, and when she saw him, her tears flowed again, and she threw herself into his arms, crying like a child,
"Jonathan, my father..."
Jonathan's expression stiffened. He should have pushed her away, but instead, he gently wrapped his arms around her thin shoulders,
"Don't worry. Godfather's stomach problem is an old ailment. It won't be serious."
Clarisse cried her heart out,
"Jonathan, I'm so scared. My father is my only family in this world!"
Holding her trembling body, listening to her soft sobs, and feeling her helplessness and fear, Jonathan felt his cold heart unexpectedly soften,
"Don't be afraid. I know a top expert in gastroenterology. In a few days, I'll take Godfather to see him!"
As soon as he said it, Jonathan was shocked. How could he have offered to seek help from that person? He had sworn he would never ask for that person's help, even if it meant death!
Clarisse didn't notice his change in mood. She looked up at him with a tear-streaked face, her eyes shining with hope,
"Really, Jonathan? That's great, great news..."
She was so excited, tugging at his clothes, crying and laughing at the same time, as if his words had given Cesar Rollin Balas a new lease on life. She didn't know that Cesar Rollin Balas's condition was already in its late stages and that surgery would only temporarily alleviate it, not cure it.
Jonathan looked down at her, her nose red from crying, her face full of anticipation. He had never experienced this kind of emotion before, being so wholly depended upon by someone. He was her entire hope. The regret that had just sprouted in his heart dissipated.
He thought he must be making this decision to seek help from that person out of gratitude for Cesar Rollin Balas's kindness, and not... because he couldn't bear to see her helpless.
When Fadrique arrived, he saw this scene. His eyes dimmed momentarily but then returned to calm. He was about to get married. What right did he have to care about these things anymore?
Fadrique cleared his throat and walked over. Clarisse, seeing him, shyly withdrew from Jonathan's embrace. Fadrique pretended not to notice her embarrassment and turned to ask Jonathan,
"How's Godfather?"
Jonathan withdrew his arm that had been around her and put his hands in his pockets,
"Still in emergency care."
Fadrique also knew the true state of Cesar Rollin Balas's condition. He glanced at Clarisse and said nothing more.
When the doctor came out of the emergency room, Patter Drucker signaled to him. The doctor understood immediately. When Cesar Rollin Balas regained consciousness, the first thing he said was to instruct the doctor not to tell his daughter the truth. So the doctor merely said,
"Mr. Balas just had a recurrence of his stomach illness. He needs to rest well."
Clarisse finally breathed a sigh of relief. The three of them followed Cesar Rollin Balas to the ward. Jonathan told Cesar Rollin Balas about going to their home country for surgery. Cesar Rollin Balas did not object. Clarisse anxiously said,
"I want to go with you. I need to be there to take care of my father during his surgery!"
Cesar Rollin Balas couldn't agree to that. He persuaded her,
"Clarisse, you still have to go to school. Besides, it's not a major surgery. With Jonathan accompanying me, it's fine."
Clarisse disagreed, her face crumpled as if she were about to cry, begging,
"Dad, I can take a leave of absence from school. Please let me go to take care of you?"
If Clarisse didn't go with them, she would be anxious and unable to eat or sleep well here.
Cesar Rollin Balas had no choice but to look at Jonathan. Jonathan, seeing her pitiful expression, nodded and said,
"Alright, then come with us."
As long as she wasn't told the truth about the illness, it didn't matter if she went along.
That night, after Jonathan got home, he made a phone call. For the sake of treating Cesar Rollin Balas, the person on the other end of the line only made one request. He coldly smiled and agreed,
"Alright!"
The next day, Jonathan, Cesar Rollin Balas, and Clarisse headed to LA. Upon arriving in Juárez, they were picked up and taken directly to S. Drucker Hospital. Jonathan went to the director's office. The figure in the light turned around, revealing an old man with white hair at the temples, smoking an old-fashioned pipe. He glanced expressionlessly at the documents on the table as Jonathan entered,
"I've prepared everything for you. Sign it."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Jonathan's mouth. He stepped forward, picked up the pen, and swiftly signed his name. The document was titled: Declaration of Renunciation of Drucker Family Inheritance Rights.
The old man stepped forward with satisfaction to take the signed document from Jonathan.
"From now on, our Drucker family has nothing to do with you!"
Jonathan's hands clenched tightly at his sides. He raised his eyes to the old man, concealing all his hatred, and spoke calmly,
"One day, everything here will belong to me!"
The old man was his so-called grandfather, Morris Drucker. Morris Drucker had never acknowledged his mother, who came from a humble background. He went to great lengths to break up Jonathan's parents and forced his father to marry someone else, so he never acknowledged Jonathan as his grandson either.
But regardless of Morris Drucker's acknowledgment, Jonathan still carried the Drucker family blood. Now that Jonathan had given up his inheritance, Morris Drucker could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Morris Drucker, instead of getting angry at Jonathan's words, burst into laughter, his tone full of contempt,
"Just you?"
"I've signed the declaration. You should deal with the patient's situation now."
Jonathan's eyes darkened. Despite his hatred, he hadn't forgotten about Cesar Rollin Balas' condition. Morris Drucker was a renowned gastrointestinal specialist. If Cesar Rollin Balas had come to Morris Drucker earlier, there might have been a chance to turn his condition around.
Though Morris Drucker was unkind to Jonathan, he did not forget the terms of their exchange. He put on his white coat and assembled the relevant doctors to consult on Cesar Rollin Balas' case.
After arriving at the hospital, Cesar Rollin Balas was sent to the intensive care unit, so Clarisse couldn't stay with him, and Jonathan went to the director's office. Feeling bored, Clarisse decided to walk around the hospital grounds to relax her tense nerves. She found a secluded spot, stood there with her eyes closed, and silently prayed for Cesar Rollin Balas.
Her mother had passed away when she was very young, and Cesar Rollin Balas was her entire spiritual support. She couldn't imagine life without him and even wished she could trade ten years of her own life for his health and longevity.
"Hey, young lady!"
"The one in the white dress!"
A pleasant and magnetic voice called out nearby. Clarisse turned to see a young man in a white coat looking at her. He was polite and courteous, and her first impression was that he was a gentleman.
She looked around and, seeing no one else, pointed at herself and asked,
"Are you... calling me?"
"Yes, is there another young lady in a white dress here?"
The young man smiled softly, and Clarisse blushed at being complimented so openly.
"Do you need something from me?"
The young man pointed to some papers scattered on the grass nearby.
"Could you please help me pick up those papers over there?"
"Oh, sure!"
She walked over, bent down, picked them up, and handed them to him. The man was surprised that she hadn't asked why he, a grown man, couldn't pick up the papers himself and instead asked someone else to do it. She was overly kind, he thought.
Nevertheless, despite her not asking, he still politely explained,
"My leg... it's not easy for me to bend down, so thank you!"