Chapter 338
Aurelia had gone with Ella for that comprehensive check–up.
But when it was time to get the results, Ella picked them up by herself.
Aurelia had asked her about it, and Ella had said everything was fine.
How did I believe her so easily?‘ Aurelia thought, feeling a pang of self–doubt.
When Ella woke up and saw Aurelia’s reddened eyes, she knew she could no longer hide it.
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Ella softly let out a sigh and tried to comfort Aurelia. “All these years, you’ve suffered so much because of me. You finally have something of your own to pursue now. I don’t want to become your burden anymore.”
“I’ve never thought of you as a burden,” Aurelia said, holding Ella’s cold hand, still kicking herself inwardly for being so careless.
“But I still feel like I’m dragging you down,” Ella said softly.
If it hadn’t been for her, Aurelia and Cassian would never have crossed paths, and she wouldn’t have misplaced seven years of sincere devotion.
‘My daughter clearly deserved far better. Ella thought.
After speaking with the doctor, Aurelia went along with the hospital’s plan to get Ella a kidney transplant.
But the immediate problem was that it was extremely difficult to find a suitable donor in such a short time.
Moreover, there were many patients already waiting in line at the hospital.
Here, there are only two legal ways to get a kidney.
One is through voluntary living donation, and the other is organ donation after someone’s passing.
Aurelia was the first to be tested for compatibility, but unfortunately, she wasn’t a match.
She then contacted more than a dozen hospitals nationwide, but none had any news.
Seeing Ella’s health decline day by day, Aurelia proposed taking her abroad for treatment, hoping they might find a suitable, compatible kidney overseas.
But the doctor told her that, given Ella’s current condition, she was not fit to travel.
In other words, they could only wait.
Aurelia couldn’t bring herself to take that risk, nor could she afford to.
She steeled herself and decided to confront the Corin family.
Eight years ago, when Ella needed a bone marrow transplant, Aurelia had already pleaded with the Corins.
But back then, she had nothing, and in the end, she wasn’t even allowed inside their house.
She knelf outside their gate, knocking her head on the ground over and over, begging them.
Her forehead was bloodied from all the bowing, but the door never opened.
Chapter 338
This time around, the Corin family practically rolled out the red carpet for Aurelia.
With her net worth soaring into the billions, they’d been itching to cozy up to her for years.
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It was just that eight years ago, they had acted too ruthlessly, burned every bridge, angering Ella into severing all ties with them, leaving no opportunity until now.
Aurelia wasn’t about to waste time on pleasantries and got straight to the point. “Anyone who volunteers for the compatibility test receives ten million. And if you’re matched and are willing to donate, you’ll receive a hundred million.”
As the saying goes, money can make even the impossible happen. Aurelia was throwing out so much cash, it was hard for anyone to turn her down.
With that kind of money on the line, it was nearly impossible for them not to waver.
All seven Corin family members who were eligible to donate got tested, but it was all for nothing.
Not one of them turned out to be a match.
Aurelia felt utterly defeated, like she was at the end of her rope with nowhere left to go.
Just at this critical moment, Ella’s doctor called to tell her they’d finally found a matching kidney and that the surgery could be arranged immediately.
The hospital wasted no time. Three days later, Ella underwent the kidney transplant.
The surgery was a success, and Aurelia finally felt like the weight she’d been carrying for so long had finally lifted.
After holding herself together for days, she could finally relax.
Aurelia collapsed limply into a chair, covering her face with her hands, letting the tears flow freely into her palms.
She had no idea how much time had passed when Abigail and Benjamin finally showed up.
Abigail had made some nourishing chicken soup herself, hoping it would help Aurelia recover her strength.
During this period, Aurelia had grown noticeably thinner due to stress and exhaustion, and it broke Abigail’s heart to see her like this.
After Benjamin spoke with the doctor and learned all the details, he finally felt at ease.
Ella’s body showed minimal rejection after surgery, no other complications, and her recovery was faster than most patients.
The doctor clearly told Aurelia that Ella could be discharged in about ten days.
That was the best news Aurelia had received in a long time.
A faint smile finally appeared on Aurelia’s face. “Thanks for all your hard work lately, Doctor Harringson.”
“It’s what we’re here for,” Doctor Harringson said with a humble smile.
“Doctor Harringson, is there any chance you could tell me who the donor is? I really want to thank them in person,” Aurelia
said.
Doctor Harringson shook his head. “Hospital regulations forbid us from disclosing any donor information. I’m sorry.”
“I just want to thank them, that’s all,” Aurelia said quietly.
Doctor Harringson shook his head again. “Wish I could help. but I really can’t.”
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Chapter 338
Aurelia didn’t want to make things difficult for him and could only thank Doctor Harringson before leaving.
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After leaving Doctor Harringson’s office, Aurelia called Miranda and asked her to arrange a car to pick Ella up from the hospital on Wednesday.
She was giving instructions as she walked toward Ella’s ward.
As she passed through a corridor, she faintly heard a familiar voice.
“It’s fine, let’s go,” someone said.
Aurelia stopped in her tracks and instinctively looked toward the voice, but all she saw was the elevator doors sliding shut.
On the other end of the line, Miranda was asking about hiring a caregiver, but when Aurelia didn’t respond for a while, she had to call out to her.
“Aurelia, are you still there?” Miranda asked.
Aurelia snapped back to reality. “Just make the arrangements. Try to find someone with plenty of experience.”
“Got it,” Miranda replied.
After hanging up, Aurelia glanced back toward the elevator one more time.
‘Probably just seeing things,‘ she thought.
‘Cassian’s still in lockup, there’s no way he’d show up here, she told herself.
*****
On the thirtieth day after Cassian’s arrest, the news spread.
But over in Northvale, things remained eerily quiet, like nothing had changed at all.
The authorities had slapped Cassian with serious bribery charges.
Online rumors claimed the bribery amount was enormous and the circumstances extremely serious, possibly leading to the maximum penalty.
Many people sighed in lament.
A once–glorious rising star in finance had fallen from grace in just one year, reduced to a prisoner. It was indeed sobering.
The Locke Group was inevitably affected as well.
Aurelia rushed over to Benjamin’s place as soon as she heard, worried he’d take the news really hard.
When she got there, Benjamin was sitting by the fish pond, completely lost in thought.
The container of fish feed in his hand had tipped over at some point without him noticing. Feed scattered into the pond, and schools of fish crowded around his feet, splashing water everywhere.
Benjamin’s shoes were soaked, yet he seemed completely unaware.
“Benjamin, Aurelia called softly.
Benjamin didn’t react at all, sitting there blankly, his eyes were completely devoid of the sharpness he once had.
His temples were dusted with streaks of gray, as if he had aged overnight.
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Chapter 338
“Benjamin,” Aurelia called again as she walked closer.
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Benjamin finally snapped out of his daze. Seeing Aurelia, he managed a strained smile. “What brings you here? I’m fine, you really don’t have to keep worrying about me.”
Her nose prickled, and she felt tears threatening to spill.
He was clearly the one suffering the most, yet he was still trying to comfort her instead.
“I haven’t been too busy lately, so I came to see how you were doing,” Aurelia said, crouching down to help him gather the spilled fish feed.
“You came because of Cassian, didn’t you?” Benjamin said with a faint smile. “It’s fine. I’ve been expecting this. I can handle it, so don’t worry about me.”
Aurelia didn’t say a word.
No amount of mental preparation could truly make something like this bearable.
She knew Benjamin was just putting on a brave face, but she had no idea how to comfort him.
The only thing she could do was sit with him, even if it was just sitting in silence.
As Aurelia was leaving the Locke residence, she received a call from the detention center, informing her that Cassian was willing to accept her visit.
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