Chapter 5

Margaret's ears were buzzing, and her vision went all fuzzy for a sec. Before she could even react, cold sweat was already dripping down her forehead.

Nancy, still not satisfied, slapped her again.

Margaret almost hit the floor, but a kind-hearted nurse caught her just in time. Her vision slowly started to clear up.

Nancy was glaring at her, fuming, "You ungrateful daughter! I told you not to do it, but you just had to. I told you Raymond wasn't good enough for you. He had an agenda! You didn't want the guy I picked for you. You went for Raymond, an orphan, a bodyguard!

"Now look at this mess. How did he treat you and us? The Hughes Family's business is in ruins because of you!"

Nancy, still not satisfied, her face red with anger, raised her hand to slap again but was stopped by the medical staff.

Margaret covered her aching face, opened her mouth, but no words came out.

All she could do was cry in regret.

Marlon, lying on the stretcher, wanted to say something.

"Marlon, Marlon, what's wrong? What do you want to say?" Nancy screamed, leaning close to Marlon, trembling and crying.

Margaret saw Marlon, tears streaming down his face, glance at her, then at Nancy, and shake his head with difficulty.

Margaret also leaned close to him.

He shakily reached out, wiped her tears away. His warm blood in his palm was mixed with her tears, leaving a mark in her cheek.

Marlon shook his head again, urgently opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.

"Marlon, I know what you mean. I was just so angry that I slapped her. She is our only daughter; I don't blame her." Nancy covered her lips, tears falling onto Marlon's blood-stained face, crying, "I just feel heartbroken for Margaret! Feel heartbroken that our company was taken away! Margaret is my daughter; I couldn't bear to hit her or scold her, and now it's come to this!"

Before Marlon could enter the operating room, Nancy fainted from crying.

Guilt, regret, and shame twisted in Margaret's heart.

The doctor quickly checked Nancy's condition, and luckily, she was just overly distressed.

Margaret slipped the nurse some cash to take care of Nancy. The nurse took the money and assured her to focus on raising the surgery fee for Marlon.

She had a villa under her name, which was her and Raymond's marital home.

Worth a hundred million dollars, she now sold it for fifty million dollars.

When she contacted the real estate agent, the agent smiled and patted his chest. "Mrs. Hughes, your house is in such a prime location; it'll definitely sell fast."

Four whole hours passed, the villa's price dropped from fifty million dollars to ten million dollars, and not a single inquiry came in.

Margaret sensed something was off. The agent, stammering and under pressure, finally confessed with a red face. "Mrs. Hughes, no one will buy your house."

Margaret was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

A bad feeling crept up her spine.

He lowered his head, pursed his lips, and stammered, "Your husband, Mr. Howard, has made it clear that anyone who dares to buy it is going against him. If you really need money, it's better to ask him."

This sentence was like a dagger, carving a hole in her heart, shattering her last hope.

She held onto the edge of the table, forcing herself to stay calm.

There had to be a way.

The phone demanding money rang again, but this time it was the nurse calling. "Mrs. Hughes, your dad is dying, where's the money? If you don't get the money by tonight, he'll die."