Chapter 3
"Your father's hometown really was in the very poor Watershed Hollow, but later your father built everything from scratch, and now he has hundreds of billions of dollars in assets. Your mother grew up as a wealthy heiress, also worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Your parents' businesses span the entire globe, but your father has never forgotten his roots and always tells people his hometown is Watershed Hollow."
Hundreds of billions of dollars?!
My body, standing tall and straight, trembled for a moment. I was completely stunned by this massive amount of information.
But I still didn't show my ignorance. Instead, I asked with concern, "What happened to you?"
Hearing this, James quickly brushed off the dirty spots on his clothes and apologized, "I'm sorry. On the way here, I ran into a multi-car accident. I was originally driving a Maybach to pick you up, but the car was totaled and towed away by the traffic police. Since I was close to where you were, I just walked over to find you. But don't worry, your mother has already sent a car. It should be here any minute."
As he was speaking, a black Horch A8 drove up from a distance and stopped in front of us.
A middle-aged man dressed in the same outfit as James got out of the car. He bowed deeply to me, "Hello."
James respectfully opened the back door, "Please get in."
Then, the other butler picked up my luggage and put it in the trunk.
I sat in the car in a daze, still unable to process this sudden change.
The car started moving, and James kept telling me about my biological parents.
"Your home is in Emerald City's most luxurious, wealthy neighborhood, Nimbus Residences. Your parents have already had your room decorated. It's a full 3,000 square feet. And your mother also said that on the way back, if there's anything you like, I should buy it for you. Any luxury items are fine. We can even buy you an entire shopping mall if you want."
When this kind of scene that I couldn't even dream of actually happened to me, I couldn't say anything. My mind went completely blank, buzzing.
After a long while, I finally came to my senses. "I don't need anything right now, but could you take me somewhere? I want to see my grandfather."
James looked confused, "Your grandfather from the Cavendish family? The Cavendish family treated you like that... why would you still go see him?"
I shook my head, looking worried. "No, Grandpa is the only person who has been good to me since I was little. When he found out I wasn't the Cavendish family's blood, he had a heart attack and was hospitalized. My adoptive parents think that, given his age, his time is up anyway, so they don't really want to pay for his treatment. I want to go to the hospital to pay Grandpa's hospital bills and find the best doctors to treat him. That's the only thing I want to do right now. Can you help me?"
After hearing what I said, James's eyes were already red. His gaze was firm, "Of course! If your mother knew how devoted you are, she would cry with emotion."
More than ten minutes later, the car stopped at the hospital entrance. I got out, "You guys wait here. I'll go up by myself."
Then James handed me a bank card with a billion dollars on it, "My lady, take this money to pay for his treatment."
I hesitated for a moment but still took it, "Okay, thank you, Uncle James."
Hearing me call him that, James was flattered, "Just calling me James is fine."
I smiled and turned to walk into the hospital.
I took the elevator to the cardiac surgery department. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the room. My grandfather, Chase Cavendish, was lying alone in bed, looking terribly thin.
Hearing the noise, he turned his head toward the door. When he saw me, his eyes lit up, full of shock.
"Charlotte..."
I walked forward and held Chase's hand, holding back tears, "Grandpa, I came to see you."
"Charlotte... I thought you'd been sent away... I really wanted to find you... but I didn't have the strength..." As he spoke, Chase's eyes reddened, and tears the size of beans slid down his old, yellowed face.
Chase had been hospitalized for a month. He was at least ten pounds thinner than before he was admitted. You can imagine how hard these days had been for him.
"Grandpa, don't talk nonsense. I won't abandon you. I'll do whatever it takes to treat your illness. You have to pull yourself together."
Chase's eyelids drooped. His already cloudy eyes were covered with a layer of moisture. The corners of his mouth turned down, and his sagging cheeks drooped along with them.
He shook his head, his eyes full of tears, "I'm not getting treatment... your dad... your adoptive father doesn't want to pay for my treatment either. Yesterday I heard from the doctor that they only paid the hospital bills through the day after tomorrow, and then they're sending me to a nursing home to live out however many days I have left..."
Hearing this, my shoulders heaved violently. I was like a powder keg about to explode. My lips pressed into a tight line, my eyes filled with anger so thick it couldn't be dissolved.
I didn't expect Aiden to be such a monster.
So I said, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'll transfer you to the best hospital and find the best doctors to treat you. You just need to cooperate with the treatment. Don't worry about anything else. And I won't let Aiden and the others see you anymore."
Chase looked shocked, "Charlotte, what's going on..."
Just then, the attending physician, Michael Johnson, walked in. He said, "The payment is due. Have your parents come by. I called them, but no one answered."
I didn't want Chase to hear this, so I comforted him, told him to rest well, then turned and dragged Michael out of the room.
"Are you sick? Why would you say that in front of an old man!"
"I'm just stating the facts. Besides, your grandfather is smart. What doesn't he know? By the way, what kind of people are in your family? Your grandfather's condition isn't untreatable. Why don't they want to treat him? They said they're just going to let your grandfather wait to die." Michael looked completely contemptuous.
I said through gritted teeth, "Who said they're letting my grandfather wait to die?"
"Although they didn't say it directly, that's what they meant."
Michael was a fellow student, five years older than me. When I was in 8th grade, he was in 12th grade. Now I was in 12th grade, and he was already graduated, becoming a prominent figure in the medical field at such a young age.
But apparently his heart wasn't in it. He wanted to be a lawyer, but his family forced him to study medicine.
"I'll pay. Transfer him to another hospital and find the best doctors to treat my grandfather."
"Transfer? You just turned eighteen. Do your parents know?"
"They're not my parents anymore. Please help me with the transfer procedures."
Michael frowned, "Setting that aside, this hospital's cardiac surgery department is the best in all of Silverlight City, and your grandfather's current physical condition isn't suitable for all that moving around."
"Then treat him here. I'll go pay the bills."
Michael looked suspicious, "Why are you acting so strange today? Why are you saying your parents aren't your parents anymore? And where did you get the money? Even though you're smart and talented and won a lot of scholarships, your grandfather's illness will cost a lot of money. That little bit you have isn't enough."
I pulled at the corner of my mouth, "I'll pay a million dollars first. Is that enough?"
