CHAPTER 12: CHAPTER 12: AIDEN GRANT DISCOVERS TIANA LINDEN TRULY HAS CANCER!

The layers of suspicion and visible shock in Aiden Grant’s eyes made Tiana Linden feel utterly powerless.

She clenched her fingers tightly and asked in grief, "Aiden, do you really think I could even fake the diagnosis report?"

Her chest tightened.

Unable to hold back, she angrily lashed out, "Aiden, use your brain. This report was just printed from the self-service machine. How could I possibly fake it? How could I fake it?"

The response from Aiden was silence.

He was unwilling to accept such a reality.

Could this be Tiana’s retribution?

Tiana had done so many things wrong to him and to The Linden Family.

Perhaps the heavens are watching, punishing Tiana?

He did indeed hate Tiana.

But he never wished for her to face such retribution.

Seeing the doubt still in Aiden’s eyes, Tiana gave a bitter smile inside.

She snatched the report away.

Aiden, left empty-handed, stood there fixedly.

He held his breath.

A voice in his head burst: This is impossible!

But why does his chest feel so suffocated?

Looking at Tiana, his brows knitted into a tight knot.

"Tiana, I warned you earlier that the deeds you do are watched by the heavens."

After finishing, he tightened the corners of his forehead.

Clearly, she had already received her due retribution, yet he did not feel any satisfaction.

On the contrary, his face turned even more grim, his chest tightening with each breath.

He looked at Tiana: "...Tiana, this truly is your retribution."

He didn’t even know why his voice sounded so powerless.

Such cold, heartless words made Tiana’s body tremble.

She desperately clenched the corner of her clothes.

Retribution or not, it doesn’t matter!

Her issues are now irrelevant to Aiden.

She stuffed the report into her bag.

She would take the report and go for a re-examination.

As she turned, her slender arm was grabbed by Aiden.

"Tiana..."

Aiden’s voice filled Tiana’s heart with overwhelming pain.

Her fingers pressed into her palm, and she asked coldly, "Haven’t you been hoping for my demise? Now that I am about to die, you should be happy."

"Tiana, all the things you said before, are they true?" Aiden asked.

Tiana’s cancer was indeed true.

Daisy, like him, dislikes green onions and cilantro, loves grapefruit, has a peanut allergy, and is highly talented in painting—is all of it true?

Aiden was waiting for Tiana’s answer.

Tiana did not want to answer.

"Tiana, I didn’t expect it to be like this..." Aiden’s voice lowered.

Even he couldn’t distinguish whether it was guilt or sadness.

Tiana shook off Aiden’s hand: "You only believe those few sheets of authentication reports; I have nothing left to say."

The soft, adorable image of Daisy floated into Aiden’s mind.

From the first time he accidentally met Daisy, he just liked her like that.

"Tiana, about you and Daisy..."

"Mr. Grant, from now on, whatever happens between me and Daisy has nothing to do with you.

Daisy’s sweet and gentle demeanor, her precociousness and understanding, her cautiousness—all made Tiana’s body ache.

Seeing Tiana’s pale face and frail body, Aiden’s voice softened considerably:

"I will make future arrangements for Daisy."

He had to investigate this matter further.

He needed to do it personally.

Looking at her weakened state, not sure if she wore makeup today hiding her sickly appearance or something else.

Aiden believed that at such a young age, she shouldn’t be so severely ill.

Yet, recalling the past, he reminded her once more:

"Tiana, if you really are sick, treat the illness and stop focusing your thoughts on improper matters."

Tiana did not want to explain anything further.

She only cared about one thing, "Mr. Grant, you said you would arrange for Daisy’s matters, will you still do so?"

She didn’t know how he would arrange it.

His response was silence once again.

A complex expression in Aiden’s eyes as he studied Tiana, after a moment of thought, he said, "I will redo the paternity test for Daisy."

If Tiana was not lying, many previous conclusions would be overturned.

He needed to arrange it cautiously.

Tiana Linden finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Hope rekindled in her eyes.

But the matter wasn’t resolved, Daisy wasn’t settled properly, and she was still on edge.

...

A little after four in the afternoon.

Before picking up Daisy, Tiana Linden deliberately touched up her makeup in the rearview mirror of her electric bike.

Applied lots of blush and added lipstick.

In this way, she could mask her weary and ill appearance.

Standing at the front of the line, she was the first to pick up Daisy.

Upon seeing her, Daisy rushed to ask for a hug.

Being lifted up, Daisy wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and asked:

"Mom, did you go to the hospital today? You mustn’t let a cold get worse."

"Of course, what Daisy instructs, how could Mom not comply?" Tiana kissed Daisy’s forehead, "Mom saw the doctor, and the doctor prescribed some medicine. Mom will recover soon."

But she knew, this illness would only get worse.

Ultimately, it would become uncontainable.

In front of Daisy, she forced a smile, "Did you have fun at school today, Daisy?"

"I did!" Daisy added, "Mom, since you have a cold, you should put me down. I’m grown up now and don’t need to be carried anymore."

"It’s okay, Mom wants to hold you a bit longer."

How many more times can she hold Daisy?

Every time she holds her, it’s one less time.

A month ago, Daisy was over twenty pounds, and Tiana Linden never felt it was tiring to hold her.

She even thought Daisy was too thin and should be made a bit chubbier.

Now, holding her felt exhausting.

After just a few steps, Tiana felt her arms and legs growing weak, and her whole body almost out of strength.

Yet she gritted her teeth and carried Daisy to the electric bike parking area.

"Mom, are you a little tired?"

Seeing her fatigue, Daisy’s long eyelashes shadowed her deep concern.

Tiana Linden shook her head, and slowly said, "No, just a little cold, Mom will recover after some medicine."

After being diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, she frequently lied to Daisy.

The guilt enveloped her like tides, suffocating her.

...

At half-past six in the afternoon, at Linden-Grant Pharmaceutical Group, in the laboratory.

Aiden Grant, wearing a white lab coat, approached Vivian Linden.

Vivian, also in medical research, naturally came to the family business.

In earlier years, James Linden had his hopes pinned on Tiana Linden.

Back then, the incident of Tiana Linden’s mother fooling around with her first love, getting pregnant with Tiana and making James Linden a stepfather, hadn’t been exposed.

After Tiana’s mother died in childbirth, James shifted all his love for his late wife to his daughter Tiana.

He adored Tiana with a thousand different loves.

Everything in The Linden Family was reserved for Tiana.

Vivian, the illegitimate daughter, had no chance; James didn’t even want to acknowledge her identity or let her return to The Linden Family.

Later, when it was revealed Tiana was not his biological child, Vivian got her opportunity.

At Linden-Grant Pharmaceutical Group, Vivian devoted herself to research.

So much so that when Aiden went to take her for dinner, she was still engrossed in recording pharmaceutical data, without even sparing Aiden a glance.

"Forget it, I won’t go out to eat. I’ll just have the canteen’s fast food later, I still want to work a bit more."

"You had fast food for lunch, you must have a proper dinner," Aiden forcefully took the experimental tools from Vivian and commanded.

He looked at Vivian with complex emotions and added, "I also have something to tell you today."

Vivian frowned, "What has to be said today?"

Aiden didn’t answer.

In truth, he clearly knew he only felt gratitude towards Vivian.

As Christopher Grant had said, gratitude is not equivalent to love.

Witnessing Tiana’s lung cancer review at the hospital, the cancer cells having already spread to her stomach and liver, he, with his medical background, knew Tiana didn’t have much time left, causing a tidal wave of unease in his heart.

He said heavily, "Go change clothes first, we’ll talk afterwards."

Vivian smiled and said, "Then give me two minutes, I urgently need the restroom."

Aiden reprimanded, "You always race against time once you’re in the lab."

Vivian: "I just want to produce results as soon as possible! Knowing your mentor is in late-stage lung cancer saddens me too. Aiden, don’t worry too much, maybe our specific anti-cancer drug will soon yield results and can help your mentor."

Vivian’s words made Aiden’s brow furrow even more tightly.

He seemed burdened with a great worry.

While Vivian was changing, Aiden called Tiana.

Seeing the call, Tiana was startled.

Since returning to Veridia, it was the first time Aiden took the initiative to call her.

After Christopher gave her the contact, she hadn’t saved Aiden’s number, but seeing this string of numbers, she knew it was Aiden.

She was tremendously surprised.

Did Aiden reach out to her because of Daisy?