Whether her parents could achieve a higher status didn't concern her. However, if her uncle's business failed, she would lose her position as a young lady of the Evans family. Thus, she valued her uncle's business far more.

Don't blame me for only considering myself; have my parents ever considered me?

"Adele, you have a cold right now. It's best to eat something light. Besides, you skipped breakfast this morning, so you're too hungry to eat anything rich or heavy," Julia Bluen explained gently.

"I won't eat it! I don't care! I only want food made by the chefs at the Emperor hotel! If it's not their cooking, I won't eat a bite!" Adele Horne's petulant nature flared up again.

Orlando Evans sneered inwardly. Go on, make a scene! Make a big fuss! The more chaos this causes, the better. It'd be best if word gets back to the Horne family, so everyone knows how Julia Bluen mistreats her own sister-in-law.

Julia Bluen's pretty face darkened. She placed the takeaway container of lean meat porridge heavily on the bedside table. Her eyes, wide with anger, fixed coldly on Adele Horne as she said in a frigid voice, "If you're afraid of dying, then don't eat it. I'm leaving it here. Eat it or don't—it's up to you." With that, she turned and left the ward, planning to take advantage of the lull in patients to get Adele Horne's medicine.

"You..." Adele Horne was stunned that Julia Bluen dared to be so harsh with her, and she seethed, on the verge of an outburst.

"If you're afraid of dying, don't eat?" Who isn't afraid of dying? But that sentence was dripping with sarcasm and provocation.

Her stomach protested incessantly.

Look at that IV bag—still half full. That's at least another forty minutes. How can I stand it? I'm starving to death right now!

"She's being too awful to you, Adele. You must tell your mom, and have your mom tell your brother." Orlando Evans, with an air of someone eager to stir up trouble, advised Adele Horne not to complain directly to Glades Horne. Glades doted on Julia Bluen and wouldn't scold her much. Telling Mila Anderson, however, would be a different story. Mila Anderson already had her grievances with Julia Bluen and adored her precious daughter Adele, so she would undoubtedly scold Julia. As her mother-in-law, Julia Bluen probably wouldn't dare to talk back. And Glades wouldn't argue with his mother over Julia, would he? If he did, that would be even better! It would only intensify Mila Anderson's disapproval of Julia and make the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law even more strained—a prospect that thrilled Orlando.

Her aim was to prevent Glades Horne and Julia Bluen from enjoying a peaceful, happy life. She wanted to use Adele Horne to sow endless conflict between the couple, ideally leading to their divorce.

"I'll throw it away for you." Seeing Adele Horne's frustrated expression, Orlando Evans picked up the lean meat porridge, intending to toss it into the nearby trash can.

"If you throw it away, what will I eat? I'm starving!" Adele Horne retorted irritably, stopping Orlando Evans. Asking Orlando to go to the Emperor hotel to buy her food now was pointless. By the time Orlando got back, she'd be able to leave this wretched hospital. Besides, Orlando Evans wouldn't be willing to spend thousands to buy her food.

Normally, she would give Orlando Evans gifts worth hundreds of thousands without batting an eye. But now that she wanted something to eat, Orlando just looked at her expectantly, clearly hoping she would pay.

For some reason, a flicker of displeasure towards Orlando Evans stirred within Adele.

However, when Orlando Evans immediately picked up a disposable spoon, began to blow on the lean meat porridge to cool it, and started to feed her personally, all her displeasure vanished. I must be overthinking things, she thought. Orlando probably just doesn't have much money on her right now; that's why she couldn't buy me food.

The bland congee, once she tasted it, was surprisingly not bad.

Adele Horne, who had been bracing herself for something awful, felt a wave of relief.

"Orlando, I can do it myself. I'm not that sick," Adele Horne said, sitting up. She took the bowl of porridge from Orlando's hands and began to eat on her own.

After leaving the ward, Julia Bluen headed towards the pharmacy. The journey from the infusion area wards to the pharmacy involved a long corridor. It was almost noon now. Many patients had finished their IV drips and gone home. Most doctors had finished their shifts, and the on-call physicians were just starting.

As Julia walked, she mused, Glades should be coming to pick us up soon.

The thought of Glades Horne brought an unconscious smile to her lips. He could be cool and aloof at times, but he has always doted on me. From my earliest memories to the present day, more than twenty years have passed, and his affection for me has remained constant, as if every day were the first. To be cherished by such an outstanding man, I must be the happiest woman in the world. Her past heartache, embarrassment, and the stirrings Nicholas Coldwell once caused in her heart had slowly faded. Losing one relationship had, in fact, given her a new lease on life, ushering in a new love—one that was even better and more complete than the last.

"Julia." A tall figure—familiar, yet somehow alien—appeared before her, blocking her path.

Looking up, she met Nicholas Coldwell's intense, profound gaze.

A glance revealed Diana Powell was not by his side.

Julia had no desire to engage with him. She tried to walk past him towards the pharmacy. The area in front of the pharmacy was now deserted; the earlier crowds and long lines had vanished.

Julia collected Adele Horne's medicine, planning to have Adele take it after she finished the congee.

She was confident Adele would finish the entire bowl. Adele had never really tried congee before, so an occasional taste would naturally be a pleasant surprise. Besides, the restaurant chefs weren't paid for nothing. Even a simple lean pork congee would be cooked with such flavor that it left one wanting more. How else could the restaurant maintain its bustling business?

"Julia, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Nicholas Coldwell shadowed Julia like a ghost, refusing to let her shake him off.

He had been worried about Julia. In the three years he had known her, she had rarely fallen ill. Encountering her now in a major hospital, he naturally assumed she was sick.

"Mr. Coldwell, where's your wife? Aren't you afraid that your appearing here, in front of me, might cause a misunderstanding with Mrs. Coldwell?" Julia tried to sidestep him, but Nicholas blocked her. She moved the other way, and he blocked her again. Forced to stop, she raised an eyebrow and asked coolly.

"Julia, I'm sorry. I know I wronged you, but I still love you..." Nicholas's usual composure and calm had dissolved, replaced by an apology brimming with regret and a profound tenderness. He hoped his deep emotions and sincere apology would persuade Julia to forgive him.