Anna asked, “By the way, Elonel, will this affect your work?“

Lionel gave a gentle smile and reached out to stroke her hair. He said, “Why would my work be affected?”

Annaly loved.

When leaner woke bup/b, her first demand was to see Ste.

Fiona and Andrew hemmed and hawed, rambling on without ever getting to the point.

Though trail, Eleanor was not easy to fool. She asked, “Did something happen to Steb?/b”

Eleanor thought, ‘Ste was brutally beaten twice and lost so much blood. It’s a miracle if she is still alive. Nothing happened to her, right?”

iThe /imere the

The mere thought made Eleanor even more anxious.

“No, no. She’s still alive. It’s just that.” Fiona stopped and cast a pleading nce at Andrew.

Andrew looked at her helplessly, indicating that Fiona should think about the solution herself

Eleanor asked, “Just what?”

Fiona and Andrew kept passing the buck to each other. Neither dared to utter a word.

Eleanor grew increasingly frantic. Realizing she wasn’t getting any useful answers from them, she made to get out of bed.

Seeing this, Andrew and Fiona hurried to support Eleanor

“Mom, what are you doing?” they asked

Eleanor shook off btheir /bhands and shot them a cold, disdainful look,

She said, “Since you!

u won’t tell me, I’ll go find Ste myself. I need to see how she is doing”

Eleanor remained adamant, leaving Andrew and Fiona bat /btheir wits end. To their relief, Lionel and Anna walked in just then.

Anna said, “Grandma, Ste is resting in her hospital room. Lionel got her a room. She is fine.”

bAndrew /band Fiona felt as if they had just seen their bsavior/b.

Eleanor wasn’t so beasily /bfooled. She said, “Which hospital room is she in? I’m going to see her mysel

Anna said, b“/bGrandma, please rest for now. Ste bcan’t /bwake up in her current condition. With Lionel here, you can rest assured.”

Eleanor looked up at Lionel

Lionel nodded and exined, “She has lost too much blood. Her body can’t replenish it naturally. We’re waiting bfor /bba /bblood transfusion, and only then

will she slowly regain consciousness.”

Eleanor’s mood improved considerably, bbut /bshe still asked, “What else are you withholding from bme/b?”

bAnna’s /bheart gave a lurch.

With age came wisdom. Anna figured that bwould /bbconvince /bEleanor, but Eleanor still saw right through her..

Anna stole a furtive bnce /bbat /bLionel

Chapter b54 /b

Lionel had no choice but to tell the truth “She has an Rh negative blood type. We haven’t found a match yet. But don’t worry. We find one on

Eleanor finally regained herposure.

To most people, blood btypes /bwere just the usual few. At most, they might know about Rh negative blood type or the Bombay blood group. But for Ste’s blood type, they had never oven heard of it.

Eleanor red at Andrew and Fiona and said, “Ste is your daughter, but you’ve failed her time and again. Her heart has been utterly shattered by you

both.

“Now find ba /bway to get her the blood she needs. Maybe then there’s still a chance to mend things between you and She. If you can’t even do this much, I can do no more for you”

Andrew and Fiona eagerly nodded.

Since Eleanor needed to have a good rest, everyone went out

Mary, who had remained silent, caught Eleanor’s meaningful nce. She gave a subtle nod and discreetly followed the group out.

No one outside noticed Mary.

Andrew asked Lionel, is there no matched blood in the blood bank either?”

Lionel said, “I need to level with you. I didn’t tell Mrs. Eleanor Hayes frankly because I was afraid she couldn’t handle it.”

hey fixed their gaze on Lionel

Andrew and Fiona’s hearts sank. They fixed

Even Max, who bhad /bjust stepped out for urgentpany business, froze in bhis /bbtracks/b.

Lionel said, “Actually, apart from themon blood types we know, there are several other rare ones. The Bombay blood bgroup/b, you might have heard of, is one of them,

“But Ste has the Rh–null blood type. This bis /bsomething we never anticipated. Globally, there are likely only aboutfity known cases.”

Fiona was shocked. “How can this be? Ste-

Lionel continued, “I’ve looked into your family history. Thest person with this blood type was Ste’s great grandfather, namely Mr. Andrew Hayes’s grandfather. It’s documented in your family records, and bthis /bbtrait /bhereditary”

Max brushed /bover and asked, “Does this mean Ste is beyond bsaving/b?”

tightly that it

He gripped Lionel’s arm so tightly that it actually hurt

Lionel said, “it’s hard to say. If we can find two matching donors who are willing to give blood, she will pull through.”

bMax /bsaid, “Save Ste. You must bsave /bher.”

bLionel /bnoddedb. /bTve already spoken with the hospital director. He is willing to reach out through hiswork to look for suitable bdonors/b. You all should also try every possible means on your end.”

bFiona /bturned to Andrew, and her face was etched with worry and sorrow,

She basked /bhesitantly, “Will Ste…

Andrewforted bher/b. “No. bDon’t /bworry. We bfind /bba /bway together.”

Anna felt ba /bsharp twist of unease.

bSince /bchildhood, she had noticed Fiona, Andrew, and Max actually cared about Ste, But all Anna ver wanted was bto /bbe the only one they bloved/b.

10:31 Thu 31 Jul of t

Seeing the family so concerned about Ste when Ste was about to die just made Anna sad.

Anna thought, “Mom, Dad, and Max belong to me alone, and so does Lionel”

When Max came to see Ste, the

y lifeless on the hospital bed

Sore, they usually bickered and squabbled, but deep down, Max never truly wished Ste dead.

He remembered all those times when Ste nursed him through headaches and colds, the meals she had cooked for him, and how she was always the first to lend a helping hand.

He might not have shown his care for Ste, but Ste was still his little sister.

Maxthought to himself, “Ste must have gone through so much out there over those three years. I can understand, but… Forget it. None of that matters now. I only hope Ste will wake up soon.

Anna appeared quietly at Max’s side and asked softly. “Max, are you tearing up?”

Max quickly turned his head away, wiped his eyes, and then looked back at Anna. He asked, “Anna, why are you here?”

Anina said, “I’m worried about Ste, so I came to check on her,”

Anna quietly moved to Max’s side and joined him in gazing at Ste in the hospital bed.

Max nced at Anna and thought, Anna neverpetes with Ste for anything Bath of them are good girls. If it weren’t for that kidnapping, they wouldn’t end up like this!

Anna said, “Ste will wake up She told me that as long as she is alive, she will find a bway /bto kill me. Since she hasn’t made it, she won’t die.”

Max frowned deeply and turned his head sharply toward Anna. He asked, “Anna, what did you say

Anna ralized she had slipped up and quickly said, “Nothing, Max, I didn’t say anything”

Mas fixed her with an intense stare “No, you did say something. Did you say Ste told you that she wanted you dead!”

“bYou /bmust have misheard me. That’s not what i

aid.” Anna averted her eyes and tumed her head baway/b.

Max wouldn’t let it go. He turned her to face him

hat exactly did you just say? Does Ste really want you dead?”

“Mai” Anna looked tom

“Spit it out,” Max barked

His bvoice /bboomed through the room, but not ever

that could rouse Still from her unconscious state

Annab her lip and put on that bragile act of hers again

After a long she finally said, “Ste imed i nned the kidnapping and asked that man to sell her off to Middle–South Yaria. That’s why she wants

met