Chapter 4：People Who Have Nothing
1344 Words
Marina shot Selina a sharp look as she approached. “You hesitate too much when you speak, getting me all worked up in the process.”
Calvin’s gaze fell on the stark handprint marking Selina’s face, his lips twitching involuntarily.
He turned to Marina, whose eyes were filled with urgency, and asked in a subdued voice, “How’s Grandfather?”
“The doctors say it’s chronic pulmonary heart disease. He struggled to breathe last night and started wheezing after midnight, turning nearly blue. He’s stable now, no immediate danger to his life, but it was a close call. Your uncle and his family are all here. Don't be so stubborn; when Grandfather wakes, just agree with him. Don’t ruin all your hard work with that stubborn streak of yours.”
After listening, Calvin walked toward the hospital room, glancing at Selina who stood by, “Get some ice for that bruise before you scare anyone.”
Selina stood defiantly, not moving an inch, her lips tight, her eyes icy in a way Calvin had never seen before.
"Calvin, it was a dire night for Grandfather, and you were nowhere to be found," Uncle Wei Feng berated him as he approached.
Calvin, seeing that Grandfather was now peacefully asleep with an oxygen mask, scoffed mockingly, "Uncle, please, continue your vigil. This is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your filial piety. I won't compete with you for that."
With that, he exited the hospital room, Marina following him, visibly upset.
"Calvin, what are you thinking? How can you be so careless at a time like this?" Marina’s voice was a mix of despair and frustration.
"Are you still interested in the shares Grandfather holds? You were only promised half when you married Selina, not all. Don’t forget, Grandfather still controls fifteen percent of the shares—a significant amount that could threaten your position in the Rollin Corporation if Uncle gets them."
Marina, who had been divorced when young and lived in the old Rollin family home with her daughter, had always favored Calvin. After his parents' deaths, she treated him as if he were her own son.
Yet at that moment, Calvin appeared indifferent, his gaze fixed on Selina, who stood quietly at the end of the hallway.
"Aunt, Grandfather has pulmonary heart disease, not dementia. Don’t worry; he’s been shrewd all his life. He knows what he's doing," he said, moving towards Selina.
Marina knew how stubborn he could be; shaking her head in resignation, she turned back to the hospital room.
"Let’s go, Grandfather won’t be waking up any time soon. Your gestures of filial piety won’t be seen by him."
Selina slowly turned, her gaze cold as she stared down Calvin, the man known for his biting words, “Calvin, please just sign the agreement when you have a moment, so we can finalize the procedures.”
With a dismissive air, she spoke and then walked away.
Calvin watched her defiant departure, pulling out a cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke that masked his expression.
Dawn was breaking, and Selina was barely asleep when her phone rang again.
Irritated but seeing “Emma” on the display, she hesitated before answering, “Hello?”
Emma’s voice came through, fraught with worry, “Madam, the master is in severe stomach pain. I just got home and found him lying alone on the sofa. What should I do?”
Half-asleep, Selina instructed, “In the dressing room on the second floor, there’s a medicine box on the low cabinet. It has his medication.”
After hanging up, she tried to return to sleep, but Emma called again within minutes, “Madam, how should he take these pills?”
Already exhausted and now frustrated, Selina retorted, “He often takes those pills; doesn’t he know how? If not, just take them however—it’s not like they’ll kill him.”
“Madam, the master is really suffering, he’s turned pale.”
Now fully awake, Selina realized Emma was genuinely concerned and afraid of Calvin's temper, “Emma, please hand the phone to Calvin,” she said, her tone softening.
Calvin’s stomach ached terribly, a fact compounded by less than three hours of sleep and an unwarranted slap—all thanks to that dreadful man, Selina fumed.
“Master’s in a lot of pain, it seems...”
Before Emma could finish, Selina interjected coldly, “It’s fine, answering a call won’t kill him. This stomach pain isn’t new; if it were lethal, he’d have been cremated by now.”
Emma was shocked; she had turned on the speakerphone hoping it would help Calvin take his medicine. She never expected the usually gentle madam to respond so harshly. Emma glanced at Calvin, unsure of what to do.
Calvin, managing the discomfort in his stomach, looked up at Emma and after a moment of silence, took the phone.
“Do you need something?” His voice was low, weakened only by the pain.
Selina paused, took a deep breath, “Take two pills from the yellow bottle, one from the white. If you don’t want to die in pain, just take the medicine.”
Despite his discomfort, her tone softened a bit, knowing his usual stubbornness about taking medication. If not for Emma’s intervention, he would have likely suffered silently again.
Now wide awake, Selina felt a bitter sensation spread through her heart.
Hearing that he had taken the pills, she said evenly, “Calvin, from now on I’ll leave instructions with Emma regarding your care. It’s your own body, don’t make it hard for others.”
“Make it hard?” Calvin scoffed, “You, a person without any real responsibilities, find it hard to do a little something under the title of Mrs. Rollin? Or perhaps you’re eagerly awaiting my death so you can inherit my wealth?”
Selina’s breath hitched, his demeaning words piercing her deeply. Though she always knew he disliked her, hearing it was profoundly hurtful.
After a long silence, she spoke evenly, “I might be useless, but I’m not waiting to inherit your wealth. Waiting like a widow for money is boring. I’d rather find a normal man and enjoy life.”
Calvin snorted, “It seems your acting classes really paid off.”
He hung up without hesitation.
Selina, initially upset, was now utterly bewildered.
“Acting classes?”
After a few seconds, she recalled that her major was performance art, then it dawned on her.
That despicable man was accusing her of acting. First, he suspected her of faking her grandfather’s illness, and now he thought she was putting on a show. Not even the most paranoid man was as confident as he was.
Selina cursed Calvin internally as she scrolled through Weibo, her morning ruined by his antics.
When she saw a post by Candice on Weibo, her heart clenched.
Candice had posted at one in the morning: "Thankful for your years of companionship and protection, I’m so happy!"
The photo showed two hands, each holding a glass, touching in a toast, with a heart-shaped Black Forest cake in the background.
The comment section erupted with congratulations on her official relationship announcement.
The male hand in the photo was unmistakably Calvin’s, recognized by his unique watch.
Celebrating his lover’s birthday in the middle of the night with drinks and cake, no wonder his stomach was in knots.
The momentary pang of heartache Selina felt when she first heard his voice now seemed ludicrous. This man was willing to endure any pain for his lover.
Had she not interrupted his perfect evening, they might have already matched their genes.
Without comparisons, there would be no hurt. She reflected on the years she had wasted waiting—waiting for him to come home, hoping that one day he would accept her.
In five years, Calvin had never once spontaneously celebrated her birthday, let alone Valentine’s Day or their anniversary.
With this realization, Selina messaged Calvin: “Mr. Rollin, please make some time tomorrow. Let’s go change our certificates.”
- Writer
