He Can’t Ignore His Own Child
951 Words
When Silas saw her take the check, he wasn’t surprised. The matter was settled, and his tone turned indifferent.
“You earned it.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Putting on a polite, grateful expression, Elena waited for his nod before leaving the meeting room.
The moment she was gone, Lucian slipped inside, curiosity written all over his face.
“Well? How did it go?”
Silas stood up from the table and glanced at him. “How did what go?”
“Don’t play dumb. You spent that long alone with her, even grabbed her hand earlier. And you still claim you’re not interested?”
Silas gave him a faint, amused look. “I offered her a bank card and a check and told her to choose. Guess which one she took.”
Lucian’s gaze flicked to the untouched bank card still on the table. He clicked his tongue.
Alright. He’d misjudged.
Silas adjusted his sleeve, voice calm. “Still full of nonsense, even after a few years locked up?”
A shadow flashed through Lucian’s eyes, but he only snorted and said nothing.
Silas didn’t press further.
Years ago, Lucian had been arrogant and untouchable, until everything changed overnight and he was reported and imprisoned. The Reid family had tried to settle it, but the other party refused to budge. Lucian served his time in full.
The Crowe and Reid families had always been close. As soon as Lucian got out, he was sent to Silas to lie low and, hopefully, learn something useful. This trip to Los Angeles was also meant to help him build connections.
The two men stepped out of the meeting room. Silas was heading back to rest when Lucian nudged him.
“Look.”
There was a trace of amusement in his voice.
Silas followed his gaze casually.
By a trash can around the corner stood a woman.
Her back faced them, revealing only the slender line of her pale neck and a waist so narrow it seemed fragile. The hotel uniform skirt ended above her knees, showing long, straight legs.
Silas wasn’t a man ruled by desire.
Yet, for reasons he couldn’t explain, his gaze lingered for a moment too long. A fleeting, inappropriate thought crossed his mind.
Those legs were so slim… in bed, they probably wouldn’t even have the strength to wrap around his waist.
The thought startled him. His brows drew together.
What the hell. Had Lucian’s nonsense rubbed off on him?
Unaware of their attention, the woman tore something into pieces and tossed it into the trash. She brushed her fingers off in mild disgust and turned to leave.
“That was the check you gave her,” Lucian said with certainty, watching her retreating figure with interest. “Mr. Crowe, she really doesn’t like you. She won’t even take your money.”
Silas looked away. “Let’s go.”
He had already offered the money. Whether she wanted it or not had nothing to do with him.
Lucian tilted his head, eyes gleaming. “I think she’s interesting. If you’re not interested, mind if I have some fun?”
A flicker of irritation crossed Silas’s mind, though he didn’t dwell on it.
“That’s your business.”
He turned and headed toward the elevator.
…
Elena had already decided to resign.
She had just approached her supervisor with the intention of handing in her notice when her phone rang.
It was Mia.
She picked up immediately. “Mia—”
“Elena, get to the hospital now!”
Mia’s voice was trembling, on the verge of tears.
“Aiden… he…”
The color drained from Elena’s face. Even her lips turned pale.
She spun around and ran.
…
Doctor’s office.
The attending physician adjusted his glasses, looking at the two young women with sympathy.
“It’s chronic leukemia.”
He glanced at the report and continued, “The symptoms would have appeared early on. Has your son had frequent low fevers? Poor appetite? Weak immunity? Easily catching colds?”
Elena trembled uncontrollably.
“Yes… yes… but…”
Aiden had always been frail. In the past four years, colds and fevers had been routine. She had taken him to the hospital almost every month.
How could she have imagined it was leukemia?
Seeing her self-blame, the doctor softened his tone. “Chronic leukemia often presents mild symptoms at first. It’s hard to detect early. This time, additional tests were done because of his fever and fainting, and that’s how we found it.”
Tears spilled from Elena’s eyes. She wiped them roughly, her voice shaking.
“Can it be treated? Doctor, no matter how much it costs, I’ll—”
“Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can,” the doctor assured her. “Right now, the priority is finding a suitable bone marrow match. Chronic leukemia progresses slowly, but if it turns acute, it becomes very dangerous.”
He paused, then asked, “How many children do you and your husband have?”
Elena pressed her lips together. “…Just one.”
The doctor sighed. “In that case, have your husband come in and get tested as well. If either of you is a match, we can proceed with chemotherapy immediately.”
Elena clenched her hands.
“Doctor… my ex-husband and I have been divorced for years…”
“This is a matter of life and death,” the doctor said firmly. “No matter how strained your relationship is, he wouldn’t ignore his own child.”
…
Elena fell silent.
Setting aside the fact that Silas didn’t even remember her now—
Even if he did…
would he really be willing to save Aiden?
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