The CEO's Fated Lover

Ding. The elevator came to a halt on the 8th floor. I held a takeout box as I stepped into the hallway. The past few days had been overwhelming, leaving me with a jumbled mind. The lunch break at the delivery station was only an hour, but my boss, sympathetic to my mother's situation, reluctantly let me return to work a bit later. I counted the room numbers, moving past one door after another, getting closer to my mom's ward. Suddenly, a group of people burst around the corner. "Move! Please step aside!" Doctors and nurses rushed by, pushing a stretcher, with family members trailing behind, crying and calling the patient's name. My heart raced, and I quickly pressed myself against the wall to make way for them. They hurried down the corridor toward the emergency room. Another patient's condition had probably worsened. I hoped that they could pull through. Life hangs by such a fragile thread between existence and the unknown. With a sigh, I pushed open the door to the ward. I set the takeout meal on the cabinet beside the bed and walked over to the window, ready to help my mom sit up. "Mom, here I ..." When I saw that the person in the hospital bed wasn't my mom, I was stunned. The person lying in the bed was a man. I thought I entered the wrong room. I glanced at him, noting he was quite handsome. I felt awkward and I quickly grabbed the takeout box and hurried out of the room. Looking up at the room number, I saw it read 813, while my mom's ward was right next door. I pushed open the door next door and found my mom lying in bed, her gaze lost in the leaves outside the window. When she heard the noise, she turned to look at me. "Hey, Laura, sweetie." Her eyes lit up instantly, and she tried to sit up by herself. I rushed over to support her. "Don't move. Let me help!" "Have you eaten?" she asked weakly, managing a smile. I picked up a small plate from the side table and placed it on her bed, arranging the food. "Of course I did! Am I supposed to starve myself?" I replied, joking. I scooped a spoonful of rice, gently blew on it to cool, and handed it to her. "Ah—open your mouth." "I can do it myself. You don't need to feed me," she smiled, reaching out with her unbandaged hand to take the spoon. After slowly eating a few bites, she asked, "What did you eat?" "Just the same as yours. Do you think I'm going to make two meals?" I replied, sitting in the chair beside her, resting my chin on my hand as I watched her. She continued to eat slowly, then suddenly, she said hesitantly, "Laura, Mom feels much better. What if we go home?" "No way!" I said firmly, "The doctor told us your condition is serious this time. You need to stay in the hospital for at least two weeks for observation." "But school is starting soon," she said, a worried frown crossing her face. "The surgery used up all our savings, and I'll have to keep paying if I stay in the hospital." "I'm going to college so I can earn money to give you a better life. If something happens to you, what's the point of me being in college? The doctor said you need to rest well, so don't worry about money." "Then tell me, how much money do we have left at home?" Mom asked, her voice insistent. A sharp pain shot through my heart as the balance on our bank card flashed in my mind, but I couldn't tell her the truth. I knew she would panic. "Enough for your hospital stay!" I said, trying to sound relaxed. "I can apply for a student loan for tuition, and I'm working part-time. Just stop worrying and focus on getting better." She looked at me suspiciously, clearly not convinced. "Really?" "Why would I lie to you? If we had no money, the hospital would have kicked us out by now." I pretended to check the time. "Oh no, I'm running late! I need to hurry to work. Just leave your plate here when you're done and let Amanda help you clean up. I'll bring it home tonight. Bye!" I quickly grabbed my phone and rushed out of the room, my mom's voice trailing behind me. "Be careful on the way..." 'Why are we so poor?' I found myself complaining silently. The money in the bank was already running low on the day of the surgery. I had covered the hospital fees by working two jobs and borrowing from everywhere. But Mom might need to stay another week, and I had to think of a way to get more money. But I was just a recently graduated high school student. I couldn't find a job easily. Let alone earn that much money. This time, I couldn't borrow any more.