Chapter 6 Giving some hope is no better than not giving
1823 Words
She stood in front of the sink, washed her face, and brushed her teeth. Her already painful throat became even more sore after last night's crying, and as she brushed her teeth, her throat reacted to the stress, causing her to puke. She spat out the foamy toothpaste, which was stained with blood.
Ada had always been adaptable, even spitting blood was nothing to her. She turned on the tap and cleared up the blood.
After she got out of the bathroom, it was already 7:30. She couldn't eat anything, but considering the deformed stomach inside her, she warmed a glass of milk and drank it.
Then she went to work and reviewed the profits of the Smith Group over the past few months. The data was declining and Ada could already see the day when the company fall into decline.
Ada had long known about Joseph's suppression on the Smith Group. He would stop at nothing to seek revenge against her.
Joseph always sought revenge when offended. He acted swiftly and decisively. Within few years, he dragged down the leading local company, the Smith Group.
She simply couldn't match him...
Joseph's means were something she would never learn in her lifetime.
After finishing the reviews, Ada leaned back in her chair, took a sip of the cold coffee on the table. The bitterness slowly dissipated the lingering blood taste in her throat.
A thin camel is still larger than a horse. Ada stood up and walked to the window, looking at the towering skyscrapers in front of her. It was time to prepare for the what was coming.
But who could mange such a huge group of decades of efforts after her death?
Her father? Or her brother? But both of them were lived off her family's wealth. If she handed over the company to them, it would likely be bankrupt within a few years.
After much contemplation, Ada realized the most suitable person to take over the Smith Group was, to her surprise, her legit husband, Joseph Jones, who had always wanted to broke the Smith family.
Ada's face was clouded with blue. As she gazed out the window, her look deepened. She raised her left hand and pressed it against the cold window, her fingertips pale, rhythmically tapping on the glass.
The office was quiet, and the faint tapping sound seemed particularly clear. Ada rarely had moments of empty thoughts. She enjoyed being alone, immersing herself in a brief state of absent-mindedness, as if only in this way could she momentarily forget the pain reality brought her.
Her phone suddenly vibrated on the desk. Ada snapped back to reality and looked at the screen. Even from a distance, she could clearly see the word "Father."
"Father" should have been one of the most endearing words in the world, but for Ada, it was just a cold title. She walked over and answered the call.
"Ada, transfer 2 million to my account," Sean's voice was slightly heavy, his tone indifferent.
Ada tightened her grip on the phone. "Dad, you call me just for money?"
Sean sounded somewhat impatient. "A daughter should always offer money to her father. You were the one in charge of the family, otherwise why would I would ask you for money? If you don't want to give me money, then transfer the shares to me."
Ada pondered the word "daughter" carefully, surprised that her dad still remembered she was his daughter, not an emotionless ATM.
He remembered she was his daughter, but why did he never care about her? She didn't ask Sean for too much, she just wanted him to show some concern, like asking if she taken care of herself, how her was, or if she was tired at work... She was actually easy to please, just a little insignificant care would do.
"Are you f*****g listening?" Sean scolded through the phone.
Ada suppressed her emotions. "Didn't I transfer 1 million to you last week? It's only been a few days, and you've already spent it all?"
"What can that money do?" Sean felt somewhat guilty, but the thought of Ada managing such a large company, sometimes earning millions in a day, gave him some confidence.
"Transfer the money now, or I'll go directly to your company for it. Let’s see who will be embarrassed then, me or you."
"I can give you the money, but you have to tell me what it is for." 2 million was not a small sum.
Seeing Ada compromised, Sean lowered his voice. "I'm interested in an investment project lately, and I'm short of two million. Once I make some profits, I won't ask you for money again."
"Investment projects?" Ada furrowed her brow, thinking Sean's words were utter nonsense. If he had any business sense, Grandpa wouldn't have entrusted the Smith family to her.
"Just transfer the money, you know I need it now."
Ada replied, "I can give you the money, but you have to send me the details of the investment project for me to review."
Sean felt humiliated and cursed at his phone, calling Ada a money-losing failure who shouldn't have even been born. After spewing a few more harsh words, he began playing the sympathy card.
Ada had grown accustomed to his manipulative tactics and simply responded flatly, "Is there anything else you want to say? I'm busy here. If not, I'll hang up."
"Don't hang up, don't hang up! I'll show you!" Sean hurriedly stopped her, afraid that she would change her mind and the money would slip away.
After ending the call, Ada sat at her computer and soon received the file from Sean. She forwarded it to her assistant and asked her to print a copy and make her a cup of coffee.
Ada skimmed through the documents and paused only when a steaming cup of coffee arrived on her desk. The coffee had a pleasant aroma, and Ada picked it up with one hand, taking a sip. The coffee tasted great, but it still had a bitter aftertaste.
Ada, who had a sweet tooth and hated bitterness, used to take a pill with a piece of sugar to mask the taste. But now, she had to rely on this bitter coffee to keep her mind alert.
She took a sip, then set the cup down and continued to focus on the documents in her hands.
Sean's investment project involved real estate, with detailed plans, certificates, and a seemingly reliable team... Ada spent half an hour looking through the file when Sean called again, demanding the money.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Ada's assistant entered. Ada glanced at her, signaling her to speak.
The assistant said, "Ada, Peter is downstairs looking for you."
Why was Peter here? Ada was taken aback and didn't have time for Sean, so she quickly replied, "Yes," and ended the call.
"Go downstairs and bring him up. Also, have someone make a cup of tea and bring it in," Ada instructed the assistant.
While the assistant went to fetch Peter, Ada wired the 2 million to Sean's account.
Ada stared at her phone until it went black, not hearing a word of thanks from her father. She smiled to herself and finally tossed the phone onto the table.
"Ada, Peter is here," the assistant announced.
Leaving the office door open, Ada waved her hand at the assistant, signaling her to leave the room as Peter entered. She didn't want anybody to be here.
"Have a seat here," Ada said, getting up from her chair. Her office was spacious, with a designated area for meetings and discussions. She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and gestured for Peter to join her on the sofa.
As Peter entered, he caught a whiff of the strong aroma of coffee. Following the scent, he found a half-empty cup of coffee on the table and frowned. "Why are you still drinking coffee?"
"Why can't I drink it?" Ada pushed the tea towards him on the coffee table and casually asked, "So, what brings you here today?"
Peter sat down and replied, "It seems like you've forgotten everything I told you last night."
Ada's outstretched hand froze abruptly. She withdrew it and sat quietly on the sofa, her head hanging, resembling a child who had done something wrong.
"No matter what, you have to come with me to the hospital today," Peter insisted.
Ada's hand remained motionless in the air for a moment before she retracted it. She sat silently on the sofa, not looking at Peter but rather at a pot of withered greenery beside her. She murmured under her breath, "And do what exactly?"
"We need to conduct a detailed examination, determine a treatment plan, and discuss hospitalization," Peter explained.
Peter carefully observed Ada. It had only been a month since he last saw her, but she had lost so much weight. He couldn't fathom how someone who used to be so afraid of catching a cold or getting a shot, to the point of crying, would be able to endure the pain of a stomach cancer attack.
Ada shook her head, her forehead covered by her hair, concealing the emotions in her eyes. "Peter, my illness is like this potted flower. The roots are rotten, and no amount of treatment can cure it."
"Ada, how can you know it's incurable unless you give it a try? You can work day and night, go to great lengths to please a man who doesn't love you for four years, but why don't you spare some time for yourself?" Peter felt sorry for Ada, who was barely twenty-four now.
She should be healthy, happy, full of life, enjoying the best age of her like, rather than settling for a dull marriage, trapping herself in her job, and enduring the torment that cancer had brought upon her.
Peter walked over to Ada and gently touched her head, just like he used to: "Medical science has advanced nowadays. As long as you don't give up and undergo the treatment and surgery properly, there is..." He paused suddenly when he noticed Ada's red eyes.
Ada's right hand caressed the yellowing leaves as she whispered, "Then tell me, what are the chances of the surgery being successful? Is it 50 percent, 20 percent, or a mere 0.1 percent?"
Peter pursed his lips tightly, unable to utter a word.
"Forget it," Ada tugged at the corners of her dry lips and let out a laugh. "You better stop. That glimmer of hope is no different from having none at all."
She understood what Peter meant. Who doesn't want to live? Who doesn't want a healthy body? But she had never heard of anyone surviving advanced stomach cancer...
Ada applied some pressure with her right hand, causing the withered leaf to crumble within her grasp, falling from her fingers to the ground.
- Writer
