Chapter 88

Kenny stood there, shocked. He didn't move,completely frozen.

Joyce shouted, "Get out! If you're so desperate to save your family, go back to Elissa. The Tuckers are still doing okay, right? You two can get engaged and let the world gossip all they want.Even bad attention is still attention. Maybe it'll even help your business."

Joyce turned her back and walked off.

Kenny wanted to go after her, but the Lambert Group's guards blocked his way.

He hadn't expected Joyce to cut him off so ruthlessly. Still, his family was crumbling. He had no choice-he needed a lifeline. Maybe Elissa was it.

He pulled out his phone and hesitantly dialed her number. "Elissa..." he said softly.

Her voice came through the line, tearful and weak. "You finally called, Kenny. Are you coming to the hospital? My leg... I really think it's ruined."

Kenny couldn't bring himself to say anything.Seeing her like this, how could he still ask for help?

"I'm drowning in medical bills," she whispered."Can you help me out a little?"

He shut his eyes, guilt twisting in his gut."I'm sorry... The Hyde Group's in massive debt. I really don't have anything left."

"Fine then. I'm going to rest for a bit. I've got a checkup later," Elissa said and hung up.

She glared at her phone and muttered, "Useless."She knew exactly why he had called. He wanted her help saving the Hyde Group. But why should she lift a finger?

She and her family were barely surviving themselves.

Frustrated, she stared down at her injured leg."Why is nothing working?" she muttered. "Is this hospital even trying?"

Just then, a nurse entered. Without thinking,Elissa hurled a cup at the woman. It hit her square on the forehead.

The nurse glared at her, seething. "Miss, this is the top hospital in Griridge. Our doctors are doing

everything they can. You can't keep lashing out like this."

"I've spent a fortune here, and my leg is still far from healing!" Elissa screamed, tears streaming down her face.

The nurse, clearly done, finished her checkup and left without another word. She had seen her fair share of difficult patients, but Elissa was something else entirely.

Alone again, Elissa broke into a fit of rage,throwing whatever she could reach around the room.

At that moment, Khloe walked in and saw Elissa's tantrum. She started crying, covering her face."What about me, Elissa? The doctor said my face won't heal."

"Didn't you get that imported medicine?"

"| did! But it's not working anymore!" Khloe sobbed, staring at her reflection in the mirror."The scars are getting worse every day. I don't know what's happening..."

She looked utterly shattered. How was she supposed to keep up her livestreams like this?

And to make it worse, people online were

demanding she pay Arabella back. She was terrified to even go live anymore.

Elissa looked at her sister and felt despair settle like a storm cloud in her chest. How did their lives fall apart like this?

Her fingers curled into fists.

This was all Arabella's fault.

She and Khloe broke down, crying and complaining loudly, their voices fillingthe quiet hospital halls.

"Enough crying. Get yourselves together,"Meagan said as she walked in with a smug look."We're going to see your grandmother."

"Grandma? She's back?" Khloe asked, surprised and excited.

After their grandfather passed away, their grandmother moved to a quiet estate in the countryside to live in peace.

They didn't talk to her much anymore.

But she probably still had a lot of money, maybe she could help them out of their current mess.Just thinking about it made Khloe feel a little better.

Elissa, too, found herself holding onto a thin thread of hope. "Let's go see her now," she said without hesitation.

About half an hour later, they arrived at the secluded estate.

It wasn't very big, but it had an old-fashioned charm and a peaceful feel to it. The place had been built years ago with millions funded by Arabella's father.

Ever since their grandfather's passing, their grandmother had been living there alone.

That day, she sat in the living room, calmly sipping her coffee. Dressed in a refined vintage gown, she carried an air of timeless grace and quiet dignity-nothing like the stern, sharp grandmother Elissa remembered from her childhood.

Back then, their grandmother had been fierce, the type who never let anything slide.

But over the years, after Arabella's father got rich,she started enjoying the finer things in life. Now she looked like a real lady of status.

"Mom!" Meagan rushed toward her.

Vanessa Stanley frowned and spoke sharply.

"Have you forgotten everything I raised you to know,Meagan?"

Meagan paused, trying not to roll her eyes. Her mother had always valued appearances above all else. So she cut to the chase. "Mom, Arabella took the villa, and now our company's going under!"

Vanessa's hand shook, and her coffee cup almost fell. "What? I thought that girl ran away from home!"

"She came back," Meagan hissed. "And she's been tormenting us ever since!"

As Elissa and Khloe added their complaints,Vanessa got so worked up she slammed her cup down and started shouting angrily.

That night, Arabella woke up and went back to work at the restaurant.

She had been rushing between tasks nonstop lately, and Asher had been her steady driver the entire time.

Joshua had once said, "I think Asher's really thoughtful."

Arabella didn't reply. She looked at Asher now,sitting on the sofa, deep into his work. He looked so focused-it was kind of attractive, actually.

Still, it couldn't be easy for him to get work done here instead of the office.

She walked over and offered him a slice of her new chocolate cake. "Try this."

Asher took a bite straight from her hand, then licked a bit of cream from the side of his mouth.He looked up at her. "It's amazing. Bella, you've really got a gift for desserts."

Her brows drew together. She was clearly caught off guard by the nickname.