Chapter 295 Missed out

And seeing how close he was to her daughter, could it be... that there was something more between them?

Were they dating?

Her daughter...could she already have a boyfriend?

Come to think of it, she was twenty-three or twenty-four now... it was perfectly normal for her to have a boyfriend.

Agnes felt a bit dazed. Without even realizing it, she had missed out on so many years with her daughter.

Her daughter was even in a relationship, and as her own mother, she didn’t even know who this boyfriend was.

Thinking about it carefully, her heart grew increasingly bitter, and she felt even more guilty toward her daughter.

She wasn’t sure if it was because her gaze was too intense or what.

Alana seemed to sense something and instinctively glanced back at the hospital room door.

Agnes’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away.

Alana turned back and saw that the hallway outside the room was completely empty, with no one in sight.

But just a moment ago, she had felt as though a pair of eyes had been watching her the whole time.

Could it be that she was hallucinating?

But she didn’t dwell on it; for now, her grandmother’s condition was the priority.

Agnes’ heart was racing; Alana had almost caught her just now.

They say a mother and daughter were connected by a special bond; if she stayed here any longer, Alana would surely sense something was off.

Agnes thought it over, then quietly put on her sunglasses and turned to leave.

After all, she’d already managed to catch a glimpse of the old woman. Seeing that her mother had regained consciousness put her mind at ease.

The doctor first conducted a preliminary examination on her grandmother to confirm she was out of the danger zone, then scheduled a full-body checkup for her.

The entire process took several hours to complete. By the time it was over, Grandma was too exhausted and had to lie down on the hospital bed to rest.

The results came back quickly.

The results showed that the injury to Grandma’s head was not serious.

Although the internal bruising hadn’t completely cleared, it would gradually dissipate over time with medication.

So, to be on the safe side, Grandma will need to stay in the hospital for a while longer. As for how long the treatment would last, that depended on her condition.

It could be two weeks, a month, or even longer.

By then, all sorts of relatives had gathered at the hospital, crowding outside Grandma’s hospital room.

Upon hearing that she would need to remain in the hospital for observation and treatment for more than two weeks, each had their own thoughts.

Miranda asked, “If she has to stay in the hospital for more than two weeks, how much will that cost?”

The doctor replied honestly, “At least several hundred thousand, if not a million.”

After all, the treatment would undoubtedly involve the best available medications.

While hundreds of thousands or even a million was nothing to the wealthy, for an ordinary family, it was a sum they could struggle to earn in a lifetime.

So as soon as Miranda and the others heard how much it would cost, they lost all interest in treating the old woman.

They even had the cruel thought that it would have been better if the old woman had died in the operating room, it would have been the end of it, and they wouldn’t have to spend any more of their money on her.

Now that she’s been saved, not only do they have to spend money on her treatment, but they also have to spend time caring for her.

Just thinking about it made it seem like a bad deal.

So the group exchanged glances and began discussing their options.

“Should we treat her?”

“If we treat her, who’s going to pay for it?”

“If we don’t treat her, we’ll just take the old woman home, she probably won’t live much longer anyway. Then wouldn’t the surgery have been for nothing?”

“But if we do treat her, it’ll cost money, endless amounts of it. Who could possibly afford that?”

“Come to think of it, isn’t the old lady’s house back in her hometown slated for demolition? I heard the compensation could be over four million. Why don’t we have her hand over the deed to the house so we can sell it? That would give us the money for the treatment, wouldn’t it?”

“Exactly. She’s so old, she must have saved quite a bit by now. She never seems to use that money anyway!”

“I think she should use her own money to pay for her treatment!”

Alana felt a wave of chill wash over her when she heard her relatives were already making plans to dip into her grandmother’s secret savings.

She couldn’t understand it. They were all her grandmother’s own flesh and blood children she had raised and nurtured.

Why, now that her grandmother was sick and needed money, were they unwilling to pay for her treatment?

Was this what human nature was really like?

Was human nature really this cold and heartless?

Could they really stand by and watch their own mother suffer from illness without batting an eye?

She didn’t understand. She really didn’t understand.

Miranda said, “But the old woman’s money and land deeds are all hidden away; none of us know where she’s stashed them.”

The others agreed. “Yeah, we’ve asked her dozens of times, but she won’t tell us. She’s so stubborn, she’d rather die than let it slip!”

“If you ask me, the old lady is pretty shrewd. She’d never agree to spend her own money on her medical treatment!”

“I mean, she’s so old. You can’t take money or property with you when you die. Why does she keep hiding it instead of bringing it out?”

“We’re her own flesh and blood, don’t these things belong to us?”

“Exactly. Does she really want to give it to an outsider?”

That “outsider” was clearly a reference to Alana.

Alana closed her eyes briefly, not wanting to say anything.

Stephan stood beside her and gave her shoulder a gentle pat with his large hand.

At that moment, Miranda turned her gaze to Stephan.

Thinking of the humiliation she and her daughter had just suffered at his hands, she couldn’t help but start scheming again.

“Alana, isn’t your boyfriend quite wealthy? He can even call in the top medical team from anywhere in the world. So, why don’t you have him help cover the expenses for your grandmother’s illness?”

Alana frowned and stepped in front of Stephan. “Auntie, have some decency, will you? Grandma is family, yet you won’t even pay a few hundred thousand dollars in medical bills. And now you have the nerve to ask a complete stranger to help cover it? Don’t you find that ridiculous?”

Miranda felt a pang of guilt. “Isn’t he your boyfriend? We’re all family, he’s not really an outsider.”

The others nodded weakly, their arguments sounding a bit flimsy.

Alana didn’t give them the satisfaction. “Oh, I thought in your eyes, I was an outsider too. After all, when you were just trying to divide Grandma’s estate, you didn’t think to treat me as family and give me a share.”

Miranda’s eyes darted away. “Oh, come on, that’s not the same thing at all. You can’t lump them together.”

Alana retorted, “It is the same thing! When you need me, you treat me like family; when you don’t, you cast me aside as an outsider. Either way, you’ve reaped all the benefits.”

“Do you all think I’m stupid? That I can’t see through any of this?”

Miranda, used to having a thick skin, grew even more defiant. “Your boyfriend’s rich, isn’t he? It wouldn’t hurt for him to chip in a little, would it?”

Alana laughed bitterly. “My boyfriend has money, but he worked hard for it. Whose money comes easily? If your money comes so easily, then hurry up and pay for Grandma’s medical bills!”

Miranda blinked. “Anyway, my family doesn’t have any money.”

The others also looked distressed.

“My family can’t contribute much either.”

“Yeah, I’ve been working for so many years, and living expenses are so high, I haven’t managed to save much at all.”

Alana found it amusing. “You’ve all bought houses and cars in the city, and your kids attend elite schools that cost tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand a year, yet you claim you have no money? Doesn’t it sting a little to say that?”

It was bad enough that they have money themselves, but to covet their grandmother’s meager savings, they really are selfish to the core.

Miranda instantly lost her composure and pointed at Alana, saying, “Lana, don’t spout all that moral high ground. If you’re so capable, why don’t you pay for the old woman’s medical treatment yourself! Don’t just blurt out whatever comes to mind!”

Alana took a deep breath. “Fine, I’ll pay for Grandma’s treatment, but I hope you’ll stop coveting her meager savings.”

As soon as she said this, the others all protested.

“If we’re not after it, does that mean you’re going to be?”

“Who do you think you are? How dare you set your sights on what belongs to us?!”

“You’re just a junior, you’ve really got some nerve!”