When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Chapter 994

Chapter 994

I didn’t return to the villa that night after my fight with Ashton. That wasn’t the main reason for myabsence, though. Summer and Hailey were both in the hospital, and Hailey didn’t have any family. Icouldn’t ask my Mom to stay with her at the hospital, so I went there instead.

The hospital was shrouded in a gloomy aura; I ended up sleeping fitfully that night. Cameron andZachary dropped by early the next morning with some breakfast.

Hailey was recovering well, as was Summer. After greeting Cameron, I left for my appointment withBrandon.

We met at a heritage eatery that was neither big nor grand. When I arrived, I spied Brandon sitting inthe corner of the eatery. Seated, his posture made him seem shorter and fatter.

He looks just like a wobbly man toy.

He waved and hollered when he saw me. Then, he caught the attention of the eatery owner andordered a few oily dishes. I sat down in front of him, not in a rush to speak.

He didn’t appear to be in a rush either. He’d ordered more than ten dishes for the two of us, and he atemost of the food. He didn’t question my lack of appetite. I guess he’s probably used to it. He devouredhis food so quickly I half-suspected that he barely chewed at all. He only spoke to me after we finishedthe meal.

Now that the food was gone, he wiped his oil-stained mouth and said, “Take a look at the contract. Ifthere aren’t any issues, you can sign it now.”

He passed a thick stack of papers to me. I was blinded by the rows of complex legalese on the sheets.I frowned, unable to understand much of the contents of the contract.

At least I could understand the sums in the contract. I counted the number of zeroes and knitted mybrows. “Why is the cost of the surgery suddenly increased to a million?”

He pursed his lips before cleaning his teeth with a toothpick. “Ms. Stovall, I heard from Mr. Murphy thatmoney isn’t a concern to you. Plus, this is a private operation. The operating theatre, doctors, theequipment; everything has a price. I’m sure you know how expensive these things are. And hey, whatabout compensation for my efforts? I also need money to settle with that kid’s parents. Please, that onemillion I quoted you is a discount already.”

I held in my laughter. He’d managed to make a life-or-death operation sound like a business deal. Still,I wasn’t in a hurry to sign. I looked at him directly and said, “You’re right. It’s actually not a big sum. I dohave one request, though. Since this isn’t a legal procedure, I want to see the operating theatre, theequipment, and meet the doctor beforehand. There are two children’s lives at stake here, one of whichis my daughter. I’m sure you understand my concern.”

He frowned slightly. After some thought, he replied, “I need to think about this.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

Our discussion ended here. I supposed he had to discuss my request with his boss before he couldgive me a firm reply. If Hailey was right, then Brandon was probably acting under Armond’s orders.

After saying goodbye to Brandon, I walked into an alley. After waiting for a short while, I came out ofthe alley and followed him. Sometime later, I saw him get into a black Accord. The driver wore a pair ofshades, and he looked vaguely familiar. After a brief greeting, the car moved.

I couldn’t walk closer to the car, but luckily the driver rolled down his windows as the car drove off. Iwas stunned when I realized who he was.

Dante! Why is he hanging around Brandon? Did he end up working for Armond after Abe’s death?

I only managed to collect myself after the car was out of sight. From what I know about Dante’scharacter, he wouldn’t hang around Armond since he had a hand in Abe’s death. All these men aresticklers for loyalty. Abe treated Dante like his own brother when he was still alive. So why would Dantebe chummy with one of Armond’s lackeys? Unless Dante himself is involved in the black market?

Suddenly, I sensed someone behind me. Nerves taut, I broke out in a cold sweat when I realized that Ihad nothing to defend myself with.

“Scarlett!” The gruff, familiar voice turned my surprise into joy. I turned and saw Danny behind me.

I smiled happily at him and asked, “Why are you here? Are you ok? How have you been?” I’d tried totrack him down when I was in A City, but he’d hidden his tracks well as if he was trying to avoid me. Ilearned nothing about him and had never expected to bump into him here.

He appeared to have lost some weight, looking much thinner than his usual muscular self. The angleson his face were sharper as well. With a fairer complexion and a buzzcut, he blended right in with theresidents of this city.