?Chapter 204:


    “Stop talking like that, Joyce,” Caiden retorted sharply.


    “They’re still family, and turning our backs on them is cruel. Or do you enjoy watching them struggle for their lives?”


    Sprawled on the couch, an apple in hand, Joyce rolled her eyes and huffed.


    “That’s their dilemma, not mine. If it’s help you need, go to Dani. She’s always ready to y the martyr.”


    Caiden’s fingers dug into his phone, his face growing rmingly pale, as if all the blood had vanished.


    Before he could utter another word, Joyce ended the call abruptly.


    A profound sorrow enveloped him.


    This was the family he had cherished for over a decade. Left with no alternatives, Caiden hastily summoned a taxi to take him home.


    Upon his arrival, finding Katrina absent, he reluctantly turned to Joyce to request financial help.


    With a touch of reluctance in her voice, Joyce stated, “Fine, but consider this a loan.


    You’re going to have to repay me—with interest. Family or not, money is money.”


    She then proceeded to transfer ten thousand dors to him. As he confirmed the transaction, Caiden inadvertently saw the bnce in her ount—a startling number of zeros trailing behind.


    He had been providing Katrina and Joyce avish monthly allowance, which umted to over a million dors a year.


    Yet now, at his time of need, one had vanished, and the other grudgingly handed over merely a fraction of her wealth.


    Caiden felt a profound sense of poverty wash over him.


    On his somber journey back to the hospital, he mused bitterly that depending on Joyce had been a futile hope all along.


    Upon his arrival, he found Dani already waiting.


    As the hospital staff outlined the steep expenses involved, Caiden, who had previously never been troubled by financial concerns, shut his eyes in bitter disappointment.


    Peyton, overwhelmed by the sum mentioned, dissolved into tears.


    “We can’t pay for the treatment. Just let me go already.”


    Seeing the distress filling the room, Dani stepped outside to speak with the doctor and inquired, “Can you tell me exactly what the situation is?”


    After piecing everything together, she made a brief phone call. Returning to Caiden, she announced, “A top-notch surgeon will oversee the surgery. He’s reviewed the scans and sees no significant concerns. He arrives tonight, will rest tomorrow morning, and is scheduled for the procedure in the afternoon.”


    Ronald’s shoulders dropped as he exhaled deeply, a visible weight lifted by the news.


    “Wyatt and Peyton don’t have any major problems—they just require proper care,” Dani stated, her voice unwavering.


    “Unless there’s anything else, I’ll take my leave now.”


    As she strode towards the exit, Caiden followed behind her, his steps uncertain.


    “Thank you.”


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