Her body started to shake, wracked with sobs she couldn''t control.
It felt like every breath she took was heavy with pain and despair.
Lester patted her nket gently. "Sylvia, don''t worry. I''ll get to the bottom of this, I
promise."
Sylvia was grateful, but this was Kingstoria-here, the Garcia family basically ran
the ce.
Sure, the Sanford family had plenty of power back in Sea Town, but their influence
stopped at the city limits.
And with Tristan making his position so clear, there was no way he hadn''t covered
all his bases.
She forced herself upright, sitting at the edge of the bed, and nced at Edwin
and Lester.
"Edwin, Mr. Sanford... could I have a moment alone with my mom?"
The two men exchanged a look, then nodded and quietly left the hospital room.
Sylvia took Naomi''s hand, tracing the scar on her mother''s index finger.
She remembered it was from when she was a kid, and someone at school called
her a bastard. Naomi had rolled up her sleeves and gotten into a fight for her.
When it was clear she was losing, the other kid bit Naomi''s hand so hard she
almost lost her finger. Naomi just gritted her teeth and warned the kid, "She
doesn''t have a dad, but she''s still my daughter. She''s mine!"
The police finally showed up, and Naomi managed to keep her finger.
Afterward, it was Naomi who hugged Sylvia andforted her, even though she
was the one hurt.
Naomi had no family-her own parents favored her brothers and dumped her on
her elderly grandma. When her grandma died, Naomi scraped together enough
grit to get into a third-rate college in Kingstoria.
She was young, naive, got taken advantage of, and that''s how Sylvia came into
the world.
But Naomi never once said she regretted it.
She''d always say, "Sylvia, you''re my family. You''re all I need."
Sure, Naomi had her ws-she could be a little vain, a little greedy, and
sometimes she was just in scared of trouble. But to Sylvia, Naomi was the best
and only family she had.
How could she possibly turn her back on her?
She kissed Naomi''s hand, tears streaming down her face. "Mom, I won''t let
anything happen to you."
***
Office.
Chris dabbed some ointment on Rupert''s ear.
"You don''t really think Sylvia and Mrs. Naomi would steal those three million, do
you?" he asked.
Rupert didn''t respond.
Chris hesitated, words almost spilling out. "You can''t keep pushing—"
"I''m sorry, it''s my fault," Reese
interrupted, guilt in her eyes. "I got
caught up talking to my aunt, forgot
to take my meds, almost passed out
in the lobby. That''s why I called Mr.
Rupert in a panic. I was actually on
my way to find Sylvia and Naomi. If
I''d been there, none of this would''ve
happened."
At the mention of medicine, Chris frowned, his frustration obvious, but he just
sighed and fell silent.
Just then, Lester and Edwin walked in.
Edwin didn''t look happy. "Let the mother and daughter have some time alone," he
said quietly.
Lester cut straight to the point. "The
Garcia family''s security is airtight.
There''s no way there aren''t any
records. And those dozens of
custom bracelets-how could they
just disappear and be sold off so
easily?"
"System broke," Rupert replied coolly.
"You really believe that?"
"Mr. Sanford, this is a Garcia family matter," Rupert shot back, his eyes icy.
Lester was at a loss for words.
He had no right to meddle in the Garcia family''s business.
But then he drew himself up. "I can
stay out of the Garcia family''s
affairs, but I have every right to get
involved when ites to Sylvia.
She''s a Lloyd."
Suddenly, the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Chris quickly stood up, trying to break the mood. "Ahem, I have patients to check
on, so I''ll leave you gentlemen to it."
Lester turned to go. "I''ll take Sylvia home to rest."
Edwin raised a hand to stop him. "No need. Sylvia texted just now-she''s heading
home on her own. She needs some time to cool off. Don''t bother her."
As he finished, he shot a meaningful look at Rupert.
Reese looked around, confused. "What are you all talking about?"