?Chapter 271:


    With a fresh surge of resolve, Hailee met Elliana’s gaze, her eyes suddenly steady. “Elliana, take me to him.”


    Elliana squeezed her hand in silent support. “Let’s go.”


    Together, they walked out of the hotel and stepped into the waiting city.


    The two women caught the next taxi, tense and silent, the city rushing by in a blur.


    Upon arrival, Elliana led Hailee down a gilded corridor and stopped in front of a private room, guided by the address Matthew had provided. Through the narrow…


    Through the gap of the half-open door, they caught sight of Boris and Dunn at the center of avish scene—surrounded by elegantly dressed men and women, theirughter echoing off the walls, champagne sses clinking in their hands.


    Just moments ago, Hailee had tried to convince herself to walk away—for her father’s sake, she’d resolved to bury her anger and avoid Boris forever. But the instant she glimpsed Boris’s flushed, jubnt face, any trace of restraint shattered. She couldn’t forget the endless nights she’d spent in agony, sacrificing everything for him, while he reveled here infort and excess.


    Inside, Boris looked nothing like the frail patient she’d once cared for. He exuded vitality and arrogance, basking in the adtion of his peers as hezily swirled champagne in a crystal flute. A gleaming, world-famous watch hugged his wrist, the kind she’d only seen in glossy magazines. And on her arm…


    Hailee yanked up her sleeve, exposing awork of stark track marks etched into her pale skin. Tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them. How many times had Dunn called, his voice tight with calcted urgency, telling her Boris was on the brink of death and the hospital ount was out of funds? How many times had she trudged to that donation room, trading away her own blood just to buy Boris another day? The injustice hit her all at once.


    Hailee fixed her gaze on Boris, her voice low but seething with rage. “Boris, you’re not getting away with this!”


    With trembling resolve, Hailee made a move to shove open the door.


    Hailee’s fingers had barely brushed the doorknob before Elliana’s firm grip yanked her back.


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    Perplexed, Hailee turned to Elliana. “Elliana, I have to go in. I need Boris to exin why he’s treating me like this!”


    “Charging in won’t help,” Elliana said with gentle firmness. “A cad like him won’t suddenly feel remorse just because you confront him. He’ll mock you, call you naive, and me you for spoiling his fun.”


    Anger rippled through Hailee. How could someone as ordinary as she demand answers from a man of Boris’s standing? Was she meant to swallow this mistreatment in silence?


    Elliana squeezed Hailee’s hand, signaling her to keep watching the scene inside the room. “You came here to see the real Boris, didn’t you? Stay and watch.”


    Hailee, following Elliana’s advice, continued to peer through the slightly ajar door.


    Just then, a low chuckle drifted from Dunn’s lips. “Boris, guess what that fool Hailee’s doing right now?”


    Boris’s voice was casual. “What else? After your call, she’s probably grinding herself into the ground—maybe even trading off her blood for my ‘treatment.''”


    Hailee’s vision blurred with tears. She’d donated blood to “buy” another day for Boris and even made it a point to keep it from him, not wanting her sacrifices to weigh on him. Yet, only now did it dawn on her that he’d been observing her every move, treating her desperation as entertainment.


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