bChapter /bb258 /b

    Aimee struggled weakly at first, but her feeble strength was no match for Juelz’s grip. Gasping for air, her eyes rolled back, and her tongue rolled out before shepletely lost consciousness.

    As she ceased resisting, Juelz suddenly regained rity. Realizing his actions, he quickly released his grip on Aimee. Aimee’s body went limp and fell to the ground. Ovee with remorse, Juelz promptly called an ambnce and rushed her to the hospital.

    Although the Castillo family didn’t go under, they were left reeling from the impact. Just moments ago, it was a thriving publicly listedpany with limitless potential, but in the blink of an eye, it had fallen to the bottom of the industry, barely getting by.

    Skrter stumbled upon the news, but she dismissed it, scrolling past as if it were merely a trivial piece of information. That afternoon, she arrived at the medical exchange conference, which took ce in the hotel lobby, so brightly lit that shepletely lost track of time.

    By the time Skr stepped outside, darkness had enveloped the sky, with only a crescent moon and a few scattered stars visible above. While she held her phone and texted her driver, the sudden screech of brakes pierced her ears.

    Yosef rolled down the window and leaned out slightly. “Let me send you home,” he said. “It’s gettingte, and it’s unsafe for you to wait here alone.”

    Skr thought, ‘I really don’t want to keep standing here–I’m exhausted. I might as well take the ride that’s right in front of me. Without hesitation, she got in. “I hope it’s not too much trouble,” she said.

    The car door swung open, and Skr quickly slid into the passenger seat. Skr couldn’t shake off the worry, ‘What if Yosef starts bothering me with small talk again, just like he did in the lobby?‘

    The entire ride, Yosef remained silent. The stillness in the car was so deep that Skr could hear their synchronized breathing. With Yosef not speaking, she certainly wasn’t going to disturb tranquility either.

    Yosef wanted to initiate a conversation, but he was apprehensive about upsetting Skr again, as he had done at the conference. After pausing for a moment, he decided it was best to remain silent.

    Just as they arrived at Skr’s home and she was about to step out, Yosef finally spoke, softly saying, “Watch your head,” while leaning forward and using his hand to shield her head from hitting the car roof.

    Skr pursed her lips and said, “Thank you.” Without looking back, she walked straight in. Yosef watched her until Skr was out of sight. Only then did he finally leave,

    Adam kept asking when his mom would be home. As he curled up next to Victor, he fought off sleep while waiting for her return.

    Victor said gently, “Adam, why don’t you take a nap? I’ll wake you when your mommy gets back.”

    Adam’s eyelids were heavy, and his words came out in a sleepy slur: “No need, Uncle Victor… I want to wait for Mommy…”

    Skr knew Adam was waiting in the living room. As she stepped inside, she softly called out, “Mommy’s home.”

    Adam’s drowsiness vanished instantly. He wiggled his legs, eager to jump off Victor’sp and dash over to Skr. Victor’s heart raced as Adam made this sudden move. His eyelids twitched nervously as he grasped his arm. “Don’t jump. Let me take you over,” he said.

    ‘Does this kid even care about his health? Doesn’t he realize he should avoid strenuous activities?‘ Victor wondered, feeling a mix of worry and helplessness.

    Adam sheepishly stuck out his tongue and quietly apologized, “Sorry, Uncle Victor.”

    Victor chuckled as he carried Adam over to Skr. “You would say that.” He added, “Skr, if you have any morete events, just skip them

    21:35 Tue, 5 Aug

    next time.” Victor worried about her getting into trouble when she came home sote.

    “If I can avoid it, I will,” Skr said, simply going along with Victor without any argument.

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    “Adam just wouldn’t go to bed until you got home,” Victor yawned. “I can’t stay up any longer–I’ve got work tomorrow. I’m going to bed first. And there’s food kept warm in the kitchen for you. If you’re hungry, go grab a bite.”