Eveline couldn't focus on the work she was doing now. It was almost evening, in the next two hours, it would be time for the employees to go home. And there would be limited time for her to look for a loan to pay off her mother's medical bills at the hospital. Several times, Eveline looked at the small clock she had placed on her desk. She looked even more agitated now.

Drrrtt

Drrrtt

Drrrtt

Her cell phone suddenly vibrated, and Eveline quickly picked up the call on her cell phone there. “Yes? Hello?” Eveline got up and walked slowly towards the bathroom. She entered one of the bathroom stalls.

“Eveline?” The voice of Doctor Leo who had been helping to take care of her mother came over the cell phone call.

“Yes, doctor? What's wrong? Did something happen?” Eveline's breathing quickened.

“I'm sorry that I have to call you at this hour, Eveline. But there's something I need to talk to you about right now.”

“Yes-yes, doctor. That's no problem at all.” Eveline nodded her head vaguely. Her grip on her cell phone was now tightening.

“What? Just tell me, doctor. Is my mother okay?” Eveline whispered, trying to hide the worry she was feeling right now.

“Hmm... Eveline, we must take immediate action for your mother's treatment. I told you about this three days ago. It's just that, with each passing day, your mother's condition is getting worse. If we don't take the follow up action soon, it's possible that your mother will...”

“My mother will definitely be healthy, doctor. I know. I know that she will be fine. I will find a way. Please doctor. And... and what is quick action?”

“Your mother needs immediate surgery, Eveline.”

Eveline's face turned pale. Her lips trembled, with her eyes open, as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard. “Surgery?”

“That's right, Eveline. The sooner the surgery is performed on your mother, the sooner your mother's health will improve. There will be many processes involved in the surgery, and yes, after the surgery is completed, there will be a follow-up, and that is the recovery process. Your mother really needs that now, Eveline.”

Doctor Leo paused his words, and Eveline was even more silent now. Doctor Leo let out his breath slowly from the end of the phone call there. “I know that you are working on the surgery and other expenses, Eveline. But, the later you delay the day, the harder it will be for your mother to survive. And if we don't perform this surgery soon, it will seriously jeopardize your mother's already declining health, Eveline.”

“Doctor, I promise I will get the money. Please, just give me a little more time.” Eveline was so pleading that she didn't realize her tears were streaming down her face.

“I can do that, Eveline. But the hospital system, and my system as a doctor are very different. And you know that, don't you?”

“I know...” Eveline replied weakly. “Alright doctor, I will definitely contact you again, once I get the money. I'll hang up first.”

Without waiting for an answer from Doctor Leo, Eveline immediately hung up the call. With trembling hands, Eveline tried to contact Helena, her sister. Several times, Eveline tried to reach Helena, but her call kept going to voicemail. Eveline kept trying, until finally the call was answered.

“What do you want now, Eve? Can't you understand that I'm busy!” Helena answered the call in a loud, harsh voice.

“I'm really sorry, Helena. But this is really serious. I don't know what to do, and who to ask for help.”

“Tell me quickly. I don't have much time to talk.”

“It's... it's about mom, Helena. You know that mom's condition is getting worse. The pain is getting worse now. And... and she needs surgery. The sooner she gets the surgery, the sooner she'll be well. Please, can you give me some money?”

“Money? You know that I work long hours for little pay. My boss and I split the profits. And I myself rarely even enjoy the fruits of my labor. How could I have the money to lend it to you? You work for a big company, your salary should be able to pay for all that.”

Eveline gently massaged her forehead. She felt overwhelmed. Talking to her sister, Helena, would be something she could not easily do. “I do work for the company, Helena. But my salary is not that big. I also have to fulfill other needs. And the cost of mom's surgery is very high.”

“How much? You don't seem to get tired of spending your own money on that sickly old woman. How much more money will it take to treat her now?”

“Helena, the operation will cost one billion seven hundred and fifty million.”

“WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY, EVE?! HOW CAN YOU HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY FOR AN OPERATION! IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY, WHAT ABOUT ME? I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY EITHER! AND YES, IF I HAD THAT MUCH MONEY, I WOULD DEFINITELY ENJOY MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU AND THAT OLD WOMAN IN MY LIFE. IF NECESSARY, YOU DON'T NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU GOT THE MONEY FROM, AND JUST LET THE OLD LADY GO FOR NOW. ALL HER LIFE, SHE'S BEEN MAKING TROUBLE WITH HER ILLNESS!”

“HELENA! WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!” Eveline's breath caught. She felt angry.

“After all, she is our mother. Whatever mistakes she made in the past, at least forgive her for a moment. You can be angry with her again once she's healthy. But don't punish her with this misery, Helena. She needs you. She needs us.”

“What?! Are you going to yell at me, after begging me to borrow money for that wicked old woman?! So listen to me one more time. I'm not going to give you any of my money to help with that old lady's medical expenses. She deserves this misery now, for all the things she's done in the past. She really deserves it. And I don't want to get involved with her ever again.”

Eveline fell silent, holding back her irritation for an instant. “Watch your language, Helena. This is about mom. Our mother. And she's fighting for her life. How can you talk like that? If we don't help her, then who will? At least think about this for a moment. You can hate and resent her, but I beg you to help her this once.”

“You help her then, Eve. I'm not willing to help her at all. After all, I haven't remembered her for a long time, after I left the city. Then today, you suddenly called, and hoped that I would help find money to pay for the old lady's surgery. Don't ever expect that from me, Eve. I would never do that. All this time, all these years, I've been working and making money for myself, not for anyone else.”

“Helena, please, understand... just this once.”

“No. Do you think she's ever understood me or understood you in all these years? No, right? And besides, I've also long forgotten my life with that woman. And not anymore. I don't need you or that old woman in my life. It would be best if you just gave up, Eve. Let that woman go, and live as you please.”

“You can't be selfish, Helena. I've never asked for your help once in my life. Just this once, I really begged you to help. Please, Helena. Think about it once more.” Eveline continued to hope that Helena would change her mind now.

“Sorry to say, Eve. But my answer will forever remain the same. No means no. I'm hanging up, and yes, don't ever contact me again after today. Because I don't want to hear anything from you about her. Unless, if you contact me to inform me of the old woman's death, then I will definitely come to her funeral, with a smile.”

Helena paused her words, and Eveline fell silent to try and quell the anger she was feeling right now. Helena's words to her now were like a bow piercing her heart. Helena had indeed changed completely now.

“And oh yeah Eveline, if you really need the money to pay for that woman's surgery, then just sell yourself to the big boss at the nightclub. Or you can even sell yourself to your own boss for a lot of money. I hear your boss is a handsome guy who's damn rich. And again, all rich men always like virgins, right?”

The phone call was immediately cut off unilaterally by Helena. Eveline looked at her cell phone with wide eyed eyes. Eveline's mind felt very frantic now. She sat down right on top of the closet and stayed there. Her grip on her cell phone tightened. Her mind was drifting, and she didn't know what to do now. Eveline's chest felt so tight, she almost forgot how to breathe freely. Eveline's mind kept thinking about how unfair life was to her. Not to mention the conversation she and Doctor Leo had earlier. Eveline felt even more unable to think about all the things that were happening right now in her life.

“What can I do now?” Eveline rested her head on her palms, and sobbed there. She was crying.

Eveline rubbed her face in instant frustration. Her already puffy face, with her eyes continuing to well up with tears, really looked very pitiful now. “What should I do?” She muttered with a hollow feeling. Eveline's mind was now completely blank, and she could not focus herself right now. Until not long after that, Eveline's mind instantly recalled what Killian had said earlier.

'You will have to spend the night with me.'

'One night you spend with me, and I will give you a million dollars that you want.'

'One night. One million dollars.'

Eveline was silent with a flat face. Tears kept falling down her face. She did not make any expression, but she knew that she felt very tight and cold. Her whole body felt weak and cold now. “There is no other way now.” Eveline muttered in a whisper.

Slowly, Eveline stood up from the closet, and exited the bathroom stall. She walked over to the long sink in front of her, turned on the water faucet, and washed her puffy face. Several times, she washed her face with water, and afterwards, she wiped her face with a tissue. Her eyes still looked red, but her face looked very pale now. Now, she was determined. And she would not back down now. Eveline walked out of the bathroom, and returned to her desk. She was pensive again, and waited for the clock to tick. Counting the seconds that felt like minutes to her.