Chapter 165
Early the next morning, just as the sky brightened, the three members of the Wipere family hurried out the door.
The car drove toward the outskirts of the city. The atmosphere inside was oppressive.
Preston sat in the passenger seat, his face looking grim the entire time.
He hadn't slept all night, his mind repeatedly circling back to Cleo. He felt uneasy about what they were doing.
But the Wipere family was already teetering on the edge of a cliff. He couldn't think of any other solution.
In the back seat, Gemma seemed energized, clutching the documents she'd prepared in advance. Excitement flickered faintly in her eyes.
As long as today went smoothly, the Wipere family still had a chance to turn things around.
As for what would happen to Cleo afterward…
That wasn't her concern.
She was just an old woman. Surely she wasn't more important than the entire Wipere family?
Soon, the car stopped at the nursing home entrance.
The tall iron gates slowly opened. Several security guards at the entrance approached to conduct their routine check.
"Hello, please show your appointment information." The lead guard spoke politely.
Gemma immediately bristled. "Appointment? I need an appointment to see my own mother?"
The guard blinked. "May I ask who you are?"
Gemma straightened her back, her tone self-righteous. "Mrs. Cleo Adams is staying here. She's my mother. It's only natural for me to visit my own mother."
The new guard clearly wasn't familiar with the specific situation. Seeing how confidently she spoke and that she'd correctly provided Cleo's information, he hesitated briefly before letting them through. "Please register before entering."
Gemma huffed and strode in with Preston and Allegra.
Inside the hospital room, the curtains were half-open. Sunlight streamed through the glass. Cleo lay quietly on the bed.
After this period of recuperation, her complexion had improved considerably, though she still spent most of her time asleep.
The door opened. Gemma walked in, her heels clicking.
Her gaze landed on the old woman in the bed. There wasn't a trace of concern on her face—only a faint frown of distaste. Her tone carried disgust. "Still lying there. All you do is sleep and waste our money, you old hag."
Preston felt uncomfortable. "Say less."
Gemma completely ignored him. She didn't even bother approaching the bedside and immediately started rummaging through drawers and cabinets.
Drawers, cabinets, the bedside table—she searched every possible hiding spot.
Her practiced movements made it clear this wasn't her first time.
She'd sneaked in before and even found several property deeds for villas in Cleo's room. She'd already put them up for sale privately. All that was left was Cleo's signature.
At that thought, a glint of triumph flashed in Gemma's eyes.
Soon, she pulled several documents from her bag, along with a prepared inkpad.
Preston's face changed. "What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" Gemma said matter-of-factly. "Getting signatures."
"Mom's in this condition. How can she sign?"
Gemma sneered. "A fingerprint works just fine."
With that, she actually grabbed Cleo's withered right hand.
Preston panicked. "Are you insane? This is illegal!"
Gemma's face instantly darkened. "Illegal? Then you tell me—what's the Wipere family supposed to do now? Just wait to die?"
That one sentence left Preston speechless.
Beside them, Allegra chimed in at just the right moment. "Mom… isn't this a little wrong…?"
She spoke as if trying to dissuade her, but her feet didn't move an inch. She even quietly positioned herself by the door, blocking the view from outside.
Gemma immediately picked up the thread. "What's wrong with it? If we don't handle this now, all of this will end up in Lucinda's hands. That would be the real waste—giving it all to an outsider."
Allegra bit her lip, as if hesitating for a long time. Finally, she nodded lightly. "Mom has a point… Grandma's been coaxed by Lucinda so much lately. Who knows—she might really leave everything to Lucinda."
That one sentence completely solidified Gemma's resolve.
"See? Even Allegra understands."
With that, Gemma grabbed Cleo's finger, pressed it into the red inkpad, and then stamped it heavily onto the last page of the document.
The bright red fingerprint landed. Gemma's eyes lit up instantly. "Done!"
She continued pressing Cleo's finger onto several more documents. Only after all of them were complete did she let out a long breath, a victorious smile spreading across her face. "Finally, these properties are secured."
On the bed, Cleo seemed to sense something. Her brow furrowed slightly. Her fingers twitched faintly. But in the end, she didn't manage to open her eyes.
Having finished, Gemma was in high spirits and continued searching the room.
Suddenly, she pulled open the bottom drawer of the bedside table.
The next second, she froze completely.
Inside were several exquisite boxes. When she opened them, a medicinal fragrance wafted out.
"This is…" Gemma picked up one of the medicine boxes, her shock growing with every glance.
Though she didn't understand medicine, she recognized the name.
Vertexx—the groundbreaking drug recently developed by Dr. Sinclair that had caused a nationwide sensation. It was nearly impossible to obtain. Black market prices were astronomical. Supposedly, even money couldn't buy it.
"She was hiding this much?" Gemma's eyes gleamed.
Then she opened another box. Inside lay a set of gemstone jewelry.
Exceptional quality. Clearly worth a fortune.
She opened another box. A diamond necklace. A gemstone brooch. Pearl earrings. Every piece was stunningly valuable.
Gemma's breathing quickened.
"Well, well… How nice… She was hiding all of this."
Cleo was her mother. These things should rightfully be hers. Yet Cleo would rather hoard them than use them to save the Wipere family—and even planned to leave them to Lucinda.
At that thought, Gemma's face grew even uglier. "Biased old hag."
Beside her, Allegra's eyes also burned with greed as she stared at the jewelry. "Mom… these pieces are so beautiful."
Gemma immediately snapped back to attention. Without a second thought, she stuffed everything into her bag.
"Beautiful, my foot. They were ours to begin with. Take them all!"
One box, two boxes, three boxes. Soon, the drawer had been completely ransacked.
After Gemma had looted nearly everything, she finally turned her gaze back to Cleo on the bed.
Just then, the old woman's eyelashes fluttered lightly.
Her withered fingers curled slightly. Then, slowly, she opened her eyes.
Seeing this, Preston immediately stood up. "Mom!"
Allegra's eyes brightened. "Grandma's awake!"
Cleo had just regained consciousness. Her mind was still a little foggy.
Her vision gradually focused, finally landing on the people in the room. The warmth that had briefly flickered in her eyes instantly turned cold.
Especially when she saw Gemma. Clear disgust surfaced in Cleo's gaze.
Gemma, however, acted as if she hadn't noticed. She immediately put on a filial expression. "Mom, you're finally awake. We've been so worried about you all this time."
Beside her, Allegra hurried forward.
She picked up a thermos from the table, her face full of concern. "Grandma, I made this porridge for you myself. I got up at four this morning to prepare it. Please try it and see if it's good?"
With that, she opened the thermos. A heavy, pungent odor immediately wafted out.
Cleo frowned. She hadn't even tasted it, but her stomach was already churning.
Over the years, Lucinda had personally arranged nutritionists and doctors to care for her. Her diet had been meticulously planned.
This so-called porridge in front of her—just from the smell alone, it was clear it wasn't suitable for a patient.
Cleo turned her head away, her voice weak. "I won't eat it."