Chapter 13

Elaine snapped out of her shock, sighed, and tried to calm Elisa down. "Take it easy, this dinner is super important. Plus, I found a caregiver for your grandma. They'll be here tomorrow."

Elaine stood her ground, and Elisa suddenly felt a wave of helplessness wash over her.

She turned away, refusing to look at Elaine. "No need, Lexine and I can handle it. We don't need a caregiver."

Elaine checked the time, said it was getting late, and started to leave.

At the door, she paused, turned back to Elisa, and hesitated before saying, "Not many people could put up with what your grandma did back then. It's already a lot that we're willing to take care of her, so don't think we're heartless."

Elisa sensed Elaine was hinting at some old issues. She looked up urgently and asked, "Mom, what do you mean by that? What did grandma do before?"

Elisa's curiosity was piqued, but Elaine didn't want to elaborate.

She shook her head. "Forget it, it doesn't concern you. I'm leaving. Call me if you need anything."

"Wait, Mom, explain it clearly!" Elisa got up to chase after Elaine but stubbed her toe on the bed leg, grimacing in pain. By the time she recovered and ran out, Elaine was already in the elevator heading downstairs.

Elisa kicked the wall in frustration. She went back to the ward, planning to ask Harper when she woke up.

Maybe it was some old grudge between Harper and Elaine, something not easily talked about, but Elisa had to know.

In the past, if they didn't want to talk, Elisa would hold back her curiosity. But now, she didn't have much time left, and she wanted to make things cleared up.

Maybe it was a bit presumptuous, but Elisa felt that if she understood the whole story, she might be able to help them resolve their issues.

That way, even if she died, her parents could take good care of Harper.

Elisa stayed by the bedside all day, eventually falling asleep from exhaustion, only to be awakened by Lexine covering her with a coat.

Seeing her awake, Lexine smiled, "Awake? Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."

Elisa sat up and stretched. "Thanks, but no need, Lexine. Take care of my grandma for a bit, I'm going to wash my face."

Lexine nodded. "Okay."

Elisa washed her face, feeling a bit more awake, but her heart still felt heavy.

She suddenly wanted to go to the rooftop for some fresh air.

After telling Lexine, she headed to the stairwell and climbed, lost in thought.

This was her habit; when stressed, she liked to climb stairs alone.

Climbing stairs was like climbing a long road, relying on herself to climb bit by bit. When she finally reached the top, her mood would lighten a bit.

After climbing a few floors, Elisa suddenly realized someone was behind her.

She became alert and unconsciously slowed her pace, and the footsteps behind her also slowed down.

She sped up, and the footsteps behind her also quickened.

At a turn, Elisa glanced down and saw a man in an expensive tailored suit, wearing a watch worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Maybe because she had a trusting attitude towards rich people, Elisa thought that he was unlikely to commit a crime on impulse, so he probably wouldn't do anything to her.

With that thought, her tension eased instantly.

But it didn't change the fact that he was following her. After all, why would a rich person skip the elevator to climb stairs?

Elisa got more and more pissed as she climbed, suddenly stopping and turning to glare at the guy. "Why are you following me?" she demanded.

The man looked surprised, a bit confused, then quickly said, "Miss, you've got it wrong. I'm not following you."

He pointed upwards. "I'm heading to the rooftop."

Elisa wasn't buying it. "Oh, so rich folks now prefer climbing ten floors instead of taking the elevator?"

The man stayed calm. "It's just a personal thing. I like climbing stairs; it helps me clear my head and get some exercise."

Elisa thought that was ridiculous.

Flora had always teased her about her weird stair-climbing habit. She never thought she'd meet someone else who did the same thing.

She still didn't trust him. "If you're not following me, then why did you slow down and speed up when I did?"

The man gave a small, awkward smile. "You were blocking my way."

He nodded at her, then walked past, climbing much faster than she was.

Elisa felt a bit embarrassed. She never expected to meet someone with the same habit and then get called out for being too slow.

When she finally reached the rooftop, the man was already there, leaning on the railing, staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

She realized she had misunderstood him and made a scene for nothing.

At some point, it started to drizzle, but the man didn't move, just stood there in the rain.

Elisa pulled out the umbrella she had brought and walked over to cover him.

The man snapped out of his thoughts, looked up at the pink umbrella, then down at Elisa, surprised. "You climb stairs with an umbrella?"

Elisa shrugged. "I always check the weather forecast before I go out. It said it would rain today, so I brought it."

She had learned the hard way. Once, she and Flora had gone out, and on the way back, their car broke down. She didn't have an umbrella and called Howard to pick her up.

Howard, that jerk, had agreed but then forgot, leaving her in the rain for ages. Her phone got waterlogged and broke, and finally, a kind driver gave her a ride home.

She ended up with a cold and fever for days.

Howard, scared of getting sick, didn't even come near the master bedroom during that time.

Since then, she always checked the weather and carried an umbrella because no one else would hold one for her, and getting wet would just make her sick.

The man smiled. "That's a smart habit."

Seeing him smile, Elisa took the chance to apologize. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to like climbing stairs too. I thought you were following me. My bad."

The man shook his head. "It's fine. You're a woman; it's normal to be cautious."

He looked her over, curious. "But did you say you also like climbing stairs?"

"Not exactly. It's just something I do when I have a lot on my mind. It helps me feel better," Elisa said, looking out at the bustling city and streets, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and exhaling heavily.