Lance and his group had just left when Julia and Landon arrived.
Seeing the anger still evident on their faces, Deanna asked in surprise, "What happened to you two? Did you have a fight?"
"We didn't fight, we were infuriated!" Julia said through gritted teeth. "How shameless! The older, the cheekier."
Deanna had a vague suspicion upon hearing this. She frowned slightly and asked, "Did you go to see that old lady?"
"Yes, we did. Unbelievable. You were kind enough to help that old lady with her illness, and now she's turning around and accusing you. Truly, the older, the worse!" Julia angrily recounted their visit to the old lady.
Landon's face was equally grim.
Although Deanna already knew about it, she felt deeply hurt at that moment. After all, her good intentions were being repaid with such treatment.
Seeing her distressed expression, Landon tried to comfort her, "Although the old lady can't testify, I've found some clues. I believe we'll have news soon. Just hang in there."
"Thank you." Deanna didn't know what else to say and could only express her gratitude.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Ricky was taking care of the old lady's dinner. However, the old lady ignored him completely, as if protesting by refusing to eat.
Ricky didn't care. "If you don't want to eat, that's fine. It's not me who's going hungry." He put down the dinner and sat nearby, playing on his phone.
The old lady lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, overwhelmed with guilt. But she had no choice; she only had one son.
Just then, Ricky's phone rang. His expression changed abruptly, and he answered with a fawning smile, "Guillermo, why are you calling me? It's not time to repay the money yet."
"I'm at your house now. I want to see you here within half an hour." With that, Guillermo hung up the phone.
Ricky didn't dare delay and immediately left the hospital. Unbeknownst to him, he was being followed.
When he got home, he saw Guillermo sitting in his living room. Rubbing his hands together, Ricky greeted him nervously, "Guillermo, what brings you here?"
"I heard your family has had some trouble recently. You might be able to make a lot of money from it. I'm here to teach you how to get it," Guillermo said directly.
Ricky was momentarily stunned but quickly responded eagerly, "Do you have a good idea, Guillermo?"
"It's not exactly a good idea, but there's a way for you to get more compensation. Not only can you repay the four million dollars you owe me, but you can also ensure a comfortable life for yourself. It all depends on whether you can be ruthless," Guillermo said enticingly.
Ricky was intrigued. "Please don't keep me in suspense, Guillermo. What's the plan?"
Seeing Ricky's pleading look, Guillermo leaned closer and whispered, "All you have to do is stop your mother's treatment. If she dies, you might be able to claim an additional five hundred thousand dollars in compensation."
"You want me to let my mother die..." Ricky looked up in shock.
Guillermo's eyes gleamed. "You don't have to do it, but think carefully. Your mother doesn't have many years left anyway. With her frail health and all this trouble, future treatments will cost a lot of money. Do you have that much money?"
Ricky was speechless but already tempted by the idea.
Guillermo continued, "And don't forget, you still owe me money. If you can't repay it, I'll have to take your hand as collateral. I'm not running a charity."
He paused before continuing slowly, "Think it over carefully. Do you want a wealthy and comfortable life or a poor and crippled one? The choice is yours."
Hearing this, Ricky stood frozen, torn inside. His rational mind told him not to listen to Guillermo, but another voice kept echoing in his head.
Even if he didn't harm his mother, she wouldn't live many more years. By then, he might have to spend even more money on her treatment.
His mother loved him so much; surely she would be willing to sacrifice for his and her grandson's future.
Seeing Ricky's conflicted expression, Guillermo knew he had swayed him and smiled subtly.
He then stood up and patted Ricky's shoulder. "Think it over carefully, but remember, you don't have much time to hesitate. Make your decision soon."
With that, Guillermo left briskly, leaving Ricky alone with a dark expression.
Late that night, Ricky returned to the hospital. He looked at his sleeping mother on the bed and reached out his trembling hand but stopped short of touching her. His eyes showed a flicker of pain.
But soon, his eyes grew resolute.