Chapter 103 Who Made Up the Money
Cecilia called Charles.
The call was answered immediately.
"Hello, Ms. Martinez? Did you pay the money? How is Mr. Martinez doing?" Charles's warm and caring voice came through.
Cecilia's nose instantly stung with tears. She bit her lip hard, not letting even a hint of sobbing escape.
"Mr. Smith."
She spoke with difficulty, each syllable unbearably heavy.
"That card won't work. The bank says the account has been frozen."
Dead silence fell on the other end of the line.
A few seconds later, Charles's confused voice came through: "Frozen? How could that be? Don't worry, I'll call the bank right away to check. Wait for my call!"
The phone was hung up.
Every second of waiting was torture.
Cecilia clutched her phone, her palms covered in cold sweat. She leaned against the cold wall in the corridor, but felt no coolness at all—only numbness from the inside out.
About five minutes later, the phone rang again. It was Charles.
Cecilia answered immediately, but what came through the receiver was Charles's voice full of anxiety and exhaustion, completely different from his usual warmth.
"Ms. Martinez, I'm sorry."
This apology made Cecilia's heart sink heavily.
"My company's project has run into major problems. All our partners suddenly turned against us, and the funding chain broke."
Charles's voice carried an unprecedented sense of defeat.
"All my personal assets have been emergency frozen as forced collateral. I really didn't expect this to happen so suddenly. I'm sorry, I can't get that money out right now."
Cecilia stood frozen, unable to say a word.
The company's project funding chain?
How could this be such a coincidence!
"I'm sorry, Ms. Martinez. Just wait a bit longer, I'll try to find another way. I still have some friends..." Charles's voice was full of guilt.
"No need."
Cecilia suddenly spoke, cutting him off.
"Mr. Smith, don't worry about me." She forced her tone to steady. "Go handle your company's business quickly—that's what's most important. I'll figure something out myself."
"But—"
"It's okay." Cecilia's voice carried a finality that left no room for discussion. "Really, you don't need to trouble yourself for me anymore. Thank you, Mr. Smith."
With that, she quickly hung up before Charles could say anything more.
Her phone slipped from her powerless fingers. Her last hope was gone.
Cecilia leaned against the wall in a daze, watching people come and go, her vision switching between blurry and clear, finally dissolving into a haze.
Where else could she find money?
All the sounds of the world disappeared, and endless despair swallowed her.
Who else could she turn to?
A sudden phone ring pierced through the silence.
It was Mabel calling.
Cecilia picked up the phone from the floor, swiped to answer, and before she could speak, she heard Mabel's voice—tearful yet trying to sound strong.
"Amelia! About the money, I did my best!"
Cecilia was startled. "Mom? What happened?"
"I sold that old house your dad was keeping for retirement!" Mabel's voice was loud, as if trying to mask her own helplessness. "The agent found a buyer, but they pushed the price down too hard. In the end, I only got four hundred thousand dollars. We're still ten thousand short for the surgery. Amelia, don't panic! I'll transfer this four hundred thousand to you right away. For the remaining ten thousand, I'll go ask relatives, one family at a time! Even if I have to sell everything we own, I'll get your dad's surgery money together!"
Sold the house, and still ten thousand short.
That home that held all of Amelia's childhood memories, where Mabel and Robert had lived most of their lives, planning to spend their old age there—even at this most critical moment, it still couldn't fill the gap.
A sharp pain gripped Cecilia's heart, making it impossible to breathe.
"Mom! How could you..."
"Why couldn't I!" Mabel immediately cut her off, her tone stern. "We can earn money for another house, but your dad only has one life! Amelia, listen to me, don't even think about doing anything shady, and absolutely don't borrow from those terrible loan sharks! I'll figure out the rest of the money. You stay with your dad, you hear me!"
"We're a family. What difficulty can't we overcome together? Your dad getting better is what matters most!"
Mabel kept talking on the other end, comforting her, telling her not to overthink, telling her to eat well.
Cecilia couldn't hear anything clearly anymore.
She just kept repeating: "Okay, Mom, I know, I know."
After hanging up, she hugged her knees as tears silently flooded out.
The home was gone, and the money still wasn't enough.
This mountain-heavy family love pressed down on her until she couldn't breathe, almost crushing her. But it also gave her the final reason not to fall.
"Ms. Martinez!"
A nurse hurried over from the other end of the corridor, looking for her.
"Where did you go? Quick! Your father's condition has gotten worse again. Dr. Ramos wants you to come over right away!"
All the blood in Cecilia's body froze instantly.
She quickly wiped away her tears, jumped up from the floor, and ran toward Lon Ramos's office with the nurse.
In the office of Lon, the chief of cardiac surgery, the atmosphere was tense.
"The patient's heart rate keeps dropping, and his oxygen saturation is falling too. We can't wait any longer!" Lon slammed a stack of reports on the desk, issuing an ultimatum. "We must arrange surgery immediately! As for the money..."
"Dr. Ramos!"
Cecilia interrupted Lon, her red eyes showing complete desperation.
"We've already raised four hundred thousand dollars! My mom sold our old family home! We're just ten thousand short, and we're trying to figure it out! Please, can we do the surgery first, and we'll definitely make up the rest! I'll write you a guarantee, I'll get on my knees if I have to!"
She knew how unreasonable this request was, but this was Robert's only chance at survival.
Lon frowned, looking troubled: "Ms. Martinez, we understand your difficulty. But the hospital has rules, and we're in a difficult position too—"
"Please!" Cecilia's lips were trembling, her legs went weak, and she looked like she was really about to kneel.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
A young nurse poked her head in, her face showing confusion and surprise. She looked at Lon, then at Cecilia.
"Dr. Ramos, the billing department just sent word."
The nurse paused.
"For bed 15 in the inpatient ward, Robert's hospital account—all fees have been paid in full."
The entire office fell silent instantly.
Cecilia froze in place, her kneeling posture frozen, her brain completely unable to process the information she'd just heard.
Paid in full?
How was that possible!
Lon was also stunned, then immediately said to Cecilia: "That's great! Since the money's in, let's not delay! Go arrange the operating room right away, notify anesthesiology, we'll operate immediately!"
"Yes!" The young nurse immediately responded and left.
Lon picked up the files on the desk and headed out while saying to Cecilia, who was still standing there dazed: "Ms. Martinez, go sign the pre-surgery consent form quickly. We need to save time!"
Lon's figure disappeared at the doorway.
Cecilia's mind was still blank. She mechanically turned around, looking toward the door.
That money that filled the final gap.
Who could it be?