Second Chance: Marrying into Wealth Chapter 316

I was stunned, unsure how to react.

Honestly, after Marlowe targeted me several times, even kidnapping me to manipulate Christopher, I had no sympathy left for her.

But when her life was hanging by a thread, my disgust seemed to fade.

Quinlan was clearly anxious, seeing that I hadn't responded to her message.

She called me directly, "Melinda, Ms. Grey is sick. Leukemia. She's been released on medical parole."

The illness came on suddenly, and it was already very severe when diagnosed. Finding a suitable match quickly would be difficult.

The fastest way now was to get her family, Hayes, to be tested for compatibility, which had a higher chance of success.

Because Hayes was in an unfamiliar environment and emotionally unstable, Jason called Quinlan to come and stay with Hayes.

Before I could say anything, I heard Marlowe's agitated voice on the other end of the line.

"Who allowed you to bring Hayes to the hospital?" Marlowe's sharp voice was particularly intense.

Anyone suddenly finding out they have a serious illness would struggle to accept it calmly, so her agitation was understandable.

Everyone around Marlowe was exceptionally tolerant of her.

"Marlowe, Hayes is the most likely match. What if it works?" Jason tried to persuade her.

Instead of being relieved, Marlowe became even more agitated. "No way, he can't be a match. Don't you know he's not well? I said no testing, let him go."

The only person Marlowe treated somewhat kindly was Blair.

Blair hesitated but still tried to persuade her, "Ms. Grey, what if it works? Don't get agitated. The doctor said to try to stay calm. If the match is successful, we can first improve Hayes's health."

"Get out! I said no testing!" Marlowe's chest heaved, and then she was overcome with dizziness.

Jason, watching from the side, was also anxious. He tried to calm her down and get her to lie down.

Seeing the situation, Quinlan prepared to leave with Blair and Hayes.

Unexpectedly, Marlowe called out to Hayes, "Hayes, stay with me. Everyone else, get out."

She was very forceful.

She even beckoned Hayes to come to her side immediately.

Perhaps because Marlowe hadn't been kind to Hayes lately, her emotions were always unstable, or maybe because her fierce demeanor was truly frightening, Hayes was scared.

He had become overly dependent on Quinlan.

So when he heard Marlowe's words, his first reaction was to shrink back, hiding behind Quinlan and clutching her clothes tightly.

Marlowe saw this and laughed bitterly.

"Useless!"

She probably thought something even more malicious, feeling that raising Hayes was worse than raising a dog.

But she overlooked that Hayes was a person, slowly developing his own thoughts.

"Get out, all of you! I don't want to see anyone!" Marlowe finally lost her temper, her body swaying with dizziness.

Jason was genuinely worried that Marlowe might faint from anger.

He quickly pressed the call button for the doctor, who administered sedatives and sleep medication to calm Marlowe down.

Once Marlowe fell asleep, Jason left the room.

Since he hadn't told Quinlan to leave with Hayes, they were still waiting outside the room.

Quinlan couldn't help but ask him, "Jason, what should we do with Hayes now?"

She naturally hoped to take Hayes away.

Jason had other plans. "Since Marlowe doesn't want Hayes to be tested, we'll do it secretly. We'll test Hayes and see the results."

It seemed to him that Marlowe was more important.

Marlowe's strong opposition to Hayes being tested seemed like she didn't want Hayes to donate bone marrow.

But something felt off to me, though I couldn't pinpoint it.

Since I hadn't hung up the phone, I heard everything that happened at the hospital.

I felt Marlowe's reaction was excessive. Even if she didn't want Hayes to be tested, there was no need to say those things.

Quinlan, though she cared for Hayes and disliked Marlowe, ultimately agreed to Jason's plan to secretly test Hayes.

The results would take about five days.

Just as I hung up Quinlan's call, Paula called me.

She started with some teasing, "You brought me breakfast yesterday, but none today? I was hoping for a sandwich!"

"Next time. I've been swamped with work."

I just played along, and Paula showered me with compliments, as usual.

I was used to it.

After some playful banter, Paula got to the point.

"Yesterday, Mrs. Collins met with Mr. Ellis. Mr. Ellis said Mrs. Collins is interested in a marriage alliance with us."

"What? A marriage alliance? Seriously?" I was shocked.

"This isn't a small matter. Mr. Ellis is smart, as long as it doesn't involve Liliana, he's sharp."

In other words, this was real.

I asked, "What did Mrs. Collins do?"

If she was serious about the alliance, the groom's family would need to show sincerity. Paula, with her family background, abilities, and looks, was excellent.

Even if the Ellis Group was slightly inferior to the Collins Group, Paula's capabilities made up for it.

If Paula could be with Christopher, I should be happy for her, right?

But I felt strange inside.

I lowered my gaze, as if that could hide my emotions.

Paula sensed my approval of her marrying Christopher.

She sounded like she wanted to knock some sense into me, "What are you thinking?"

Paula then explained, "Do you think Mrs. Collins is sincere? I've heard from people in our circle that Mrs. Collins has her own preferred 'daughter-in-law,' a girl from her relatives, raised to be a daughter-in-law since childhood."

She continued, "This isn't hard to find out. After all, she's been groomed for years, and it's known in the circle. I bet Mr. Christopher Collins knows, which is why he rejects family introductions. He recently publicly stated he has someone he likes. I heard Mrs. Faye Collins wanted to use that opportunity to push her relative forward, making people think Christopher's love interest was her."

"But Mr. Christopher Collins isn't easily controlled. Mrs. Faye Collins wanted to do it but ultimately gave up. She's proud and feared he would embarrass her by denying the girl."

I remembered Faye arranging women for Christopher to meet and felt she was quite disgusting.

Paula once said Faye wasn't Christopher's biological mother, and I suspected it was true.

Otherwise, why would she treat Christopher so poorly?

At the same time, I considered another possibility: did Faye sense Christopher's feelings for me and deliberately make me handle this?

I asked, "But if that's the case, why propose a marriage alliance with your family?"

The Ellis family was the wealthiest in Starlight City, not a small family to be summoned at will.