LISA'S POV

It had been two hours since my mother was rushed into the emergency room.

Two hours since I received the heartbreaking call at work that she had suddenly collapsed.

For two endless hours, I had sat outside the emergency room with trembling hands, praying for a miracle while imagining the worst.

Finally, the doors opened.

A doctor stepped out.

I rushed to him immediately.

"Doctor..." My voice trembled. "Please, how is my mother?"

The doctor sighed before looking at me.

"Miss, your mother was given a treatment plan during her last visit. Was she following it?"

My stomach dropped.

"Yes," I answered softly. "She never missed her medication until last month. I had to use the money for other urgent bills, hoping I'd be able to buy her supplements this month."

The doctor's expression turned grim.

"We've done everything we can, but missing an entire month of medication has caused her condition to worsen significantly."

I felt the ground beneath me disappear.

"So... how is she now?"

"She's in critical condition," he replied honestly. "Right now, all we can do is monitor her. If there's any positive response, we'll determine the next course of treatment."

He started to walk away, but I quickly grabbed his arm.

"There has to be something you can do." Tears blurred my vision. "Please... I can't lose my mother. She's all I have."

The doctor gently removed my hand.

"There is one option."

Hope instantly lit up inside me.

"What is it?"

"Surgery."

"I'll do it," I answered without hesitation.

He looked at me for a long moment before speaking.

"The surgery is expensive."

"I don't care how much it costs."

"I'll find the money somehow."

The doctor sighed.

"You couldn't afford her monthly supplements."

"How do you intend to pay for a surgery of this magnitude?"

His words struck me like a slap.

Still...

I refused to give up.

"Please, Doctor..."

"Tell me."

"How much is the surgery?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

The doctor hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Nine hundred million."

My entire world came crashing down.

Nine hundred million?

Even if I worked for the rest of my life, I would never be able to earn that kind of money.

My legs nearly gave out beneath me.

Just as I was about to beg him to reconsider, a nurse hurried over and whispered something into his ear.

The doctor's expression changed instantly.

His face paled as though someone important had arrived.

"I'm sorry, Miss," he said hurriedly. "I have to go."

Without waiting for my response, he quickly walked away.

I didn't stop him.

There was no point.

My mother was hanging between life and death, and the only thing that could save her was a surgery I could never afford.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice a group of men dressed in black suits walking past me.

They moved with perfect coordination, surrounding someone in their midst as though protecting a very important person.

I barely spared them a glance.

With trembling legs, I slowly walked into my mother's hospital room.

The sight before me shattered my heart.

Several tubes and machines were connected to her fragile body.

Her once warm complexion had turned pale.

She looked so lifeless.

I gently took her hand into mine.

It was cold.

Tears blurred my vision.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice breaking.

"Why didn't you let me buy your supplements?"

"Why did you insist I use the money to pay the bills instead?"

"You always put me first."

"But who's going to put you first now?"

Fresh tears streamed down my cheeks.

"How do you expect me to survive in this world without you, Mom?"

"Where am I supposed to get nine hundred million for your surgery?"

"Where do I even begin?"

I tightened my grip on her hand as though she could still hear me.

"Please..."

"Stay with me."

"Don't leave me."

"I promise I'll find the money."

"I don't know how..."

"...but I will."

Just then...

My phone buzzed, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at the screen before answering.

It was Amira.

My colleague.

"Lisa," she whispered urgently. "I've been covering for you, but you need to get here before anyone notices you're gone."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I replied.

After ending the call, I turned back to my mother.

I gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"I'll be back soon, Mom."

"I have to go to work."

"I promise... I'll come back."

I wiped away the last traces of my tears before forcing myself to leave the hospital.

Every step away from her bed felt heavier than the last.

But I had no choice.

If I wanted to save my mother...

I had to keep fighting.

By the time I arrived at the restaurant where I worked as a waitress, it was as busy as ever.

I quickly found Amira.

"Thank goodness you're here," she said the moment she saw me. "Please take care of that table over there."

She pointed toward a table occupied by a man and a woman sitting a few meters away.

"It looks like they're about to place their order."

"Okay."

I hurried over to them.

With everything going on in my life, smiling was the last thing I felt like doing.

But smiling was part of my job.

I forced one onto my face.

"Good afternoon. Would you like to place your order now, or would you—"

"Please give us a minute."

The man cut me off before I could finish.

He gestured for me to wait a few steps away.

I nodded politely.

"Of course."

I stepped aside and waited.

From their expensive designer suits and the way they carried themselves, they looked like wealthy business associates.

I tried not to stare.

But then I caught a few words from their conversation.

"You cannot be his secretary," the man said firmly.

"I can, and I will," the woman replied. "I'll apply, and I'll get the job."

The man sighed.

"Ria, I know I promised to get you a job, but certainly not this one."

"Why not this one?"

"Because that man is not human."

The woman raised an eyebrow.

"And so?"

"He's cold."

"So?"

The man lowered his voice.

"Ria, I'm serious."

"That man is a devil in human clothing."