Broken Memories, Intertwined Hearts

Chapter 147

"I won't go. He can take care of his own body. If he doesn't care about it, what can anyone else do?" Ines was stubborn, just like Hunter.

"Miss, the chairman cares about you. Even if he's cut ties with you, he still wants to leave the Galeana Group to you. By then, Emma would only get a tiny bit of the inheritance." Said Silas.

Ines got even more worked up. "I don't give a damn about the Galeana Group. He can give it to whoever he wants. It's none of my business."

"Miss, it's the chairman's lifelong effort. It's a fortune that can't be underestimated." Silas found it hard to believe that Hunter could make such a decision. Ines laughed it off, saying, "Don't treat me like a fool. He's just trying to get me to protect his life's work. He just thinks Emma can't keep it safe. If Emma could handle it, would you guys still be trying to get me into the Galeana Group? The answer is no."

At first, she didn't get why they were all over her, but she soon figured it out.

The man valued the Galeana Group above everything else, but why should she take on this responsibility?

She didn't care. She just wanted a simple life.

Silas was speechless. Undeniably, this was the main reason, but Hunter's love for her was real.

Hearing Ines say this, Ethan wasn't surprised. He knew his wife was smart.

Silas, worried and anxious, couldn't think of a better solution, so he just knelt in front of Ines, his knees hitting the ground with a thud.

Ethan was taken aback; he never expected Silas to kneel out of loyalty to Hunter.

"What the hell are you doing? Get up!" Ines yelled at Silas, her face showing a mix of emotions.

"Ms. Ines, I've watched you grow up. I'm begging you; please go see the chairman. You're the only one who can persuade him now." Silas's voice was shaky.

Ines saw the tears in his eyes and bit her lip.

Ethan looked at Silas, clearly unhappy. "Silas, you're Izzy's elder. What's with the kneeling? You're making her feel bad and pressuring her. It's too much. What would others think of Izzy if they saw this?"

Silas was taken aback. Seeing people looking their way, he realized his action was thoughtless. He bowed to Ines and said, "Ms. Ines, I was just desperate. Please forgive me."

Ines stayed silent. Silas continued, "Ms. Galeana, if one day you want to see your father and he's no longer there, you'll regret it. Please consider it."

Silas left after saying his piece, each step heavy.

Ines was stunned by his words, unable to move.

Ethan sighed. It seemed Hunter's condition couldn't be kept from her after Silas's outburst.

It took Ines a while to come back to her senses. She looked at Ethan, confused. "Ethan, what did he mean by all that?"

Ethan didn't answer immediately. He fixed her clothes and softly said, "Izzy, it's getting windy. Let's go home and talk."

Ines's heart sank at Ethan's words. Her bad feeling was getting stronger.

Ines was pulled by Ethan into the elevator, Silas's words still echoing in her mind. She felt she was getting closer to some uncomfortable truth, but she was resisting it.

Ethan held Ines tightly. Back home, he sat Ines down on the sofa and went to his study. He returned shortly with a yellow file.

Ines was calmer after the scene with Silas, but she was taken aback by his last words.

"Ethan, you knew all along?" Ines looked at Ethan, her eyes empty.

Ethan nodded. "Ever since they forced you back to the Galeana family, I had my suspicions. The positions he offered you weren't simple. I asked Lucas to dig into it. It took him a few days to find out. Do you want to see it?" He handed her the file.

Ines didn't take the file from Ethan. Instead, she just looked at him with a bitter smile on her face. She gathered her courage to ask, "What is the illness?"

Ethan was taken aback. He sat down on the sofa and held her in his arms. Ines was trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.

Ethan felt a pang in his heart. After a few seconds, he softly said, "It's lung cancer."

Hearing the news, Ines froze. She curled up in Ethan's arms like a newborn baby without any sense of security.

Lung cancer. It was utterly devastating. Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Every year, countless people die from cancer. Very few could survive and live peacefully into old age.

After a while, Ines found her voice. She asked stiffly, "When was it discovered?"

"It's been a while. He probably kept it a secret to stabilize the stock price of the Galeana Group. Besides Silas, the others probably don't know yet. I wouldn't have suspected if they hadn't suddenly said those things to you last time."

"So, it's pretty far along, huh?" Ines recalled a conversation she'd seen between him and a specialist in his study a few days ago. She knew this kind of disease was sneaky; the early signs are vague and easy to miss. But once you've caught it, it's often too late, and surgery didn't do much good.

Ethan couldn't read Ines's emotions, but he nodded, Yeah, it seems like it."

Ines sat upright in Ethan's embrace, trying to cool her jets. She then took the file bag out of his hand. It was full of Hunter's medical records, all neat, from his first visit to the current state of his disease, including the treatment plan. The latest entry showed that he'd recently started chemo, but it wasn't clear if it was doing any good.