Nightingale's mother and Serena were in the same hospital, albeit in different wings, separated by two buildings.
The moment Serena arrived at her mother's hospital wing, she was swarmed by a crowd of people –
"Miss Nightingale, how does Nightingale Corporation plan to address the issue of worker casualties at its construction site? With workers protesting and seeking answers, are you avoiding the problem under the pretext of illness or is there another reason?"
"Miss Nightingale, it's rumored that you were involved in a dispute with several executives at A nightclub recently, with photos surfacing. Is that you in the pictures?"
"Miss Nightingale, we've heard that you're pregnant with the Lee Corporation's CEO's child. Considering that Mr. Lee is engaged to the renowned dancer, Miss Amelia, did you intervene in their relationship during or before their courtship?"
"Miss Nightingale..."
"..."
Pressed by the barrage of questions, Serena stumbled backward, her chest tightening with each breath.
Her medicine, where was her medicine...
No, she couldn't collapse.
Serena pinched her arm hard, forcing a smile. "Regarding Nightingale Corporation, there's no need to worry. It's just that I have only recently returned and hasn't fully grasped the situation. As you all know, there's a connection between Nightingale and Lee Corporations; Phoenix and I have known each other since childhood, so there's no need for malicious speculations. Regarding Miss Monahan's engagement to Mr. Lee, I naturally wish them happiness. My mother is currently ill and hospitalized, please make way.
Also, patients here require tranquility, so I advise some media outlets to show compassion!"
Her statement hinted that even if Nightingale Corporation faced issues, the Lee Corporation had its back.
With a composed bow that neither belittled nor overestimated herself, Serena asked with a smile, "May I leave now?"
Some seemed eager to ask more, but everyone knew the close ties between the Nightingale and Lee families before.
Given Nightingale Corporation's current crisis, it seemed the Lee Corporation...
For the sake of the Lee Corporation's reputation, the reporters relented and cleared a path.
As she got away from them, she hakily retrieved her medication. Serena popped the pills into her mouth, gradually regaining her composure.
Lowering her gaze, she saw the marks of her own nails on her palm.
Her eyelids twitched as Serena sensed an ominous premonition. After a long pause, she made her way to her mother's room.
Upon entering, Serena froze in her tracks, unable to advance further.
The heart monitor beside the bed showed no signs of activity. The patient, detached from the oxygen tank, lay motionless, peacefully asleep.
She must have entered the wrong room...
Surely, she had...
"Mom, I've come to see you..."
Serena's voice trembled, her entire body shaking violently. Stumbling forward, she collapsed onto the bed. "Mom, don't sleep. Please respond to me, look at me, it's Serena."
"Mom..."
The icy touch of her fingertips confirmed her mother had been gone for a while.
Beside the bed was a piece of paper, the handwriting uneven, requiring careful deciphering to read:
"Serena, I know about the company's issues and your situation. I've become a burden to you. I've realized staying alive like this helps you in no way; leaving is also a salvation for me. If the company is gone, let it be. You don't have to lower your pride to beg those with ill intentions. I know you're allergic to alcohol, you don't have to force yourself into things you dislike. If you don't enjoy business, let Nightingale Corporation fade away. All I want is for you to always carry the pride of the Nightingale name.
Serena, I won't be a burden to you anymore, nor will Nightingale Corporation.
Go live the life you love."
Serena clenched the note, her body stiffening as her mind went blank, struggling to breathe.
She had just lost her child and now, her mother.
She had nothing left. Why show she stay here now?
She owed no one anything...
Biting her lip, she inched towards the window, her body trembling with each step. Touching the windowsill, her vision blurred, and she collapsed unconscious.
"Your mother's funeral will be arranged. Take care of yourself, don't do anything foolish again, live on," Phoenix whispered gently. "I'm saddened by your mother's passing too, but it was her choice. Accept my condolence, Serena."
Her mother had removed her own oxygen mask, choosing suicide.
How could it be...
Why suicide?
She hadn't told her mother any of the news, nor about her visit to A hotel. Who had informed her?
Her mother never concerned herself with Nightingale Corporation's affairs. Since her stroke, Serena had ensured no one shared any news with her.
Who had spoken to her mother? And who had summoned the press to the hospital?
Serena couldn't understand, shrinking into the corner of the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, teeth biting into her arm.
Pain was the only thing reminding her she was alive.
Pain was the only way she could feel the loss of her mother.
"Serena, let go!" Phoenix noticed her distress, quickly pulling her away. "Open your mouth, Serena! Open your mouth!"
Forcibly separated her mouth from her hand, she gasped like a fish out of water, gulping air.
Eventually, she regained consciousness from her stupor.
"You want me to what? Accept your condolence?" Serena's resentful eyes met Phoenix's, her voice tinged with desolation. "Didn't you say if I obeyed, you'd take care of my mother? I listened to you. I didn't run, I lost my child. Why did she know everything? Why is she dead? Tell me!"
"I'm sorry, Serena."
"Sorry?" Serena laughed bitterly, despairingly closing her eyes. "Phoenix, let me go."
Nightingale Corporation was gone, the ancestral home belonged to Amelia, and now her mother was lost.
She had nothing left.
Phoenix's eyes flickered. "Serena! You're my wife, where do you think you're going? You're not going anywhere except J!"
Serena remained silent.
His wife?
His wife would only ever be Amelia. Where was he when those reporters confronted her?
And she, Serena, was nothing but a joke.
