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Reluctantly, she took the card and handed it to Lily. Then she turned to Jeremy, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I’ll pay you back soon. I promise."
Jeremy shook his head. "Don’t worry about it right now."
Ellie exhaled, her hands shaking as she reached for the diamond necklace around her neck. Unclasping it, she pressed it into Lily’s hand.
"Take this," she said. "Sell it back at ‘Satire’ in Max Mall. That should fetch a good price. Use the money for Uncle’s medical bills for the next few days. I’ll find a job for more money."
Lily hesitated, glancing at the necklace. "Ellie… Sawyer gave this to you. If you sell it and he finds out—"
Ellie clenched her jaw, her frustration mounting. "I don’t have time to worry about him right now. It’s just a necklace. I’ll buy it back later or pay him for it. Uncle Tony is the only thing that matters right now."
Lily gave a short nod. "Alright. I’ll handle it." She hurried off toward the billing counter.
Ellie stood there, rubbing her hands together, pacing back and forth in nervous agitation. Her mind was racing, and she barely noticed where she was going—until she suddenly collided with someone.
Her purse slipped from her hands, spilling its contents across the floor.
"Are you fucking blind?!" an angry voice snapped.
The woman she had bumped into flipped around with a scowl, her sharp glare locking onto Ellie.
Ellie looked at the woman, about to apologize when she saw who it was.
Alina.
Ellie let out an annoyed breath and didn’t bother to say sorry.
Alina, who had been glaring at the things scattered on the floor, suddenly spotted a photograph that had fallen from Ellie’s purse. It was an old picture of a boy and a girl standing close together. Then her eyes slid up, seeing Ellie. Alina’s lips curled into a sneer.
“What are you doing at the hospital, beggar? Don’t tell me you’re dying of some STD or HIV or something.”
Ellie clenched her eyes shut, exhaling slowly. She refused to let Alina get under her skin. Without sparing her another glance, she stood up and turned away, moving toward Jeremy.
"Do you hear a dog barking?" Ellie said loudly. "I swear I hear it. Who allowed a dog into a hospital? This is ridiculous.”
“You bitc—!” Alina’s scream pierced through the air, but the moment her eyes landed on Jeremy, she clamped her mouth shut.
Seeing the striking man with an effortless coolness and undeniable attractiveness, Alina’s irritation vanished. She quickly softened her expression, flashing a coy smile.
“Hi, handsome.”
Jeremy gave her a blank, unimpressed stare before turning away without a word.
Alina’s jaw clenched in humiliation. Her face burned as she watched him completely disregard her. Furious, she spun on her heels and stormed out of the hospital, nose held high.
Outside, Olivia was waiting in the car, lazily scrolling through her phone. When Alina spotted her, she rushed over and slid inside with an irritated huff.
“Hey, girl,” Alina greeted, though her tone was far from cheerful. “What a shitty day. I just ran into that beggar bitch at the hospital.”
Olivia barely acknowledged her, still tapping away on her phone.
Alina’s gaze drifted over to Olivia’s screen, where a photo of a boy in a green night suit was displayed.
“Wait, who is that?” Alina leaned in for a better look. “Why do you have this picture too?”
Olivia's fingers froze over her screen. Olivia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I just bumped into Ellie, and her stuff fell all over the floor. She has a photo of the same boy—only in hers, there’s also a girl standing beside him. In a pink night suit.”