“Yes, it’s fresh out of the oven,” a young man wearing a mask said respectfully in a low voice. “Do you want to reveal it?”
The woman laughed wildly, “Hahaha-”
“I really underestimated Sylvia. She actually sensed the relationship between Olivia and Franklin. Tsk tsk-” She squinted her eyes slightly. “It’s not for nothing that I haven’t touched her all these years.”
“But… she’s getting stronger. I’m afraid you…” The young man quickly glanced at her and then lowered his head again.
The woman’s face turned cold, and a mocking chill flashed in her eyes. Her voice was devoid of any warmth.
“How could I possibly lose to her? Crushing her would be as easy as stepping on an ant. I just don’t want to kill her. Otherwise… she would have died easily, and life would be so boring.”
The man said nothing more. In recent confrontations, it was obvious that Sylvia had the upper hand.
The woman suddenly seemed to think of something and glared at him, “Moon, could it be that you’ve fallen in love with her?”
“No,” the man denied quickly. “How could that be?”
The woman scrutinized him for a moment before retracting her gaze slowly. “It’s best if you haven’t. I do not tolerate any betrayal.”
She seemed to think of something else and added, “By the way, Olivia, do you really not care?”
“It has nothing to do with me,” the man replied coldly.
“Alright then.” The woman smiled. “Replace the report. Also, make sure the drill is well arranged.”
“Yes.” The man turned and left, and the woman’s gaze turned icy.
After a long time, she spoke to her hidden subordinate, “Follow him and report any unusual behavior immediately.”
“Yes, Master.” A shadow leaped into the air from the darkness and disappeared into the night as if it had never been there…
Early in the morning, rain fell from a gloomy sky, merging the somber mood with the weather like a child throwing a tantrum.
Sylvia woke up early. She stood by the window, frowning slightly at the chaotic weather.
What a terrible day.
She felt as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making her uncomfortable.
Without thinking further, she went downstairs. As she reached the corner of the stairs, she was stunned.
Almost everyone from the Hipps Family was waiting downstairs, all dressed up and smiling at her.
Sylvia: “…”
She paused for a moment before walking up to Queena and Mr. Hipps, who were leading the group. “What’s going on? Why is everyone here? Doesn’t anyone have anything to do today?”
“We’re going to the hospital with you,” Queena said, holding Sylvia’s hand. “Sylvia… you must take care of yourself.”
Last night, she had researched bone marrow extraction surgeries and heard that the process was extremely painful.
The more she thought about it, the sadder and more heartbroken she became.
Now, just thinking about what she had learned made her eyes well up with tears again.
“Sylvia…”
“Grandma, I’m just a donor. It shouldn’t be too bad. I’ll just need to eat more nutritious food after the surgery,” Sylvia gently comforted Queena. She looked at the rest of the Hipps Family. “Thank you all, but it’s just a surgery. There’s no need for such a big fuss…”
“No, no, Sylvia, we all need to be with you to feel at ease. Let’s go,” Clare said with a stiff smile; he could barely manage to smile.
Seeing no way around it, Sylvia joined them as they set off in several cars heading straight for the hospital.
At the hospital, nurses began taking Sylvia through necessary pre-surgery tests and blood work.
Watching Sylvia change into a hospital gown and start her check-ups, Queena couldn’t help but squeeze Mr. Hipps’s hand tightly. “This is so unfair!”
Her granddaughters had suffered so much pain and hardship.
Mr. Hipps felt her grip painfully but showed no sign of discomfort on his face. Instead, he gently comforted her, “Dear, what are you doing? If both children recover after the surgery, wouldn’t that be wonderful? You have to think positively. At least… their lives will be saved.”
Their expectations had now dropped to merely keeping them alive.
“I’m worried about Sylvia having complications; I’m worried Jenna won’t be cured… My mind is in turmoil,” Queena shook her head helplessly. “This feeling is so gut-wrenching.”
If she could, she would rather take their place!
Watching her children go through this was like watching them walk to their execution.
Knowing the road ahead was full of thorns but still having to watch them go was like having a knife cut through her heart.
“Alright, alright, don’t think too much or be sad anymore. We have to deal with this situation,” Mr. Hipps gently consoled her.
Clare and Mollie exchanged glances and handed cups of water to the elderly couple. “Have some water.”
Franklin stayed by Sylvia’s side throughout all her tests, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.
He kept reassuring himself that everything would be fine, that nothing would go wrong.
Sylvia was in good health.
Jenna lay quietly on her hospital bed, breathing softly. Even now, she felt a sense of unreality.
Was she really going to receive bone marrow from her sister?
Sister…
Just thinking of that word made her feel warm inside.
But Jenna was also worried that Sylvia’s health might suffer from donating bone marrow.
If her sister ended up with lasting health issues because of this, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
As all the tests were about to conclude and Sylvia’s results were coming in, they were soon going to shave their heads and be sent to the bone marrow transplant chamber.
The bone marrow transplant chamber is technically called a blood laminar flow room, a hundred-level laminar flow room.
Due to the special nature of the treatment, it requires high sterility standards. Patients and caregivers need to be strictly isolated from the outside world; there are specific regulations for patients’ diet, activities, entering and exiting the room, and family visits. Apart from essential items for daily living, no other items are allowed inside; everything must be disinfected and sterilized before entry.
Before entering the chamber, both patients and caregivers must shave their heads.
The transplant chamber is equipped with devices that maintain air cleanliness. Clean air flows horizontally over the patient’s bed in one direction and is expelled from the other side of the room.
Watching Sylvia’s soft hair about to be cut off made Franklin’s heart ache.
“Sylvia…”
“It’s okay. Hair can grow back, but if life is lost, there’s nothing left,” Sylvia reassured him with a hopeful smile in her clear eyes.
Franklin felt both heartache and relief as he hoarsely replied, “You’re right.”
The sound of scissors cutting hair filled the room. Once everything was ready, a nurse approached them. “Please follow me.”
Sylvia knew it was time to enter the bone marrow transplant chamber.
Seeing Sylvia without her hair brought tears to everyone’s eyes in the Hipps Family.
Mollie’s eyes were red as if bleeding. “Sylvia… your hair…”
“This is so unfair!” Queena cried again. How did her beautiful granddaughter end up like this?
“It looks pretty good this way too,” Sylvia said as she touched her head. “Refreshing!”
On the other side, Jenna was also ready. Sylvia bid farewell to the Hipps Family before following the nurse to the transplant chamber.
Soon, they were both lying on hospital beds.
Juan entered as well. “Sylvia, don’t be nervous. You’ve performed this kind of surgery on patients before; now it’s your turn… So don’t be nervous.”
Sylvia chuckled slightly. Why did everyone think she would be scared or nervous? “It’s just surgery; how could I be nervous?”
“I’m a bit nervous,” Jenna said with a pale face as she looked at Sylvia. “Sis, I’m a bit scared.”
Hearing her fragile voice, Sylvia held her hand and smiled gently. “Don’t be afraid; I’m here with you.”
Just like when we were kids and never separated.
The necessary preparations before surgery began immediately. Nurses came over to set up IV bags and prepare anesthesia for them both.
Juan also started making pre-surgery arrangements when suddenly the lab director rushed in excitedly.
“Professor Juan! Professor Juan! We’ve found another match!”
Juan looked at him puzzledly. “For which patient?”
“For Jenna! There’s another match! The donor is 45 years old and on their way here! Their match score is very high-seven out of ten!” The director said excitedly. “Dr. Sylvia doesn’t need to donate anymore.”
He had also heard that Sylvia’s health had been compromised earlier in life and wasn’t ideal for donation.
Juan’s mind buzzed with excitement. “What did you say? A new donor with seven out of ten matches? This is like winning the lottery!”
The director quickly showed him the matching report. “See for yourself if you don’t believe me!”
Meanwhile, inside the operating room, anesthesia had already taken effect.
When Sylvia slowly woke up, she realized she wasn’t in the bone marrow transplant chamber.
She quickly checked her body-no incisions!
She was shocked. “The surgery didn’t happen? Or did it fail?”
Her face turned pale as she looked at her surrounding relatives and friends. She grabbed Franklin’s arm urgently. “Honey, what happened? How is Jenna?”
Franklin hugged her tightly as he saw her panic. “Calm down; listen to me-you didn’t have surgery.”
“Why? We signed consent forms; everyone agreed I should do it; Jenna was willing to accept my donation… How could this…” Sylvia struggled to comprehend waking up without having undergone surgery-it felt like a bolt from the blue.