One night stand with my president(chapter 609)

 

Chapter 609: Even If It's Only a Sliver of Hope

Inside the room, Lily Sparrow's father was still coughing heart-wrenchingly. One of the little girls poured another cup of warm water and took it in to him.

Perhaps the little girl told her father they had a guest at home, because Mr. Sparrow forced himself to come out. He shook hands with Russell Hunter, exchanged a few words, but in the end, couldn't hold on any longer and went back to his room to rest.

He truly looked haggard. A man barely in his forties appeared to be nearing seventy, looking as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

After Mr. Sparrow returned to his room, Russell glanced at Lily and asked calmly, "So, you suddenly asked me to see you home to let me see your family's situation?"

Lily: ".

She scratched her brow, embarrassed. 

"Yeah, you saw through it."

Russell smiled slightly.

He was, after all, someone who navigated the business world.

If he couldn't see through such a simple ploy of Lily's, he wouldn't have lasted long in the business circle. 

Now that it was out in the open, Lily dropped the act.

She said, "Maybe this is a form of moral blackmail, but I really have no choice right now. If he can't take his medicine every day now, he won't last more than a few days. The medicine he needs, each box only has twelve pills, enough for just three days, and it's extremely expensive. You can think I'm despicable, shameless, whatever. I just want to use this medicine to keep my dad alive, even though... I don't know how much longer it can keep him going."

Lily's eyes reddened.

She didn't want Russell to see, turning her head slightly to the side and wiping her eyes with her hand.

Russell sighed softly.

He took out his phone. sent a few messages.

then said to Lily, "I'll arrange for you all to return to Orianto."

Lily's eyes lit up, then she hesitated slightly.

Of course, she wanted to go back. She dreamed of it.

But her father...

At the place where her father worked in Yewhaina, the boss had been involved in some iliegal activities.

Her father was completely unaware, but he had inadvertently become an accessory in a certain matter.

This was also why she never dared to seek help from the embassy.

If they returned, would her father be discovered and arrested?

Russell saw her hesitation. Remembering what she had just said, he could roughly guess her concerns.

He thought for a moment and said, "Your father..."

"He doesn't have much time left," Lily said, her voice choked. "Even with the medicine now, it's just about living one more day at a time. I don't want him, in the last part of his life, to..."

"The authorities in Orianto will investigate thoroughly," Russell said. "If your father was truly kept in the dark and was only an accessory, plus in his current condition, he wouldn't be sentenced to prison. He's a sick man; the law has room for compassion. Moreover, if he can provide some leads, it could count as meritorious service. You surely don't want those who committed crimes and ruined your family to remain at large, do you?"

Lily's fingers clenched tightly.

Of course, she didn't want to see those people remain free.

She dreamed of them facing the punishment they deserved.

To put it more harshly, she wished they would die a horrible death!

If it weren't for them, her mother wouldn't have been so desperate back then.

"After returning, I'll arrange for experts to treat your father," Russell said. "Even if it's only a sliver of hope, don't give up."

"Really?" Lily's eyes grew even redder; she was clearly fighting back tears. "Thank you, really, thank you..."

Come to think of it, her father must also wish to return to his homeland before he died.

"You were wary of me before, but now you're willing to trust me?" Russell asked with a smile.

"I trust you," Lily said.

Her earlier wariness towards Russell was instinctive, given her past experiences with bad people.

But thinking about it carefully...

He was clearly from a wealthy, likely top-tier, family.

What could he possibly want from her? How could he harm her?

She was decent-looking, but someone of

Russell's status must have seen countless beauties. And if he really took a liking to her, he could have used force to take her away; she would have been powerless. Why go through all this trouble? And deep down, she had an intuition.

Russell... he definitely wasn't a bad person.

A faint trace of a smile flickered in Russell's eyes.

Regardless, being trusted always felt good.

"If we can really go back, I'll start looking for a job immediately," Lily said earnestly. "I'll work hard to earn money and pay back every cent you spend on us."

Russell initially wanted to say it wasn't necessary, but seeing her serious expression, the words died on his lips.

"The money should be repaid. However, after returning, besides taking care of your family, the most important thing for you is to continue your education."

When her family's troubles began, Lily should have been only fourteen or fifteen. 

Given her family's situation, she certainly couldn't have continued school.

"You..." Lily was clearly taken aback that Russell had even thought about her schooling.

Indeed, when they first came to Yewhaina, probably to ensure her parents worked well for them, the agent and the unscrupulous boss pulled strings to get her into a school.

After the incident, with no money and no status, she had to drop out.

She dreamed of going back to school.

But with the family situation like this, how could she? Just keeping her father alive and preventing her sisters from going hungry had exhausted all her energy.

This time, Lily finally couldn't hold back her tears.

"You... how can you be so good?" she asked between sniffles. "I never imagined in my life I could have such a turn of fortune."

"This is merely a small effort for me. You don't need to take it to heart," Russell said. 

"Besides, we are compatriots. Meeting in a foreign land is also fate."

Over the years, he had always been committed to charitable causes.

Now, he could consider Lily as part of those charitable endeavors.

Lily looked at Russell with immense gratitude, unsure what else to say.

Russell checked the time. "I should go now. I'll have someone send your father's medicine during this period. I'll inform you once the arrangements for returning are settled. If there's anything else, contact me anytime."

With that, he handed Lily a business card and left.

Lily saw him off downstairs. After watching him get into the car, she looked down at the card in her hand, murmuring the name printed on it.

At the hospital, Monica held the still-awake Pharrell, her face full of maternal affection.

She occasionally teased him. Even though Pharrell wasn't much of a smiler, she was still overjoyed.

Because, with the Mendoza family involved, there was hope for Pharrell's condition.

Beside her, Gracie Mendoza watched, her gaze soft.