After All the Hurt, She Chose Herself novel Chapter 298

"Didn't you just say you were going to fund Dr. Reaves's retirement?" Raphael pointed out. "He practically raised me. If you're stepping up, shouldn't I contribute something?"

Raphael had been born severely premature. His older brother—Gideon's father—had desperately needed cord blood to survive a life-threatening illness, so Old Mrs. Evernight had risked her life to have another child at an advanced age. The surgeon who had managed the high-risk delivery was none other than Dr. Reaves.

However, the cord blood only bought Gideon's father a few more years. Old Mrs. Evernight, who carried the same genetic anomaly, passed away the exact same year as her eldest son.

The devastating double loss had plunged Aldous into a severe depression, and it was Dr. Reaves who had pulled the old man back from the brink.

Dr. Reaves snorted. "At least you have a conscience, kid."

Since Raphael framed it that way, Aria couldn't exactly refuse without seeming unreasonable. She offered a reluctant nod.

In reality, Dr. Reaves was incredibly frugal; he wouldn't be able to spend five million dollars in his retirement, let alone fifteen million.

"I'll leave you kids to chat. I've got work to do."

Dr. Reaves hopped out of the car.

Now that he knew exactly how his story was going to end, he was desperate to spend every waking second inside the lab. His failing body often betrayed him, but knowing Aria was finally back by his side gave him an unexpected surge of energy.

Thinking about how fiercely she had promised to care for him, a proud, triumphant smile spread across his face. If the Evernight family wasn't in the middle of a massive crisis, he would have called Aldous just to rub it in his face.

With the professor gone, a thick, awkward silence settled over the interior of the car. Aria cleared her throat.

"Um... if you do manage to get that fifteen million back, just transfer it directly to the professor. You don't need to route it through me."

Not that she thought the Evernights would actually see a dime of it anyway. Aria had kept tabs on the Rowan family's business ventures. Nathan Rowan's recent strategic investments had all been catastrophic, money-burning failures.

Speaking of business, it suddenly hit her—Gideon was currently fighting for his life in the ER. How was she supposed to finalize the sale of her shares tomorrow?

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