The Invincible Mercenary King (by Matt Watt)

Chapter 28

“What’s wrong, sis?” Haylan furrowed his brow as he looked at Floris with concern.

“It’s nothing. My husband is working overtime today and can’t come to take care of our child. I can handle it alone,” Floris forced a smile to hide her inner turmoil.

Despite her efforts, the smile on Floris’s face looked lonely and betrayed her inner turmoil.

Haylan’s frown deepened as he noticed it.

He couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss between Floris and her husband, but since she didn’t elaborate further, he didn’t feel comfortable probing.

Just then, a nurse walked into the room and addressed Floris with a cold tone, “Floris Hammond, you need to pay the bill now.”

Floris asked politely, “Excuse me, how much is it?”

“4,600 dollars. And remember, you cannot give your child any food or water after 10 PM tonight. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow!” the nurse replied sternly.

“Now, please go and settle the payment.”

The nurse left firmly, without any hint of compassion in her voice.

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After the nurse left, Floris looked pale. Her hands trembled as she clutched the edge of the hospital bed, her eyes filling with tears.

“What’s the matter with Tracy? What sort of ailment is she grappling with that calls for surgery?” Haylan inquired, creasing his brows with concern.

At the sight, Tracy recoiled in terror and hastily sought refuge behind Floris, obstructing Haylan’s view of the nature of her affliction.

“She’s grappling with pneumonia and pediatric hernia. While the former can be remedied with injections, the latter necessitates surgical intervention. Floris conveyed with a troubled countenance.

The thought gnawed at her, causing her anguish as she pondered, “How on earth are we going to come up with the exorbitant sum of money required?”

“Having acquired some rudimentary medical knowledge over the past eight years, let me examine Tracy. Perhaps there has been a misdiagnosis.” Haylan suggested with earnestness.

Floris shook her head in dissent. “It’s unnecessary. We’ve already consulted with numerous medical professionals who have verified the diagnosis, and surgery is the only viable course of action,” she replied firmly.

“I’ll phone my husband and request him to transfer the requisite amount,” she added, determined to leave no stone unturned in securing the funds for Tracy’s treatment.

As she spoke, she stepped out of the doorway to place the call.

Tracy harbored a palpable apprehension about being alone with Haylan and hence endured the agony of her ailment to remain steadfastly entrenched in her mother’s comforting embrace.

Regrettably, Haylan’s efforts to examine Tracy privately were foiled, and he was denied the opportunity to assess her condition without the presence of her mother.

Having exited the ward, Floris absented herself for a prolonged interval to avoid any chance encounter with Haylan and then whispered furtively on the phone.

“Sir, my daughter is hospitalized, and I urgently need financial assistance. Could you kindly extend a loan to me?” she implored in a hushed tone.

“Apologies, Ms. Hammond, but I’m currently experiencing a financial shortfall, came the regretful response from the other end of the line. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Madam, my daughter is hospitalized and scheduled for surgery tomorrow. I humbly request your assistance in providing me with a loan.” She appealed, her voice laced with a sense of urgency and desperation.

“Floris Hammond, are you here to solicit another loan from me? How many times have you approached me for financial assistance this month? I cannot oblige your request, so kindly leave!” retorted the individual on the other end, his tone brusque and unsympathetic.

“Landlord, I am in dire need of a loan. Would you be able to extend your assistance?”

“Borrow money, Floris Hammond? You are already three months behind on your rent! Let me warn you, if you fail to pay your dues by tomorrow, you will be evicted!” bellowed the landlord, his voice resonating with palpable anger and frustration.

“Have you no shame to ask for a loan while you owe me three months’ rent? Outrageous! Begone!” sneered the landlord, his tone laced with contempt and disdain.

Floris found herself facing insurmountable difficulties in procuring a loan from anyone. Despite reaching out to over thirty individuals, she was met with nothing but refusals and reluctance to extend any form of financial assistance.

Desperate and on the brink of tears, Floris slumped onto a chair in the hallway, overcome with a sense of hopelessness and despair.

“How can I possibly manage this?” she contemplated, feeling utterly defeated and at a loss for a viable solution to her predicament.

Tomorrow is the day of my daughter’s surgery, and I have no means to fund it. Must I be forced to watch Tracy endure such agony?” Floris pondered, consumed by a sense of dread and anxiety.

I’m sorry, Tracy. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry…”

Floris wept inconsolably, holding her daughter tight as tears flowed freely down her face.

Overcome with emotion, Floris feared Haylan overhearing her sobs and deliberately distanced herself from him as she wept, her despair weighing heavily on her as she cried softly and despondently.

Haylan stood inside the hospital room, his eyes brimming with tears as he struggled to contain his

emotions.

Haylan possessed an acute sensory acuity, with his hearing in particular honed to a remarkable degree, surpassing that of an ordinary person by a hundredfold.

With his keen sense of hearing, Haylan could discern even the slightest disturbance up to a distance of three kilometers as long as he listened with focused attention.

As he listened to Floris’ anguished sobs, Haylan was gripped by an overwhelming sense of discomfort, as if a heavy boulder had been placed atop his chest, rendering it almost unbearable. The thought dawned on him that a mere lack of funds had pushed Floris into such dire straits,

leaving him to wonder about the extent of misery and hardship that she must have endured over the years.

Haylan realized that his usually strong-willed sister was now compelled to conceal her predicament and cry privately to protect her self-esteem and pride, fearing that he might discover her dire straits.

Haylan was overcome with heartbreak, particularly for his sister, as he realized the depths of her struggles and the challenges she had faced alone.

As a child, Haylan was the apple of Floris’s eye. During every New Year, Floris would set aside candies for him to relish, and when the family slaughtered chickens, she would snatch the coveted

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chicken legs for him.

The realization that his beloved sister was now living in such dire straits filled Haylan with unbearable discomfort and anguish.

Haylan wiped away his tears and strode out of the room with determination. He made his way. directly to the hospital’s payment office, where he promptly paid 20 thousand dollars toward Tracy’s medical expenses.

Regardless, any unused portion of the medical expenses could be refunded, and Haylan was not deterred by the prospect of paying more if the need arose.

As he walked back, Haylan pondered over the situation, resolving to find an alternative course of

unless absolutely necessary.

action for Tracy’s diagnosis, determined to avoid resorting to surge

Haylan was acutely aware that surgery entailed breaking the body, which constituted a form of injury regardless of the medical benefits.

He knew that a hernia was essentially a misplaced intestinal tract and that traditional medicine. offered a plethora of massage techniques for its treatment.

The thought of inflicting any harm upon his little niece was unbearable for Haylan.

“Floris Hammond, have you no conscience? Why didn’t you inform me of our daughter’s illness.

sooner?”

“I should not have allowed Tracy to follow you back then. You, a penniless and destitute woman with no accomplishments to your name. What means do you have to support our daughter?”

“Look at you. How have you raised your daughter? You are not fit to be a mother at all!”

As Haylan returned to the ward, he heard a man’s angry voice from within.

Frowning in concern, Haylan entered the ward.

Upon entering the ward, Haylan was confronted with the sight of a middle-aged man, impeccably attired in a suit and leather shoes, with carefully groomed hair, berating Floris in the harshest of terms, casting blame upon her for the situation at hand.

“Liam Hammond, I did not summon you here for a quarrel. My daughter requires 4,600 dollars for her surgery, and I implore you to lend me the amount.”

Suppressing her anger, Floris glared at the man in the suit with bloodshot eyes, her emotions simmering just beneath the surface.

“I can lend you the money, but on the condition that you sign an agreement with me, transferring custody of our daughter to my care,” Liam stated icily, his words laced with a sense of cold. detachment.

“You are taking advantage of the situation!” Floris retorted, her tone marked by simmering anger at the man’s callousness.

“What’s wrong with me taking advantage of the situation? You, an unsightly and impoverished woman, have only two choices – sign the agreement, or watch your daughter suffer. The decision is entirely up to you,” Liam sneered, his grin betraying a cruel and calculating nature.

“Liam Hammond, Tracy is also your daughter. How can you bear to see her suffer?”

Floris’s fury boiled over as she pointed an accusatory finger at Liam and launched into a scathing tirade. “If it weren’t for your dissatisfaction, our family would not have been torn apart like this. You abandoned your wife and daughter to please other women. And now, you dare to ask for custody of your daughter? Shame on you!

“Liam Hammond, you are nothing but a beast, lower than even a swine!” Floris spat out in disgust, her words seething with anger and contempt.

“You, penniless woman, keep your mouth shut!”

Upon hearing this, Liam was consumed with rage and lashed out, striking Floris hard across the face with a vicious slap.

Liam’s blow was brutal and powerful, and Floris, with her frail and delicate frame, could not withstand its force. She recoiled from the impact, her face swelling up instantly, the corners of her mouth bleeding as she collapsed onto the hospital bed in agony.

“You shameless slut! It seems I haven’t hit you hard enough in a while for you to have grown so bold as to speak to me in such a manner. Do you wish to die?”

Liam was incensed, his eyes glinting with a vicious gleam as he glared at Floris. “You dare to insult me in front of my daughter. You want to die! Today, I will teach you a lesson!” he spat out, his words. seething with anger and hostility.

With a cruel sneer, Liam raised his hand and struck Floris once again, the force of the blow resounding throughout the room.

Tracy, a silent witness to the violence unfolding before her, let out a piercing scream, her face pale with fear and horror.

Fear etched across her features, Floris quickly gathered Tracy in her arms, shielding her from the violence as she raised her hands to fend off Liam’s blows.

“Smack!”

As Liam’s hand drew back, poised to strike Floris once again, a large hand reached out and caught his wrist in midair, halting his attack.

Haylan had arrived on the scene, his eyes blazing with icy fury as he confronted Liam. “Kneel and apologize to my sister,” he ordered, his voice ringing like steel. “Otherwise, I will beat you to death!”