Chapter 5 Tears Of Regret

• Colton immediately rejected Winston's offer. “Don't worry about the payment, Mr. Coldrell. That's not necessary.”
• To Colton's knowledge, Quad Needle Technique was a lost art. Winston is surely more knowledgeable than expected if he's skilled at the technique. He might have more valuable medical knowledge up his sleeve. The treatment fees are peanuts compared to the benefits Winston can bestow on us!
• Alas, Winston insisted, “That's enough. It's only right for me to make payment, and that's final.”
• Colton had no choice but to accede to his wishes.
• He was about to receive the credit card from Winston when he stiffened in surprise.
• The credit card was entirely black, save for an extremely realistic drawing of a dragon in gold.
• Colton had never seen a credit card quite like this in his lifetime.
• Strangest of all, only a string of numbers was etched on the card without a bank's name.
• He would have written the card off as a fake if he did not trust Winston implicitly.
• As though reading his thoughts, Winston explained, “The card works without a PIN number; give it a try, and you'll know what I mean. Contact me if there isn't enough money in the account.”
• Colton nodded and kept the card. Then, he asked curiously, “Where will you stay after leaving the rehabilitation center with your sister, Mr. Coldrell?”
• He had overheard Winston's conversation with Winnie and Hugh and was well aware of the scandalous couple's affairs. Naturally, he learned that Winston was in a tricky situation.
• Where will I live?
• Winston was befuddled.
• He's right. Where should I stay after leaving the rehabilitation center? I didn't think about that!
• Before Winston's time in prison, he had a net worth of tens of millions.
• Over the past four years, however, he had had no place to call home. The irony was not lost on him.
• Of course, Winston had earned a fortune from his assignments over the years. His earnings far dwarfed the tens of millions worth of assets Winnie and Hugh had swiped for themselves.
• Still, he could not purchase a house right this instant. He could only make do with a hotel while searching for a suitable home.
• Spying Winston's hesitation, Colton surmised that the man had nowhere to go. He immediately offered, “How about this? I've got an empty house nearby at the moment. If you don't mind, you could stay there temporarily.”
• “That's fine. I can't impose on your kindness!”
• “But you—” Colton had more to say when Jennifer stepped forward with a smile and interjected, “Why don't you stay with me? I recently rented a three-bedroom unit, and I was planning to rent out the spare rooms. I could lease it out to you for cheap! Plus, Anna's a girl, and it's probably more convenient if I took care of her.”
• Winston had planned on rejecting her offer, but after some thought, he agreed that Anna would benefit from the care of a female companion.
• Additionally, Jennifer volunteered at the rehabilitation center and had plenty of experience caring for others.
• “In that case, thank you in advance! I'll pay you more rent and remuneration for taking care of Anna!”
• Jennifer merely snorted and replied, “I can't believe you took my joke seriously. Don't worry! I won't charge you rent!”
• After that, they packed up and bid Colton farewell, leaving the rehabilitation center while Anna was awake.
• They soon arrived at Jennifer's house. It was located in a dated residential area. While the house was not well lit, it was well kept and clean.
• Once they got home, Jennifer gave Anna a bath and helped the girl to change into a set of clean clothes.
• Anna's face glowed after a refreshing bath, and some color had even returned to her previously sallow cheeks.
• Jennifer had learned more about Anna's condition on their way home. After Anna's shower, she led the teenager to the couch and put on a cartoon.
• Cartoons were probably catnip for three-year-olds, yet Anna's eyes were affixed to the screen. From her curled-up position on the couch, she watched the show seriously and giggled from time to time. Her smile looked as innocent as that of a naive child.
• Winston glanced at the characters on the television screen, his heart twisting with a pang of regret.
• Anna's already sixteen years old! She should be enjoying her life as a teenager, yet she behaves like a young child because of our parents' absence. It's all my fault that she turned out like this!
• He would willingly give up billions to prevent his younger sister from such a fate.
• Perhaps some form of telepathy was at play between the siblings. Anna suddenly retracted her gaze from the television screen and stared at Winston as though sensing his sorrow.
• “D-Don't b-be sad, Winston!” Anna stammered like a child who had just learned to speak.
• Her words pained Winston to no end. He shuddered as his eyes grew red-rimmed with tears.
• Just then, Anna left the couch and threw herself into Winston's arms. She reached out and stroked his face, cooing, “Winston... Winston...”
• Tears streamed down his face, unbidden.
• At that moment, Winston clearly related a saying he had once heard; only immense sorrow could cause a man to shed tears.
• He silently vowed to overcome all challenges and gather every herb needed to treat his sister and give her a normal life.
• Meanwhile, Jennifer came out of her room and spotted the siblings in a tearful embrace. Though her heart sank, she coaxed, “Don't be too upset, Winston! I believe Anna will eventually recover. Her life will only become better from now on!”
• Hearing her words, Winston took a deep breath and tamped down the sorrow in his chest. He forced a smile on his face and mussed his sister's hair, teasing, “I'm sure she will recover in no time thanks to our resident beauty's optimism!”
• “Save the cheesy compliments! Come and help me tidy up your rooms. We need to stock up on daily necessities after this!”
• Jennifer rolled her eyes at him before heading back toward the bedrooms.
• Winston grinned and cajoled Anna into watching some television. Then, he followed Jennifer into one of the bedrooms.
• Her house was rather well furnished, and they only needed to get new sheets and personal toiletries.
• Anna conked out on the couch while the adults cleaned the rooms for her and Winston.
• They gently moved Anna to a bed before leaving the house to get some daily necessities.
• Meanwhile, every member of the Lohan family had gathered in the living room of their countryside mansion.
• The atmosphere was far gloomier compared to that of Jennifer's house.
• Everyone stared intently at Winnie and Hugh. The couple sat in the middle of the couch, stony-faced since their return from the rehabilitation center.
• Winnie broke the silence. She scrunched her pretty brows and asked, “In any case, Winston's back. Judging by his character, he definitely won't let this slide. What should we do?”
• Hugh narrowed his eyes and replied, “The most important thing to do is to transfer all your shared assets under your name! We should also set an engagement date right away! The sooner, the better!”
• “What's the rush? Didn't you say it would cause more problems?” asked a confused Winnie.
• “That was in the past!” Hugh's eyes glinted dangerously as he continued, “We need to act swiftly and thoroughly now that everything's in the open! Luckily, I got some information from a close friend at the rehabilitation center, or we would've fallen for Winston's trick! Anna's awake for now, but she's still dim-witted. She won't recognize or accuse us of anything in the near future. To be safe, though, it's in our best interests to oust Winston from Jadeborough!”
• Hugh added, “We need to hold the engagement ceremony soonest and make it a grand affair. Let's hold it on the top floor of Argos Tower, so everyone in Jadeborough knows about it. How could Winston bear to stay on in this city once he becomes the resident laughing stock?”