“Thank you, Grandpa,” Marissa said. But she didn’t go upstairs immediately, unsure of which room was Tiffany’s
In that moment, Sansa assumed her role as the hostess of the family and turned to her. “Tiffany, since you are older than Ayla, the large princess bedroom rightfully belongs to you. However, after you left home a few days ago, we assumed you wouldn’t return, so I reassigned that room to Ayla. Your belongings have been moved to the guest room down the west corridor. You may stay there temporarily. After all, you’ll be getting married and moving out soon.”
Without a word, Marissa began climbing the stairs. As Ayla watched her go, her face contorted with scorn. Sansa had always pretended to respect Tiffany out of fear of gossip, allowing her to live in the large princess bedroom. This had long irritated Ayla, who had proudly taken over the room a few days earlier. Now, with all her family members thinking she had Dr. Riss’s support and indulging her, the thought of giving up the room seemed utterly impossible
As Ayla was still lost in thought, a series of loud bangs erupted from upstairs. A maid quickly descended the stairs in a state of panic and blurted out, “Tiffany is throwing all of Ayla’s belongings out of her room!”
“What?” Ayla exclaimed. Immediately, she leapt up and dashed upstairs, with everyone else following close behind. When they reached the second floor, they found Marissa in the midst of throwing Ayla’s possessions into the hallway, leaving a chaotic mess behind
“Ahh!” Ayla was on the verge of breaking down. Marissa had not only discarded her everyday items and expensive jewelry but also her certificates and trophies-each of her proud achievements was now treated like worthless trash
Sansa, shaking and furious, pointed at Marissa and shouted, “Tiffany, you ill-mannered brat, how could you treat your cousin so cruelly?”
In the past, such a confrontation would have made Tiffany tremble with fear. But now, Marissa just laughed, her laugh bold and arrogant. “Sansa, before you talk to me about manners, shouldn’t you first understand that taking things without their owner’s consent is stealing? My room and belongings were moved without my consent. Can you still call yourselves well-mannered?”
“But you’ve occupied this room for years. It’s my turn now!” Ayla snapped back, her eyes filled with anger
“You’re just a pathetic loser. You don’t deserve such a nice room,” Marissa responded with a smirk. “My father bought this villa, and you are living in my house. Unless I say so, you’re not entitled to this room.”
“You’ve crossed a line!” Ayla seethed, her face red with anger, yet she was speechless. Unfazed, Marissa continued, “Really? How about we settle this in court? Let’s see if the court will side with me and evict you all.” Her threat silenced any further protests. Marissa then quickly moved Tiffany’s belongings back to her room and slammed the door with a loud bang. Once alone, she swiftly cracked the code to the safe, ignoring the complaints outside. Inside the safe, she discovered a significant secret
Tiffany’s everyday items, such as her bed linens and furniture, were similar to those of the other family members. These were provided uniformly by the family, and Sansa ensured they were of decent quality to maintain appearances. Yet, a closer inspection of Tiffany’s belongings revealed the truth behind Landen’s taunts about her being ‘so broke.’ It seemed that Sansa had been pocketing part of Tiffany’s allowance, condemning her to a frugal existence since childhood. The rest of the Nash family believed that Sansa treated Tiffany as her own daughter and attributed Tiffany’s financial woes to her own mishandling of money. This illusion of care concealed Sansa’s deceitful and manipulative nature, while Tiffany, accustomed to this longstanding oppression, suffered in silence without ever thinking of rebelling
When Marissa opened the safe, her heart sank. One might expect to find gold, silver, or jewels in the safe of the Nash family heiress, but instead, it contained nothing of monetary value-only ten diaries. These diaries, secured away, underscored their importance to Tiffany, yet it was puzzling why she hadn’t taken them when she ran away from her marriage. Typically, one would take their most precious possessions when fleeing, unless leaving in haste without them was the only option. However, surveillance footage showed Tiffany leaving on her own, with no apparent pressure. This raised several questions: Why had she left when she was about to get married? Why had she vanished without a trace? Despite her financial struggles, how had she managed to travel abroad, and how was she sustaining herself there? These questions weighed on Marissa, presenting a mystery she was determined to unravel
Seeking more clues, Marissa opened Tiffany’s diaries. Although she felt guilty for invading someone’s privacy, the diaries might contain essential information, compelling her to proceed. The pages were filled with Tiffany’s handwriting, chronicling her life and innermost thoughts from childhood
As Marissa read, her heart ached with each entry. These were not just simple diaries; they were records of Tiffany’s struggles, documenting her efforts and the injustices she faced from Sansa and her daughter. Tiffany had started keeping diaries secretly when she was just three years old. A child so young, yet capable of expressing herself so eloquently, was undeniably talented. But Sansa could not tolerate her brilliance. Whenever Tiffany displayed any sign of intelligence, Sansa concocted plans to suppress and even harm her
To protect herself, Tiffany learned to hide her talents and sometimes pretended to be foolish. She bore everyone’s taunts in silence. This pattern lasted until high school. Tiffany had hoped to secretly prepare for college entrance exams and carve out a better future for herself. However, a significant event during her freshman year’s second semester devastated her life
By the time Marissa reached the seventh diary, dawn was breaking. Realizing she had spent the entire night reading, she stretched her sore back and was about to start the eighth diary when her assistant, Ferris, messaged her
“Riss, the Sanchez family in Blebert urgently needs our team’s help. They need you to treat a patient who has been in a semi-vegetative state for twenty-two and a half years.”
Reading the term “semi-vegetative state,” Marissa immediately thought of Tiffany’s mother
“Ferris, are you talking about Caylee Sanchez?”
“Yes, Caylee has recently become critically ill. All major hospitals are stumped. It’s urgent. Riss, will you take this case?”
Marissa responded without hesitation, “I’ll take it. Tell the Sanchez family I’ll be there soon!”
Upon receiving Marissa’s instruction, Ferris immediately informed the Sanchez family that Dr. Riss had arrived in Blebert and would soon be at the hospital to examine Caylee. The Sanchez family, elated by the news, quickly notified the hospital. The staff, excited about the arrival of the renowned Dr. Riss, buzzed with anticipation. Even the hospital director was at the entrance, ready to greet Dr. Riss personally
After finishing her conversation with Ferris, Marissa rushed downstairs, expecting the other members of the Nash family to be still asleep at this early hour, and not intending to disturb anyone. However, as she reached the living room, she found Balthasar sitting on the sofa, looking solemn. Seeing her, Balthasar sighed and said, “Tiffany, your mother is critically ill. Go see her one last time.” Before Marissa could reply, he added earnestly, “I know you harbor resentments towards her, but she is your mother. She gave you life. Saying goodbye means you’ll owe her nothing further.”
Marissa recalled a diary entry she had read the night before, detailing Tiffany’s only visit to the Sanchez family home to see Caylee. It was her first and last encounter with her mother at the age of thirteen. Previously, the Nash family had blamed Caylee for Brian’s disappearance, causing a rift with the Sanchez family and prohibiting any contact. Consequently, Tiffany had never been allowed to visit her mother
When relations between the families slightly improved at Tiffany’s age of thirteen, Balthasar unexpectedly allowed her to visit Caylee. The Sanchez family welcomed Tiffany warmly, but the visit ended disastrously. Upon seeing her mother, Tiffany erupted in anger, calling Caylee a jinx and blaming her for her father’s death. She declared that she never wanted to see her mother again and wished for her swift demise
Caylee, described as being in a semi-vegetative state, was half-awake and half-asleep. She could hear and respond to commands through simple gestures but was unable to open her eyes or fully wake up. Therefore, Tiffany’s harsh outburst was tragically one-sided. Unable to speak, Caylee could only wave her arms in distress as she listened to the cruel words from her daughter. Following that visit, Caylee’s health rapidly deteriorated to near death, necessitating several critical interventions to stabilize her. However, her condition continued to decline sharply after that incident. This event deepened the existing rift between the Nash and Sanchez families, with Tiffany’s parents vowing to disown her as their granddaughter
Tiffany recorded this painful episode in her diary. Even without witnessing these moments herself, Marissa could feel Caylee’s despair, pain, and helplessness through the vivid descriptions. Near the end of the diary entry, Tiffany penned a remorseful note: “I’m sorry, Mom. Although I had never met you before, I always missed you and was thankful for the life you gave me. I looked forward to meeting you, and today was the happiest day of my life. But I’m sorry, Mom. I lost control and hurt you, but it wasn’t my intention. There’s a devil in my mind that controls me, making me act against my will. I’m sorry, Mom. I can’t see you again because I’m afraid that devil will make me hurt you once more. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”
The tear-stained corner of the diary page underscored Tiffany’s deep regret and sorrow. Marissa felt as if everything was cloaked in an impenetrable mist, making it difficult to understand
“I’ll go to the hospital immediately, Grandpa,” Marissa replied to Balthasar, and then she hurried off to the hospital. Meanwhile, Connor received a message from Domenic. “Mr. Daniels, Dr. Riss has gone to Benevolence Hospital!”
Connor had just woken up when he received the news, leaving him momentarily stunned before he could react. Dr. Riss, the very person he had spent a fortune hiring a Dark Gold Hunter to locate without success, had unexpectedly appeared in Blebert
What upset him was that, while all of his lavish invitations had been declined, the Sanchez family had managed to secure Dr. Riss’s services. Initially, he had pegged Dr. Riss as exceedingly arrogant. Now, it seemed different. If Dr. Riss was willing to treat someone from the Sanchez family, which was far less influential and wealthy than his own, it suggested that the doctor wasn’t swayed by power or status. The fact that Dr. Riss had bluntly refused him seemed to indicate a personal aversion. This only deepened his curiosity about this doctor-there weren’t many who dared to oppose him so directly
“Go to the hospital immediately and seal all the exits. I must see Riss in person today!” Connor commanded sternly
“Yes, sir!” Domenic responded and swiftly began organizing the blockade. Connor quickly prepared himself and drove straight to the hospital
At the hospital, the medical staff and the Sanchez family members were gathered, eagerly anticipating Dr. Riss’s arrival, with the hospital’s security already heightened. However, as the minutes passed, there was no sign of Riss’s luxury car or any notable medical team
Myles Aston, the hospital director, paced nervously, concerned that Dr. Riss might have changed plans at the last minute. Such a scenario would not only be a disappointment but also mean missing a prestigious opportunity to host the renowned doctor. The tension among the Sanchez family was palpable. They knew that without Riss, Caylee’s chances of survival were slim
Just as anxiety was peaking, a young nurse hurried over to inform them, “Dr. Aston, Dr. Riss is already in Ms. Sanchez’s ward.”
“What?” Myles looked around, baffled. Where was the expected luxury car? And the medical entourage? Neither was in sight. Riss had arrived with unexpected subtlety
“Hurry, let’s get to the ward!” Myles urged, sprinting toward the ward, with the Sanchez family and other onlookers quickly trailing behind. Upon their arrival at the room, the nurse updated them. “Ms. Sanchez has already been taken to the operating room.” Without hesitation, everyone dashed to the operating room. There, they found Caylee’s attending doctor waiting outside, his face alight with excitement. Myles approached him immediately. “Is Dr. Riss inside?”
The attending doctor nodded with enthusiasm. “Yes, Dr. Aston. I never imagined I’d meet the idol of my profession in my lifetime. Meeting Riss is a dream come true!”
Myles, equally excited, moved to enter the operating room, but the attending doctor quickly intervened. “Dr. Aston, Dr. Riss insists on no non-essential personnel during treatments. You can watch from the observation window.” Understanding that many esteemed professionals had specific ways of working, Myles respected the protocol and eagerly peered through the glass window. The Sanchez family members also gathered around, trying to catch a glimpse of the scene inside
In the operating room, Caylee was lying with her eyes closed, surrounded by medical staff dressed in white coats, caps, and masks, all deeply focused on their tasks
Among them, a slender, graceful figure stood out. She was also dressed in the standard white attire, with her face masked, making it difficult to see her face, but her posture suggested she was quite young. Incredulous, Myles turned to the attending doctor beside him and asked, “Is that Dr. Riss?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply