Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

Cloudia was left speechless.

Five hundred thousand seemed like a lot already, and now they were talking about something even higher?

Cloudia exchanged a glance with Ursula, whose eyes were filled with a desperate plea for survival.

Unable to bear it, Cloudia averted her gaze and looked at Tegan, almost choking on her words. "Is there any other way?"

It was clear that coming up with over three million all at once was an enormous strain for her. Especially considering that Blaise was having issues on his end, and asking him for help right now might be a shot in the dark. Thinking of Blaise and that woman he'd had twins with - a boy and a girl - Cloudia felt a deep, burning anger in her chest.

Tegan replied, "Right now, this is the only option. But given her condition, it would be best to sort it out within a week, or even the medication won't be able to save her."

With that, Tegan left, not bothering to say anything more.

She hadn't lied. Based on the medical information she had, this medication did exist. And due to its exorbitant price, it hadn't been widely released. This was a tangible hope given to them. But whether they could grab onto this hope was entirely up to them.

Left alone in the room, Ursula clutched Cloudia's hand. "Mom, you'll save me, right? You will save me, won't you?"

Cloudia stuttered, "I..."

"Mom, I don't want to die. I really don't want to die."

"But..."

They didn't have that kind of money. Even combining what she and Jaxon had, they could barely scrape together over one million.

Ursula didn't have much money herself, Cloudia knew that well.

Shares? With the company in its current state, they were practically useless. Blaise was entirely focused on that woman and their two children. Asking him for money was out of the question. And even if they managed to solve the three million problem, they'd still need several hundred thousand each month thereafter.

"But Mom, I really don't want to die. I'm begging you."

Seeing Cloudia's hesitation, Ursula grew frantic.

Sure enough, when she began to cry, Cloudia's heart softened. She continually reassured her, "I will find a way, we will find a way. Don't worry."noveldrama

There was a chance at life. How could she bear to let the daughter she'd raised with such love die? She couldn't do it.

But they still needed over two million, and then half a million every month. This wasn't just a small sum - where could she find that kind of money? And there was only a week to figure it out. Cloudia felt the anxiety gnawing at her insides.

...

Tegan left the Larkin family home and immediately called Stella. When the line connected, Stella's sleepy voice came through. "Tegan."

"Are you napping?"

"Yeah, just catching some Z's. It's snowing outside again, perfect weather for a nap."

Maybe it was the weather, but Stella had always loved sleeping during snowy days.

Tegan said, "I've just left the Larkin mansion."

"So, how did it go?" Stella's voice became more alert. She had to admit, she had a weakness for gossip.

Tegan replied, "As you suggested, I dangled a hope before them with an impossible price tag."

Stella asked, "How impossible?"

"Not too bad, just over three million."

Stella was at loss for words.

Over three million was a colossal amount for the Larkin family, she reckoned. Especially in terms of liquid cash. Despite years of collaboration with the Quarry family, Blaise had only ever managed to catch the crumbs. The lion's share had always been locked down tight by the Quarry family.

"Maybe not much for you, but for the Larkin family, it's a death sentence," Tegan said, "When I was there, I saw a woman causing quite the ruckus. She must be involved with Jaxon because she was making the tarkin house anything but peaceful."

"That's Jaxon's woman, she even had a son with him."

"Oh, I see." Tegan had only been away from Portis City for a short while, and yet so much drama awaited her.

"If that's the case, then this hope with a price tag is something Ursula will never be able to reach. No matter how strong childhood bonds are, once there's a woman anda

child in the picture, Jaxon's heart

has to split a bit."

Stella responded, "That's not necessarily true for the Larkin family."

"Even better, if Jaxon's heart can't be divided between Ursula, then that woman will surely find all sorts of ways to extract from him." Stella agreed, "That's true."

Women, when it came to their children, would do just about anything.