Claire Xu stood with her arms crossed, a cold look in her eyes as she stared at her.

Standing behind her was Henry Mills.

May Lee composed herself, remembering that George Xu was probably still in a coma at this moment. That thought steadied her nerves, and she spoke calmly, "Qingqing, you’re back. Good timing. I need to go abroad with Hannah Xu for a while—remember, we promised to travel together."

"My dad is still unconscious in the hospital, and all you can think about is going abroad?" Claire Xu looked at her with scorn, her tone sharp and accusatory.

"Isn’t he in your care? And hasn’t he recovered? With you looking after him, there’s nothing to worry about." As May Lee spoke, she tugged her suitcase, intent on leaving.

Claire Xu pressed her hand on the suitcase.

"What are you doing? Trying to limit our freedom?" Hannah Xu glared furiously.

Claire Xu gave a cold laugh. "Why so nervous? I won’t bite. I just want you both to sit down for some tea. Are you really in such a rush?"

She glanced at the housekeeper, who immediately stepped forward to take the suitcases from May Lee and Hannah Xu.

Just as May Lee and Hannah Xu were about to flee, they were forced down onto the sofa.

The suitcases were opened, revealing nothing but gold bars, jewelry, and other luxury items. Claire Xu gave a disdainful snort. "Hannah Xu, the one lying in the hospital is your father. And yet here you are, planning to jet off abroad? What kind of ugly secrets are you two hiding?"

Her voice was sharp and intimidating.

Hannah Xu felt guilty but pretended to be calm. "What could I possibly be hiding? I was just planning a trip with Mom. Who could have expected Dad to suddenly end up like this?"

Claire Xu sneered, curling her lip. "All these years, he's given his heart and soul to you two—and this is how you repay him?"

"Heart and soul? Hah, if he truly cared about us, he wouldn’t have left all his shares to you. Hannah Xu and I get nothing. Do you call that looking out for us?"

May Lee fixed her with a resentful glare, her eyes venomous as a snake. She knew they wouldn’t be able to sneak away tonight. With George Xu waking up soon, their actions would be exposed—there wasn’t any point pretending anymore.

"I stayed by his side for years, serving him tirelessly. And how did he treat me in return?"

Though George Xu had treated them well, he always kept his guard up. Sensing his health deteriorating, he drafted a will: all company shares to Claire Xu, leaving May Lee and her daughter only this house.

Of course, May Lee couldn't accept it. For days, she had sulked and argued with him. Tonight, when George Xu came home drunk, they fought—and in a fit of rage, George Xu suffered a stroke.

But May Lee hadn’t sent him to the hospital—instead, she fled the house in panic.

Thankfully, the housekeeper brought George Xu some sobering soup in time, found him, and rushed him to the hospital.

Once she learned George Xu had been hospitalized, May Lee called Hannah Xu. Together, they plotted to lay low overseas, never expecting to be stopped by Claire Xu.

"I’m his wife! If your mother had a short life, how is that my fault? If he’d ever considered our wellbeing, none of this would have happened!" May Lee’s twisted expression became hateful.

Claire Xu, ablaze with fury, stormed over and slapped her across the face. Still not satisfied, she grabbed May Lee by her hair. May Lee tried to fight back, but Henry Mills stepped in, his tone ice-cold: "If you dare raise a hand, I’ll call more people to deal with you."

Henry Mills wasn’t bluffing—he couldn’t bear to watch Claire Xu suffer.

Tonight, May Lee had dared mention Claire Xu’s mother—a forbidden line. She deserved whatever came next.

Claire Xu vented all her anger on her. "You’re not fit to mention my mother! You vile woman!"

May Lee shrieked with laughter, repeating, "Your mother died because of you. Her life was short!"

"Lies! Don’t you dare slander my mother!" Claire Xu shouted, hatred blazing in her eyes as she yanked May Lee’s hair harder.

May Lee shrieked in pain, her face twisted.

Seeing her mother beaten, Hannah Xu flew into a rage and screamed at Claire Xu, "You bitch! If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me! Leave my mother alone!"

Waving her fists, she tried to hit Claire Xu, but Henry Mills shoved her back and away.

Claire Xu shot her a withering look. "Don’t worry. You and I have much to settle—plenty of time for that later."

After giving May Lee a thorough lesson, Claire Xu turned to Hannah Xu.

Hannah Xu’s bravado quickly crumbled—she was frightened.

Claire Xu only wanted to scare her, but Hannah Xu broke down, sobbing on the floor.

Calming herself, Claire Xu looked at the mother and daughter bawling on the ground. She curled her lips in disdain and instructed the housekeeper, "Lock them up for now. Once Dad wakes up, we’ll deal with them properly."

With that, she left the Xu house. She couldn’t bear another minute in this toxic place.

George Xu was still comatose. The doctor guessed he might wake up by morning.

When Yancy Shaw and Lauren Shaw saw that they had arrived, they left for home to rest.

Henry Mills worried Claire Xu might get too tired, so he phoned the driver to pick her up, offering to stay behind alone. Claire Xu refused.

By dawn, the first light appeared in the sky.

There were signs George Xu was regaining consciousness.

Claire Xu and Henry Mills were both overjoyed.

By late morning, George Xu had awakened. Still weak, his face seemed far older than before when he saw Claire Xu standing there.

"Qingqing, you’re here too," he said, his voice faint—with just those few words, he expended all his strength.

A wave of emotion hit Claire Xu. Standing at the foot of the bed, she kept her distance. Henry Mills nudged her. "Weren’t you the most worried? Now that you see your father awake, why are you silent?"

Claire Xu sniffed, pretending not to care. "Who said I was worried? I wasn’t..."

"Qingqing, come here. Let Dad get a good look at you."

When she heard George Xu’s loving voice, Claire Xu’s words died on her lips, her eyes growing misty. For years she hadn’t heard him call her like this—‘Qingqing, come here’ was something from childhood, now so distant.

Stiffly, she stayed where she was. Henry Mills gently took her hand, led her to George Xu’s bedside, and put her hand into George Xu’s. Then he quietly slipped out, leaving the two alone.

In the hospital room, Claire Xu awkwardly pulled her hand away from George Xu’s grasp.

"You waking up is what matters. The doctor said as long as you’re conscious, you’ll be fine. But you need to recuperate, don’t push yourself." Claire Xu’s tone was gentle without her realizing it.

It had been a long time since father and daughter spoke peacefully like this.

"If you’re fine, rest now. I’ll head out," Claire Xu said, turning to leave.

George Xu stopped her, his voice slurred and weak. "You... still can’t forgive your father, can you?"