Three Years After They Abandoned Me - Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Fiona nodded, tears instantly streaming down her face. "She doesn't have much time left," Fiona choked out.
Stella instantly let go of Fiona's hand.
Without Stella noticing, Fiona discreetly rubbed the spot where Stella had been gripped too tightly. After a quick glance at Stella, she burst into tears again.
Stella shook her head in disbelief. "No way!"
She thought, 'Grandma was perfectly fine just a few days ago. How could her condition have worsened so quickly?'
"The doctor said Eleanor only has about three months left. We should just do whatever we can to make her comfortable," Fiona said with a sigh.
She added, "Actually, her condition started deteriorating two years ago. She was barely holding on by sheer willpower, just waiting for you to come back. Now that you're here, that last bit of willpower she had just given out. And to make matters worse..."
Stella fixed her gaze on Fiona. "And what else?"
Fiona replied, "Today, your father and I were talking about the company when Eleanor overheard us. You know how much trouble your whole thing with Troy has caused for the company."
Stella said nothing, her eyes fixed on Fiona.
Fiona looked away, guilt washing over her. "Eleanor's getting older. All she wants is for everyone to be safe. She's worried that if the company collapses, nobody will be able to afford your treatment. We've told her not to worry, but she can't help it."
Stella's eyes slowly lost their light, growing dim.
Fiona stepped forward and took Stella's hand. "Stella, the company isn't completely doomed. The Bass family offered help, but only if you're willing to marry into their family.
"Of course, your happiness is our top priority. If you don't want to marry into the Bass family, we will never force you."
Stella turned her eyes back to Fiona, her gaze cold and piercing.
Fiona frowned. "Stella, you're the one who crossed Troy. The Bass family helping us now is a huge favor."
Hearing that, Stella pushed her away silently.
Stella slowly went upstairs.
The doctor had finished checking Eleanor, and the servants were no longer busy. But seeing Eleanor lying there so frail, they all sighed.
Stella approached Eleanor's bed. Eleanor lay there with her eyes closed. Her face was so calm that it was as though she had already passed.
A single tear rolled down Stella's cheek as she crouched down beside Eleanor's bed, gently embracing her.
"Grandma, please wake up," she whispered. "I want more time with you. During those three years, I thought of you every single day. Without you, I wouldn't have made it this far. How can I possibly live without you? Please, don't leave me."
Suddenly, Stella felt a hand grip her wrist. Realizing Eleanor had woken up, she quickly took her grandmother's hand with the other and exclaimed, "Grandma, you're awake!"
Eleanor's breaths were still shallow. She said feebly, "Stella, don't talk like that. If one day I'm no longer here, you must live well. Even if it feels like no one else in this world loves you, you must take good care of yourself.
"You have a long road ahead and so much of the world to see. They say those who endure great trials are destined for good fortune. I know your future will be wonderful."
Eleanor didn't even know how she managed to finish speaking when Stella's tears gushed down her cheeks.
Eleanor reached out to wipe away Stella's tears. "Don't cry, sweetheart. It breaks my heart to see you like this."
Stella quickly wiped away her tears and forced a brave smile. "You're right, Grandma. I promise I'll live my life the way you want me to."
Eleanor nodded, her face still wearing that special smile for Stell.
Stella nestled her head against Eleanor's hand, wishing she could stay like this quietly forever, not wanting to think about anything else.
Stepping out of Eleanor's room, Stella saw Anna standing in front of Fiona and Andrew.
"Mom, Dad, you've always been so good to me, and Stella has suffered enough all these years. Since we're twins, please let me take her place and marry into the Bass family. I can help our family out of this crisis," Anna offered.
Fiona shook her head. "No way. Even though you're twins and share the same birthday, you were born at different times. Your birth time falls into a different astrological hour, which means your birth charts are completely different."
Andrew frowned deeply. "Anna, you can't marry into that family. Have you ever thought about Lionel?"
"But I want to help!" Anna said. "All these years, I haven't done anything. It's always been you guys making sacrifices. Now that we're in this crisis, I can't just sit back and do nothing."
Max snapped furiously, "Even in this situation, you don't need to step in. It's Stella's mess, and all she's done is watch Eleanor suffer and the company spiral into crisis. That's what makes her happy, right? She just wants revenge on us!"
Fiona quickly said, "Max, don't say that. Henry is much older than Stella. It's understandable that she doesn't want to marry him."
Max snapped, "If she didn't want to marry, she shouldn't have messed with Troy and his crew. Now she's ruined everything and expects us to fix it? Yeah, we've wronged her, but aren't we trying to make it right?
"Besides, with her reputation, even though we've said countless times that she wasn't raped, who would actually believe it?
"She should be grateful and seize the opportunity to save face while someone's still willing to marry her. But no, she's completely ungrateful. I swear she's just trying to drag us all down!"
"Damn right. I want to bring you all down," Stella sneered, making her way down the stairs. Every heavy step made their hearts race.
She continued, "Aren't you the ones who tried to screw me over first? Henry got married years ago and was divorced. His kid is already eight, and now you expect me to be a stepmother?
"Even you can't stand me like this. Do you really think they'll accept me? Let's be real. You're only thinking about yourselves.
"Don't say it's for my own good. You're just scared of losing everything. You couldn't live without your precious wealth. Anyway, you've already sacrificed me once. You wouldn't think twice about doing it again.
"Max, if you hadn't lost your temper and attacked Troy in the first place, would we have even been in this mess today?
"You didn't hit him because of me. You did it for yourselves and everyone else. You just didn't want people to know the Hayes family had a member like me, did you?"
Hearing this, the servants each let out soft sighs. They could hardly believe that the Hayes family had treated Stella this way. What began as a preference for Anna had spiraled into something much worse.
Stella had once been a cheerful, kind-hearted girl. The fact that they had pushed her to this point left the servants in disbelief.
Andrew was about to slap Stella, but Fiona quickly stepped in to stop him. She said, "Andrew, let's consider other options. If Eleanor finds out we're forcing her to marry, she'll be furious. What if her condition worsens because of it?"
Andrew jabbed a finger at Stella and snarled, "Listen up, Stella. If anything happens to my mother, I'll have your head!"