Chapter 13
Suddenly, the elderly man’s eyes widened. He reached out and blocked Kristina and Trenton’s path.
“Young lady, you must stay strong,” he said, raising his hand and patting Kristina on the shoulder. He spoke with a deep sense of gravity, “As long as you are alive, there is always hope.”
With that, he shook his head, sighed, and walked away.
Seeing the old man’s inexplicable actions, Kristina furrowed her brows, feeling an indescribable sense of confusion. She couldn’t understand why this elderly stranger would say such words to her.
“As long as you are alive, there is always hope? What did that mean? I’m not planning to kill myself, Kristina thought to herself
When Trenton and Kristina returned to the McClain Manor, Belinda, seated on the sofa, glanced at Kristina and suddenly instructed the butler standing beside her, “Have someone properly dress her up later. The press conference tonight is very important”
With that, she rose and headed upstairs
Watching Belinda’s retreating figure, Kristina couldn’t help but blink in surprise. She guessed the press conference was related to what had happened at the wedding.
“Kristina,” Trenton gently rugged at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Kristina replied, shaking her head to clear her thoughts and instinctively feeling Trenton’s forehead with her palm.
Before going to the hospital, she had applied a fever–reducing patch to Trenton’s forehead. His fever had mostly subsided now.
“Let’s go,” she said with a smile, grabbing his hand. “Tll accompany you back to your room to rest.”
Kristina wasn’t yet clear about what she would face that evening. For her, the most important thing now was to conserve her energy.
A little after right in the evening, before the press conference officially began, the venue was already filled with journalists. All members of the McClain family were present, except for Stanley and his family.
At Belinda’s signal, the lawyer meticulously announced that Trenton would become the future head of the McClain family-
However, given that Trenton had not yet fully recovered, Kristina would enter the company as a special assistant to provide support
Although Kristina’s title was merely “special assistant,” the authority Belinda granted her was substantial; nearly half the company would be under her command.
Outsiders were unaware of Trenton’s current health condition, but everyone within the McClain family knew the truth. However, since Belinda had made her decision on this matter, none of them dared to voice their opinions.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open from the outside. Stanley’s voice rang out. “I object!”
Stanley, whose face swollen from the allergy, limped in with the support of Iris. He glared at Belinda and enunciated each word, “Grandma, I don’t think Trenton has the capability to be the head of the McClain family.”
“Belinda, have you lost your mind?” Iris exclaimed indignantly, her voice loud and dramatic. “Firstly, Trenton has the intelligence of an eight–year- old. Is it really appropriate to hand over the company to him?”
“Secondly…” She glared at Kristina with resentment and accused sharply, “Kristina has tarnished our reputation as soon as she stepped through the door. It’s even more inappropriate to let someone like her assist Trenton in handling company affairs, isn’t it?”
As she spoke, she opened a trending post on her phone’s web browser, holding the phone high and waving it around to show the screen. “Kristina has cancer and is fundraising for herself online. The medical records clearly state that she has cervical cancer.”
Upon hearing this, the people present were in an uproar.
They were not so much surprised that Kristina had cancer, but rather that she was fundraising online for her medical expenses. After all, the Bentley family was not exactly poor, and it seemed unlikely that she would resort to such measures for medical costs.
The onlookers immediately sensed that there was more to the story. They exchanged glances, their expressions conveying a sense of unspoken
Chapter 13
understanding,
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Iris sneered and confronted Kristina. “Kristina, tell us, do you actually have cancer! No matter what, you are now a member of the McClain family. If you’re ill, we will certainly help you with treatment.”
“However.” She shifted her tone, her gaze sharp and accusatory, and continued in a self–righteous manner, “Kristina, if you don’t have the disease, then you are exploiting people’s kindness to raise funds. This is called fraud, and the consequences are very serious.
Iris’s cunning move had put Kristina in a dilemma, with no easy way out.
E
