Kaelyn's face turned pale. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Although the Morley Group wasn't as prosperous as it once was, it was far from bankruptcy.

It was her father's hard work. It couldn't be treated like a commodity for others to pick and choose.

Andres also sensed something was amiss and called his secretary to ask what was going on.

The secretary lowered his voice. "Miss Dobson added it to the auction list at the last minute."

"Remove it."

"Miss Dobson... disagrees."

Andres frowned as he called Madelynn. He only heard a voice tinged with grievance on the other end.

He looked helpless, but his gaze softened. After hanging up, he explained to Kaelyn, saying, "Madelyne is an outstanding graduate from a top university. She had some experts evaluate the Morley Group and concluded that it has limited potential. So a merger is the best option now. Kaelyn, you have to trust her. Besides, even if the Morley Group is sold out, you still have me."

Kaelyn shook her head, and her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.

Before her father went into surgery, he had entrusted her with only one task. That was to protect the Morley Group.

She couldn't let others be the boss of the Morley Group.

She grasped Andres's hand and asked in a trembling voice, "I don't want anything else. Please... help me take the Morley Group, will you?"

Andres's heart stirred.

It had been a long time since Kaelyn showed such vulnerability.

He tightened his grip on her hand and said, "Alright. I'll make sure to get it for you."

Kaelyn nodded and felt slightly reassured.

The auction began with a starting bid of ninety million dollars.

Kaelyn nervously looked at Andres, but he suddenly stood up to answer a call. He looked anxious. "Don't worry. I'll be right there."

After hanging up, he hesitated for a moment and then handed her the bidding paddle. "Madelynn's in trouble. I have to go. Just keep bidding. No matter how much it is, I'll cover it."

Before Kaelyn could respond, he hurried out.

The bidding continued.

Kaelyn forced herself to remain calm. She consistently offered slightly higher bids each round.

Ultimately, she secured the Morley Group at three hundred million dollars.

She was secretly relieved. When she followed the staff member to complete the payment, she handed over the bank card Andres had given her.

A moment later, the staff member returned the bank card with an apologetic look. "Ma'am, this card is not valid. Do you have another method of payment?"

Kaelyn's heart sank.

How could it be?

Even if Andres didn't care about Kaelyn, he wouldn't give her a useless card to embarrass her publicly.

"Could it be a machine error?" she asked, trying to maintain her composure. "Could you please try again?"

The staff member nodded and attempted several more times, but the result was the same.

Kaelyn's fingers trembled as she called Andres.

He picked up quickly, and she said in a low voice, "Andres, the bank card you gave me doesn't work."

"How could that be?" Andres replied, puzzled. Then he comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, Kaelyn, I'm on my way back now."

Before he could finish, a soft, aggrieved female voice was faintly heard on the other end of the line.

Kaelyn couldn't make out what Madelynn said, but she knew Andres's mind instantly changed.

"Sorry, Kaelyn. Something urgent came up here, and I can't leave now. I'll call you later, alright?"

Before she could respond, the call ended abruptly.

Kaelyn stared at the darkened phone screen, and her heart grew cold.

She couldn't just watch as the Morley Group was bought by someone else. Desperately, she dialed Andres's number repeatedly, but only the cold, busy signal responded.

Others settling their own transactions noticed her predicament. Some whispered mockingly, "Isn't that Andres's fiancée? She looked so arrogant earlier, yet she can't even pay for an auction item?"

"If she can't pay, let others have a chance. Or... maybe if she offers something in return, I'll consider buying it for her." They laughed loudly.

Kaelyn's eyes reddened as she hoarsely retorted, "It has nothing to do with you."

Their laughter grew more brazen, and their words became increasingly offensive.

The staff member was helpless and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

Then the staff member indicated that the Morley Group would pass to the next highest bidder.

Meanwhile, due to her prolonged presence in the settlement area and the disturbance, two staff members politely but firmly asked her to leave.

Kaelyn tried to explain, but her influence was insufficient. Amidst the struggle, she was escorted out.

Before the door closed, she heard the auctioneer's hammer fall. Two hundred and fifty million. Sold!"

Kaelyn froze, feeling a chill spread through her body.

She hadn't managed to hold onto even one thing.

She didn't know how long she stood there in a daze before she got up and found Madelynn blocking her path with a smirk. "How does it feel to be thrown out? You'd better leave Andres as soon as possible. Stop embarrassing him."

Kaelyn's eyes were blank as she tried to walk past.

Madelynn grabbed Kaelyn's hair and said, "I'm talking to you."

They tussled by the roadside, oblivious to the red light. A truck barreled towards them.

"Kaelyn!" Andres's shout jolted her.

She looked up, only to be blinded by the truck's headlights.

With a deafening crash, Kaelyn was flung several meters away. Pain seared through her body, and warm liquid pooled between her legs.

Andres knelt nearby and examined Madelynn's scraped arm. He looked so nervous.

At that moment, Kaelyn's hope was gone completely.

By the time Andres rushed over, Kaelyn had already lost consciousness.

Outside the emergency room, the doctor was there.

"Miss Dobson is currently stable, but there's a slight detachment of the uterine lining. We need further tests to assess the situation..."

Before the doctor could finish, Madelynn burst into tears, "Andres, I don't want to lose my uterus. You have to save me. Kaelyn's uterus is fine. Can't you transplant hers to me?"

Andres hesitated. He then looked at the doctor and hoped for a solution that wouldn't compromise either of them.

The doctor looked serious as he said, "Mr. Warren, Miss Morley's condition is very weak right now. She can't undergo transplant surgery. If you insist on having her undergo the surgery, she will be in danger. Miss Dobson's uterus isn't damaged severely enough to need a transplant..."

Madelynn's cries intensified. "Andres, you promised my parents that you'd take care of me. How can you break your promise? If it weren't for Kaelyn, I wouldn't have been in an accident. Just surgery to transplant her uterus to me, and I'll forgive her."

Ultimately, Andres made his decision. "Proceed with the surgery to transplant the uterus. Kaelyn's health isn't a concern, but Madelynn loves children so much. She needs a healthy uterus."

He turned to Kaelyn, who was unconscious, and softened his voice with guilt, "Kaelyn, we can build a family together through adoption. I'll always be with you."

He still thought about Madelynn at that moment.

Kaelyn was wheeled into the operating room, and the surgical light shone overhead.

She struggled with all her might and tried to escape. But she was weak. She merely watched helplessly as the anesthetist approached with a needle.

She was despairing and closed her eyes.

Just then, the operating room door burst open.

A tall man rushed in. His gaze locked onto Kaelyn on the table, and his pupils contracted sharply. "Stop. I dare anyone to touch her!"

The doctor turned and gasped in shock. "Mr. Saunders..."

The lead surgeon tried to maintain his composure and said, "Mr. Warren signed the consent for the surgery. You have no right..."

Larry interrupted the doctor as his gaze was as sharp as ice. "Did she sign the organ donation consent form? If not, you are murdering her."

He took a step forward. His voice was not loud enough but was suffocatingly intense. "If this gets out, your hospital's reputation and your careers will be destroyed. Now, step aside, or I'll ensure you can never practice again."

Then Larry ignored the others and walked up to the operating table. With deliberate care, he gently lifted Kaelyn into his arms.

The attending doctor removed his mask without saying anything.

Over the past three years, he had operated on Kaelyn countless times.

As he was accustomed to seeing injuries, he once privately tried to stop Andres from hurting Kaelyn. But Kaelyn's injuries only increased when she was brought to the hospital the next time, although Andres looked concerned about her.

Kaelyn had been reduced to a weak shadow of herself.

The doctor had worked for Andres for so long that he nearly forgot the true duty of a doctor, which was to save the patient's life, not to clean up after Andres.

Watching Larry carefully carry Kaelyn away, the doctor suddenly felt that perhaps handing her over was the right thing to do.

"Take her away," the doctor said in a low voice. "Perform the surgery on her as soon as possible. She won't last long."

Larry glanced at the doctor before leaving with Kaelyn in his arms.

At the other end of the corridor, Andres was hurrying to Madelynn's operating room.

As they passed, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent and instinctively turned back. But Larry had disappeared with Kaelyn.

Her heart gave a sudden, uneasy lurch. But that made no sense. Kaelyn was supposed to be in the operating room right now.

He shook his head to dismiss the vague unease, which was replaced by a heavy guilt. He made a silent vow in his heart that it would be the last time.

Once Kaelyn recovered, he would make it up to her.

A few hours later, Madelynn was wheeled out of the operating room. She recovered quickly and woke shortly after being transferred to a hospital room.

Seeing she was fine, Andres got up to visit Kaelyn.

"You're going to see her again?" Madelynn called out to him. Her voice was both plaintive and sharp. "That wretched woman caused my car accident. It's best if she dies. Why do you care about her?"

Andres turned sharply. He said as he frowned tightly, "Don't let me hear such words again. It was an accident, not her fault. Besides, she has already donated her organ to save your life. You'd better be grateful to her. You shouldn't slander her."

With that, he was about to leave, but he hesitated. "Madelynn, the trail ends here. Kaelyn has sacrificed too much for me. I can't stand by and watch her get hurt anymore."

As he spoke, he suddenly felt enlightened. He truly realized at that moment that his relationship with Kaelyn never needed to be proven to Madelynn.

Regardless of the outcome, it was always just between him and Kaelyn.

Yet he had used the excuse of a trial to allow Madelynn to harm Kaelyn repeatedly.

Andres had a bad feeling. If this continued, he would lose Kaelyn completely.

Seeing his resolve, Madelynn panicked.

She threw off the covers and stumbled out of bed, and Andres instinctively supported her.

"Andres, my dream since childhood has been to marry you..." she said in a trembling voice, clutching his hand.

But Andres gently pushed her away and said, "I will only marry Kaelyn."

Madelynn froze, and her eyes were filled with resentment.

In the past, no matter what she asked, he would agree.

She really wished that wretched woman, Kaelyn, died.

Madelynn couldn't let go. She thought it was her last chance.

When she looked up again, Madelynn appeared plaintive once more. "Fine. As long as you're happy, I'm happy. Since you've decided to marry her... can you spend one last week with me? After a week, I'll return to Americanus."

Andres remained silent.

Madelynn's eyes reddened, and she gently tugged on his sleeve, "Please, Andres."

Looking down at her bandaged hand, Andres sighed, and his heart softened.

Madelynn's eyes lit up with joy. "Then let's have a photo session to remember our time together and go on a romantic vacation. They say lovers who hold hands there will never break up."

Andres frowned and said, "Madelynn, I see you as my younger sister. Besides, you've just undergone surgery. Can your health handle such travel?"

Madelynn's hand paused on her phone, and she looked uneasy for a brief moment. "We only have one week together. I don't want to waste it. I am happy to stay with you. So I can bear to be discomfort physically."

Andres felt something was amiss, but he didn't think much of it.

Before leaving, he still wanted to see Kaelyn.

Outside the intensive care unit, a nurse stopped Andres. "Mr. Warren, the patient needs rest and can't be visited right now."

Andres's heart suddenly raced. He asked about Kaelyn's condition several times and was finally relieved after confirming she was fine.

His phone vibrated continuously with messages from Madelynn. She was urging him to go back to see her with pleading emojis.

He put his phone away and instructed the nurses to take good care of Kaelyn.

After all, it was only one week.

After that, he would marry Kaelyn. They would spend the rest of their lives together.

With that thought on his mind, he smiled. He turned and joined Madelynn in the car, heading to the airport.