Marissa let out a faint sigh, her lips curling into a polite smile.

With graceful ease, she slipped her arm free from Holley's grasp and gave her a light shove back toward Rita. "I'm afraid I'm not the type who puts up with people so easily."

"Marissa, you!" Holley gasped as she lost her balance, wobbling for a moment before Rita and Barry rushed forward, catching her just before she hit the floor.

"Marissa! You have the audacity to push Holley?!" Rita's shrill voice cracked with rage. Her calm facade vanished as she rolled up her sleeves, ready to lash out.

Marc, on the other hand, actually admired how calmly Marissa handled herself, but seeing Rita and the others ganging up on her made his patience snap. He strode forward and caught Rita's wrist firmly, his voice turning icy. "Rita, if you keep this up, I will take back the winery that was under Uncle's name."

Rita's face froze, her bravado faltering as a flicker of unease crossed her eyes. "I just wanted her to show some respect. What's wrong with that?"

"Respect? For a mistress who clawed her way to status with a fake pregnancy?" Marissa's tone dripped with venom.

She reached over calmly and gestured for Marc to let go. She had never been one to start a fight, but if someone pushed her, she always made sure they regretted it.

"Utter nonsense!" Rita barked, her face blanching. Of all things, her affair and shameless climb to power were the last topics she wanted brought up.

Marissa's voice turned cool and cutting. "If you've got so much free time to meddle in my life, why not focus on your own? That old man you're keeping company with seems quite taken with another woman lately. And that younger lover of yours? He's been planning to use a few intimate videos to find himself a new girlfriend. Maybe you should spend less time scolding me and more time keeping him... satisfied."

"Enough!" Rita roared, her face flaming red.

Fury twisted her expression as she struggled to hold her composure in front of her family. How could Marissa possibly know all that?

"Rita, is that true?" Holley's voice trembled as she looked between Rita and Marissa in confusion.

"Don't believe a word she says!" Rita snapped, forcing herself to steady her voice for Holley's sake. Then she turned back to Marissa, her eyes blazing. "Say another word, and I'll teach you a lesson myself!"

Marissa adjusted her cuff with a faint, unbothered smile. "Don't try to test me."

With that, her gaze shifted to Holley, her tone calm but edged with quiet warning. "Holley, you should understand something. Just because you want something doesn't mean everyone else does. So next time, skip the games. I like things straightforward."

She gave Holley's cheek a light pat, which was enough to make the cosmetic fillers under her skin shift slightly.

Barry's stomach twisted. He had a bad feeling that he was next. Swallowing hard, he clasped his hands together and shot Marc a desperate look. "Marc..."

Marc noticed Barry's silent plea out of the corner of his eye but ignored it. His sister clearly had things under control, and he wasn't about to ruin her fun.

"Holley can't have children, but you can help her with that, Barry."

Marissa's words landed like an explosion.

Barry's face went blank with shock, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly before he finally stammered, "I... I'm a man! This is... this is a mother's role, a woman's work!"

Marissa's cold gaze locked onto him. "You're a Curtis," she said flatly. "Put your fortune into research. I'm sure you can buy yourself a miracle and figure out how a man can conceive."

Her tone was almost conversational, but the chill beneath it was unmistakable.

Marissa lifted her hand and casually pointed toward Barry's stomach, her smile bright but sharp enough to make anyone uneasy. "You deeply care for your sister, don't you? Why not go ahead with my suggestion? Find a way to conceive a baby with Theodore. That way, you and your dear sister could even share the same man. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

The image Marissa painted made Barry's stomach churn. He could practically see himself with a swollen belly, and the thought alone made him gag. He stared at her in shock. "You're insane! I'm a man! I don't even have a womb. I can't get pregnant!"

"Oh, relax." Marissa gave him a flat look, as if she were scolding a child for failing a simple question. "You can get anything with money. What's there to be so worked up about? Are you just too scared to try?"

Her expression stayed calm, but her voice carried a quiet cruelty that made her words sting even more.

"You!" Barry's face burned red, his whole body shaking with anger.

"Anyway, I'm tired," Marissa said coolly, brushing him off. "We'll continue this little family chat tomorrow."

"You're not going anywhere!" Rita yelled, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She looked like she might keel over any moment.

But when Marissa glanced her way, she noticed the woman's healthy flush. Rita was fuming, yes, but nowhere near fainting. Saying nothing, Marissa turned to go, only to stop short when she met Corrine's tear-filled eyes.

Was she crying again? Honestly, did she have an endless supply of tears? Since they'd reunited, it seemed Corrine hadn't stopped crying once.

Corrine and Andrew had just exited the elevator, stepping into the hallway together.

Her phone screen was glowing in her hand, showing a live video feed. On it, a man was lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and machines, his face pale and lifeless. The background was filled with the sounds of chaos—raised voices and hurried footsteps.

"Dr. Wallace's flight lands after three this afternoon! What's this nonsense about discharging the patient now? Do you think you can disrespect him like that? He canceled an international conference just to come back and operate on this patient! You think money and connections give you the right to ignore medical protocol? Do you even realize how hard it is to schedule surgery with Dr. Wallace?"

A high-pitched female voice crackled through the speaker, echoing in the quiet hallway.

Marissa's brows drew together as she glanced at the group, noticing the sudden heaviness on Corrine's and Andrew's faces.

"Andrew, what's up?" she said, turning toward Corrine but directing the question at him.

No matter how many women she'd met in her life, she had never seen anyone cry this much. Even Evelina, who cried mostly for attention, couldn't keep up with her mother's nonstop sobbing.

"Marissa, your father..." Corrine's voice trembled, her eyes red and puffy as she looked at her daughter.

It felt cruel. She had just found her lost child after so many years, and now she was about to lose her husband.

"Mom!" Marc quickly stepped in before she could say more, turning to his brothers. "Let's get to the hospital right now. I'll call Theodore."

Marissa blinked, watching Marc rush off. Why was he contacting Theodore? Was he looking for Dr. Moore as well?

Marc didn't expect such negligence from his father's doctor. Allowing chaos in his father's ward was beyond unacceptable. His brows knitted tightly as he made a call while walking out, his tone firm and sharp. "Get everyone out of the ward! If anyone keeps causing trouble, detain them. I'll be there soon!"

Marissa moved closer to Corrine, and her eyes landed on the phone still clutched in her mother's hand. The live feed was still playing. Was that really her father on the screen?

The noise coming from the phone was a mess of shouting and movement. Someone was clearly losing their temper. Then came a loud bang, and everything went quiet.

"Brenden!" Andrew's voice cut through the tense air, nothing like his gentle tone around Marissa. "Get the car ready. Now."

The butler, Brenden Tucker, jumped at the sharp command, replying almost automatically before he fully registered it, "Got it!"

No one spared a glance at Rita, Holley, and Barry as they all hurried out the door.

"Corrine! Are you ignoring me? Did you forget your manners?" Rita gasped dramatically, clutching her chest before collapsing to the floor.

"Rita!" Holley cried out in alarm, running to her.

But Rita's theatrics missed their mark this time. Whatever sympathy she had hoped to earn from Corrine didn't work. She was already gone.

The driver sped through the streets, reaching Harmony Hospital in under ten minutes.

"Mom, Rissa, you go in first. I'll wait here for Theodore," Marc said as he stepped out of the car. His voice was calm, hiding his worry, trying to reassure his mother and sister. "Don't worry. Dad's going to be okay."

"Alright," Corrine murmured weakly.

Marissa was standing next to Andrew, when her phone started buzzing in her pocket.

"Marissa, your phone is ringing," Corrine said from her wheelchair, noticing the vibrations. "Go ahead and answer it. It might be the Fletchers calling about something important."

Marissa pulled out her phone, glanced at the caller ID, and looked back at Corrine and Andrew. "I might need a few minutes. You both go ahead and see him first."

Corrine noticed her daughter still couldn't bring herself to say the word "Dad," and it made her heart ache, but still she didn't press. She gently patted Marissa's hand. "Should Andrew stay with you?"

Even though they hadn't spent much time together, Corrine could tell her daughter felt more comfortable around Andrew than her other brothers.

"No, it's fine. I'll go in with Marc later," Marissa said, shaking her head lightly.

"Alright." Corrine nodded, With Andrew assisting her in the wheelchair, she quickly made her way inside with the others.

Marissa watched them disappear down the corridor, with her phone still buzzing in her hand.

She then moved to a quiet corner and picked up the call. However, before she could even speak, the voice on the other end hurried out. "Marissa! Thank goodness you picked up! It's urgent. Theodore from the Brooks family is here! He wants to meet you personally. There's a critical surgery coming up, and they're asking for you to perform it. They promised that they won't expose your real identity!"

Hearing the excitement in her assistant's voice, Marissa cast a quick glance toward the hospital entrance. Marc was still standing there, as if waiting for someone. She lowered her gaze, her voice measured and even. "Has the fee increased?"

Dr. Moore was known for charging a high price for anyone actively seeking him out. For particularly tricky cases, he might even waive the surgery fee and just bill for the medicine.

Creating new pharmaceuticals demanded immense financial backing, so Marissa could understand why her assistant sounded so thrilled. But she couldn't shake the thought from a few hours earlier, when she had met Theodore. He didn't know her real identity then, and now he was promising not to reveal it. That claim made her pause, curious and cautious about what it really meant.

The assistant, Garry Cullen, could barely contain his excitement. "Yes, Marissa! The fee has gone up five times over! The Brooks family is extremely generous. Should we accept it? Benny said that if you agree, we can send your things over immediately."

Garry and his brother Benny Cullen, both her assistants, were individuals she trusted completely. Since she spent so much time at the Fletchers' house, she kept a portion of her belongings at their small clinic for safety.

Garry, noticing her long silence, spoke up with a hint of admiration in his voice. "Marissa, the Brooks family went out of their way to track us down, even with all the security Benny has in place. Honestly, he deserves a cut of the blame for that." He then asked bluntly, "Are you not going to take this offer?"

It was unusual for her to stay silent for so long.

"Fine, I'll refuse it then," Garry continued, ready to end the call. "Don't worry. They won't find out your real identity!"

Benny and Garry had worked for Marissa for quite some time. She knew she could trust them completely. After all, they owed their lives to her.

"No need," Marissa replied, her curiosity piqued by Theodore, the man meant to be her husband.

Garry let out a relieved breath. "Okay then," he said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. He had bet with the team that she would accept the deal.

Marissa's lips parted slightly as a thought came to her. "Stick to the original fee."

Garry, switching to a backup phone, quickly stopped the previous email and asked in surprise, "What? Why? We could really use the extra money."

Marissa simply pinched the bridge of her nose and did not utter a single word.

Garry's patience began to wear thin as he tried to reason with her. "Marissa, please explain. Why are you insisting on the original fee? They're the Brooks family; money isn't an issue for them. And besides, the rare herb you're looking for is appearing on the black market. Whoever bids highest will get it. The more funds we have, the better we'll be prepared. Marissa, what are you thinking? Please, tell me."

"Alright," Marissa responded lightly. "Let's go with your suggestion."

"Five times the usual fee?" Garry asked to confirm.

"Yes," she answered succinctly.

Garry continued, "Oh, and by the way, another batch of your fiancé's medication has been developed. Do you want to pick it up, or should I have it delivered? Dr. Stewart says this new batch is far more effective than the last, thanks to your earlier advice. Unlike Dr. Wallace, who insisted on his own methods and wasted a bunch of valuable herbs, this time it's spot on. I even noticed the price of those herbs had gone up because of our frequent purchases. These merchants are really cunning! So... should I bring medication to you?"

"That won't be necessary," Marissa replied, her expression turning sharp as the memory of Bryson's antics at the banquet crossed her mind. "Keep this batch off the market for now. Just store it safely. If Dr. Stewart has any questions, he can ask me directly."

"And if Dr. Wallace asks?"

"Ignore him," she replied firmly.

"Copy that." Garry nodded.

Meanwhile, at the hospital entrance, Marc met up with Theodore. The two had discussed things earlier, and Theodore understood Marc's intentions.

"Dr. Moore has replied. The surgery is set for tonight. He'll visit this afternoon to assess your father's condition and prepare what's needed," Theodore assured him.

Marc gave a small nod, looking relieved.

Marissa, without any direct contact info for the Curtis family, waited in the hospital lobby after hanging up. She noticed Marc and Theodore heading toward the VIP elevator and called out, "Marc."

Theodore glanced back at her even before Marc did.

"Miss Curtis," he said, his intense gaze fixed on her delicate features, as though trying to read her thoughts.

"Mr. Brooks," she greeted, moving toward them. Before Marc could question her, she quickly clarified why she was still there.

"Sorry, Rissa. We actually had a banquet planned tonight to welcome you back, but unfortunately, we've had to cancel it." Marc sighed.