Chapter: 66

Alan opened his mouth to respond, but seeing the fury in his grandmother's eyes, he thought better of it and held his tongue.

"Since you're not responding, I'll assume you agree. If I catch you mingling with Lilliana again, don't expect me to play peacemaker with Kaitlin!" Beth huffed angrily and stormed off.

Alan erupted into a fit of violent coughing. His illness severely impaired his ability to manage even simple tasks at work.

Staying in the Hewitt family's old house meant putting up with Beth's incessant nagging, prompting him to return to his own home.

Kaitlin had yet to visit him. The house's emptiness weighed heavily on him.

Illness rendered him unusually susceptible, heightening his sense of isolation.

Lost in thought, Alan was jolted back to reality by his phone. It wasn't the call he had been hoping for.

Instead, Lilliana's name appeared on the display, aggravating him further.

He recalled Beth's advice and paused before picking up.

"Alan, you can't just leave me in the lurch! I'm out of work, I'm broke, and I'm on the verge of being homeless!"

Lilliana's voice broke through the phone, steeped in desperation.

Previously, Alan would have rushed to her aid without hesitation.

But times had changed.

"Alan, even if you refuse to help me, at least think of Ashley. I'm the only family she has left!"

Lilliana always used this argument, knowing well that Alan had a soft spot for Ashley.

“Enough! Haven't I done enough for you already? You've made your own bed, now you must lie in it." Alan's resolve hardened. “Liliana, don't call me again. I'm done sorting out your messes."

Lilliana gasped, her voice tinged with shock. “Alan, can you really be so cruel?"

"You need to take a hard look at yourself and your own mistakes."

With those final words, Alan ended the call and exhaled deeply.

As he severed his ties with Lilliana, he couldn't help but wonder if Ashley would hold it against him.

Now on her own without the financial safety net of the Hewitt Group, Lilliana found herself strapped for cash, necessitating drastic cutbacks in her spending.

Jobless and desperate, she began to send out her resume far and wide.

With each rejection, her hopes for a decent salary and respectable position diminished.

Eventually, after two weeks, a modest studio took a chance on her, offering her a position as an assistant.