Chapter: 298

Alicia made her way through the crowd until she reached the woman.

When she got closer, Alicia recognized her as Lilliana's assistant.

Without hesitation, Alicia bent down and helped the woman stand.

The assistant's face looked drained, and her eyes seemed unfocused.

Even as Alicia supported her, she continued to cling to the doctor's coat, refusing to let go.

The doctor spoke gently. “I'll help you start a fundraising campaign. It's the only thing I can do for now."

With those words, he turned and walked away.

The assistant tried to follow him, but she was too exhausted. She collapsed right in front of Alicia.

Seeing the crowd watching, Alicia decided to lead the assistant away from the scene. She found a quiet corridor where they could sit down.

Monica soon returned with a bottle of water.

Alicia comforted the assistant. Eventually, she managed to calm her down. However, the assistant's tears continued to fall. "Thank you... I need to go back and check on my sister. Thank you for comforting me," the assistant said, preparing to leave.

Alicia gently held her hand. "What illness does your sister have?" she asked.

The assistant seemed to recognize her but avoided making eye contact.

She was unwilling to share the details.

Alicia wasn't sure about the assistant's character, but it was clear she was in a dire situation.

Alicia thought she might be able to help, and perhaps this was an opportunity worth pursuing.

The assistant felt a wave of guilt and hurried away. Alicia didn't try to stop her. Within those few moments, Alicia had already made up her mind. "If you need any help, reach out. I'm sure you know how to contact me."

The assistant hesitated for a second. She then turned and ran off, avoiding looking back.

Alicia watched her stumble away and let out a sigh.

Monica spoke up, breaking the silence. "I remember now. She's Lilliana's assistant. I've seen her in photos online before. If she went as far as kneeling to a doctor, she must be desperate. Either Lilliana doesn't know about this, or she just refuses to help. Alicia, are you planning to do something for her?"

Alicia felt torn.

She needed to talk this over with Caden.

"I'll go check on her sister first," Alicia stated. "Monica, thank you for being here with me. You can go ahead if you have things to do. I'll just take a quick look."

Monica shook her head. "I don't have anything urgent. I'll come with you."

The assistant's name was Gina Mendoza, and her sister, Harley Mendoza, was suffering from a brain tumor. The tumor was causing nerve compression, which made surgery risky. Because of that, they had initially chosen conservative treatment.

Now, an emergency had come up, and Harley needed immediate surgery.

The cost was enormous. It cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it was an amount Gina simply did not have.

That explained why Gina had knelt and pleaded with the doctor earlier.

After wiping away her tears, Gina went to get some food for her sister. She spent a long time coaxing Harley to eat a little, but it all ended up being in vain as Harley vomited everything back up.

Harley was still young, but her face was pale, and she was so weak that she couldn't even muster the strength to cry.