After her rebirth

After a moment of silence, Wesley shook his head. "Anyone know how Oliver's family treats Katniss."

Wesley's face turned colder. He stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette and said harshly, "They're really cold towards Katniss. Whether they know it or not doesn't matter. If Katniss gets mistreated at Maximilian's and they don't care, I will. I'll bring Katniss back here."

When Katniss was young and got wronged, even if she was bullied at school, Wesley and Elodie didn't feel sorry for her. Instead, they blamed her for causing trouble and told her to reflect on herself.

With this attitude, how could he expect the Oliver family to support Katniss?

Daphne sighed, "You're right, the Oliver family only cares about the adopted daughter with no blood relation. But Maximilian gave so many gifts, properties, and money. If they find out you bypassed them to act as a guardian, I'm worried Oliver and Elodie will make a fuss."

Wesley snorted coldly, "I'm not afraid if Oliver comes to me. All those gifts, properties, and money were given to Katniss. We didn't take a penny. I have a clear conscience!" Hearing this, Daphne nodded.

Wesley was right, they weren't greedy for Katniss's property.

If Oliver's family could treat Katniss better, they wouldn't have to step in to discuss her marriage.

Neither of them spoke again, and the room fell silent. Then the sound of a door opening came from the entrance, followed by the sound of a doorknob turning.

Saskia entered the room quietly, her eyes red and swollen, clearly having just cried.

Seeing Saskia like this, Wesley and Daphne were startled and quickly went over.

"Saskia, what happened?" Daphne asked, heartbroken. She then had a guess and her face changed, "Did Kieran hit you? Saskia, don't hide this from me and your dad!" Saskia's nose tingled, her voice hoarse as she held back tears and said, "No, Mom, no one hit me."

Under Wesley and Daphne's persistent questioning, Saskia finally revealed the truth.

"Dad, Mom, I need money." As if finding it hard to say, Saskia choked for a while before finally getting the words out, then covered her red eyes and cried. "Kieran's mom, Ellen Fisher, is very sick. The surgery and medication will cost a lot of money. Kieran and I don't have much savings, and what we can gather is far from enough."

Saskia didn't want to come home to ask Wesley and Daphne for money, but Kieran's family pressured her relentlessly.

Because Kieran wanted her to be a full-time housewife, Saskia hadn't worked since graduation. Kieran gave her a monthly allowance, which she used for living expenses.

But all of it went to living expenses, and Ellen made sure she got her hands on anything left over.

How could Saskia have any money?

She thought Kieran would support her, but he said, "Saskia, my mom needs to be treated. Think of something. If you can't, go home and ask your parents for money. And your uncle's family is wealthy, and they're related to Maximilian by marriage. This amount of money is nothing to them, but it's life-saving for us!"

With no other choice, Saskia had to come home.

Wesley felt sorry for Saskia and couldn't refuse the money. He said nothing, just sighed deeply, "Since Ellen is sick, we should help."

Wesley had planned to give Katniss a grand wedding. Maximilian's family was generous, and although they were ordinary people, they couldn't lose their dignity and etiquette.

Now, Wesley was in a difficult position.

"How much do you need?" Daphne quickly had Saskia sit down and poured her a glass of water.

Saskia pursed her lips and said with difficulty, "We need $100,000."

Daphne's eyes widened in shock, and she was stunned for a few seconds. "A hundred thousand dollars? What kind of illness does Ellen have that costs so much? It's terrifying."

"They say it's kidney failure, which requires dialysis and a transplant. Kieran said a kidney isn't cheap, and he's also trying to raise money." Saskia's delicate face showed a weary and worried expression. Saskia had been taking care of Ellen for the past few days and was mentally exhausted.

Ellen didn't like her to begin with, and now that she was sick, she was even harder to please, saying the most hurtful things.

Any slight displeasure would trigger accusations - Saskia was wishing her dead, reveling in her illness, and other cruel pronouncements.

Kieran also showed no kindness, saying that marrying her was of no help at all.

Wesley kept a calm face, showing no emotion. After a long while, he said, "I'll figure out the money with your brother. Don't worry. Stay here tonight, and I'll give you $10,000 tomorrow to take back for now." "Dad, it's my fault. I'm so useless, making you help me at this age and causing you trouble." Saskia felt very guilty.

Wesley was a teacher, and Daphne worked in a textile factory. Their combined monthly salary was only about a thousand dollars. They would have to save for a whole year without spending a penny to save ten thousand dollars. Asking Wesley and Daphne for so much money at once, Saskia really couldn't bring herself to do it.

Daphne looked at the dark circles under Saskia's eyes, noticing that she had lost weight since the last time she saw her. Her heart ached, wondering how Ellen had tormented Saskia under the guise of being sick.

Daphne hugged Saskia and stood up to get her a set of her own pajamas. "Saying these things would just make your dad and me feel bad. Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat. You're so cold, your whole body is freezing. Go take a shower, and I'll make you some ramen."

Hearing Wesley and Daphne's caring words, Saskia's nose tingled, and she held back her tears as she went into the bathroom and cried as soon as she closed the door.

In the kitchen, Daphne was making ramen.

"There's still so much money needed. Micah hasn't been working for long, so he probably doesn't have much savings. What are you going to do about the rest?" Daphne asked, feeling a heavy weight in her heart.

Wesley thought for a moment. "Tomorrow, I'll buy some supplements and visit Ellen in the hospital. I'll ask the doctor for more information."

Daphne agreed. She was just a housewife and had no other solutions.

Golden Crest Estates, the Hamilton Manor.

The next morning, bathed in warm sunlight, Katniss woke up groggily.

Opening her eyes, she saw unfamiliar white gauze curtains and didn't immediately realize where she was.

After getting their marriage certificate yesterday afternoon, Maximilian went back to work, and she returned to the Hamilton Manor and read books all afternoon.

In the evening, Maximilian was too busy to come home for dinner, so she ate the meal prepared by Mira alone, studied for another two hours, and then went to bed. Although she was now married to Maximilian, their relationship hadn't changed and remained the same as before.

This made Katniss feel very at ease.

After lying in bed for a few more seconds, Katniss quickly got up, washed up, and went downstairs.

In the dining room, Maximilian was wearing a gray turtleneck sweater and gold-rimmed glasses, looking warmer than before.

Maximilian sat at the table, calmly reading something. Hearing the sound of footsteps coming downstairs, he looked up at Katniss and put down the document in his hand. "It's 7:35 now," Maximilian reminded her calmly. "You're almost late."