Chapter 6 Giving Hope is Worse Than Not Giving Any

"Investment project?" Eleanor frowned. If John had a business mind in this area,her grandfather wouldn't have entrusted the Stone family to her.

"Just transfer the money over if you know it. I need it urgently."

"I can give you the money,but you must send me the information about the investment project for me to review," said Eleanor.

John felt embarrassed and cursed at his phone,calling Eleanor a bitch and saying that she should have been aborted long ago. After saying some harsh words,he began begging again.

Eleanor was used to these tactics of slapping someone then offering them candy. After listening,she calmly replied with only one sentence: "Is there anything else? I'm busy here. If not,I'll hang up now."

"Don't hang up! Don't hang up! Let me show you!" John quickly stopped her for fear of any regrets on her part causing him to lose out on an opportunity.

After hanging up the phone,Eleanor sat by her computer and soon received the files sent by John. She forwarded them to her assistant for printing while asking for a cup of coffee as well.

When the files arrived,Eleanor looked through them until a hot cup of coffee was placed on her desk emitting its rich aroma. It was top-quality Blue Mountain coffee with hints of fragrance in its aftertaste but still too bitter for her taste buds.

She had always preferred sweet over bitter and used to take medicine with sugar cubes before becoming reliant on this bitter coffee just to keep herself going mentally.

After taking a sip from the cup held in one hand while continuing to read through documents with another hand until interrupted by knocking at the door from behind which came from David's arrival downstairs seeking an audience with Ms.Stone according to their assistant who entered along with him into their office space without closing doors behind themselves leaving Eleanor to signal her assistant to speak for her.

"Ms. Stone,Dr. Miller is here downstairs."

David was here? Eleanor was surprised and had no time to think about John anymore,hastily saying "I know" before hanging up the phone directly.

"You go down and bring him up while finding someone else to make a cup of tea," she instructed her assistant who left immediately after receiving orders from Ms.Stone.

While waiting for David's arrival,Eleanor transferred $2 million into John's account without any gratitude or thanks from her father which made her laugh at herself in self-mockery before throwing the phone onto the table.

"Ms. Stone,Dr. Miller is here," said the assistant upon returning with David following behind as he entered their office space where doors were still open leaving them exposed to anyone passing by outside.

"This way please." Eleanor stood up and led David over towards a sofa area designated for meetings near floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking city views beyond it all around them both sat down on it together facing each other across coffee tables placed between them both holding cups of hot beverages in their hands respectively one being half-empty coffee cup emitting its aroma throughout the entire room making David frown: "Why are you still drinking coffee?"

"Why not?" asked Eleanor pushing the teapot closer towards him asking casually: "What brings you here today?"

"It seems like you've forgotten everything I told you last night," said David as he sat down next to her on sofa looking at his friend with concern written all over his face seeing how much weight she lost since they last met just a month ago wondering how could someone who used to be afraid of getting injections when catching colds now endure stomach cancer pains?

Eleanor shook head while staring blankly ahead at a nearby potted plant that has already wilted away murmuring softly: "What do we need to do there?"

"Detailed examination,determine a treatment plan,hospitalization," said David as he looked at Eleanor closely,unable to imagine how someone so young and full of life could be suffering from such a terrible disease.

Eleanor lowered her head without looking at him directly but instead focused on the dead plant beside them: "David,my illness is like this potted plant. The roots have already rotted away and no matter how much treatment I receive,it won't help."

"Eleanor,you can work day and night if you want to. You can spend four years trying to please a man who doesn't love you. But why don't you spend some time taking care of your own body?" David felt heartbroken for Eleanor who was still in her early twenties. She should be healthy,happy,full of vitality enjoying the best years of her life rather than being trapped in a boring marriage or working herself into exhaustion while enduring cancer pains.

David walked up to Eleanor and touched her head as he had done before. "Now that medicine is advanced,as long as you don't give up on receiving treatment and surgery,there's..." He stopped halfway through his sentence because he saw tears in Eleanor's eyes.

Eleanor stroked the withered yellow leaves in her hand and murmured,"So tell me,what are the chances of a successful surgery? Is it 50%,20%,or just a 0.1% possibility?"

David pursed his lips tightly and remained silent.

"Forget it." Eleanor smiled wryly while tugging at the corners of her dry lips. "It's better not to have any hope than to cling onto such little hope."

She understood David's meaning - who wouldn't want to live? Who wouldn't want a healthy body? But she had never heard of anyone surviving late-stage stomach cancer...

With a forceful grip,Eleanor crushed the withered leaf in her hand until it crumbled into pieces between her fingers and fell onto the ground.