Torn Between Love and Hate

Chapter 243

Chapter 243 Getting Married

Sarah sighed softly, “Mom isn’t trying to rush or pressure you. She’s just worried about you. You’re not

getting any younger, and there’s no one by your side to take care of you or even have a conversation

with.

Not too long ago, my mom saw Deborah’s daughter. The little girl is almost eight years old now,

sensible and well-behaved. Time flies, and she has grown up so quickly.”

Zayne didn’t say much, just nodded and replied, “Mhm.”

Sarah didn’t know what else to say.

She wanted to persuade Zayne, but after so many years of trying, she now found herself, at a loss for

words.

Sarah looked tired and didn’t say much more before leaving.

Zayne watched as his mother walked past him, and in that instant, he suddenly noticed that Sarah’s

hair had begun to turn white.

Theo’s hair began to turn gray as he aged, and he occasionally started to experience

headaches and fever.

William, who passed away last year after falling ill, was still worrying about his grandson not being

married on his deathbed.

Sarah walked ahead, quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Zayne suddenly felt a warmth in his eyes and realized how time had indeed flown by.

In the blink of an eye, he was already over thirty years old. It was time for him to get married, have

children, and settle down to live a good life.

Zayne turned around and glanced at Melissa’s hospital room.

Recalling the look in his mother’s eyes just now, he turned to gaze at Simone.

Gentle, beloved, anticipation.

Well, why not give it a try? It seems quite fitting.

Deborah accompanied Alyssa, staying at the hospital for five days.

The process of bone marrow donation involves the donor receiving injections of a mobilizing agent for

four consecutive days. On the fifth day, blood is drawn and hematopoietic stem cells are extracted for

donation.

On the fifth day, she accompanied Alyssa to have her blood drawn.

Fortunately, the whole process went smoothly. Over the course of a few days, Alyssa didn’t experience

any discomfort, even when her blood was drawn.

Deborah breathed a sigh of relief, as the matter of donating bone marrow had finally

come to an end.

Over at Ashton’s place, he was still inside the aseptic chamber.

After receiving the bone marrow transplant, he still had to stay there for another

month.

So, Deborah and Alyssa never actually saw him, they only bumped into Hector a few

‘times, and Hector’s condition was unusually bad.

Rumors have already begun to spread that Hector won’t last much longer, and soon, the

entire Mullen family will have to rely solely on Ashton.

As for Ashton’s lung cancer, it has always been kept a secret from the public, with hardly anyone

outside knowing about it.

Otherwise, if both the grandfather and grandson had serious health issues, and the

news got out, the entire Mullen Group would have probably been in chaos by now.

After Alyssa donated bone marrow, Deborah accompanied her as they left the hospital.

Deborah was driving while Alyssa sat in the backseat, browsing videos on Deborah’s phone.

Originally, the plan was to drive to Moxley Manor. Ever since returning to Richmond recently, Donna

has been talking about Alyssa non-stop.

Halfway through the drive, Joseph unexpectedly called.

Deborah didn’t want to pick up Alyssa while driving, so she let Alyssa answer the call directly.

The phone connected, and Joseph’s voice came through from the other end. “Debby, are you and

Alyssa being discharged from the hospital today? Is everything going

smoothly? I’ll come pick you both up.”

Deborah was about to answer, but Alyssa spoke up for her, “Mr. Black, we’ve finished

our tasks and are now on our way back.”

Joseph’s voice, which was originally relaxed, immediately became a bit restrained hearing Alyssa’s

voice.

upon

“Ah, that’s good to hear. Well then, Alyssa, you and your mom should go back and get

some proper rest.”

He was self-aware enough to know that when Alyssa said she was going back, she

didn’t mean to his place.

Even though Deborah had always lived in the same house with him while in Oceanview

City.

Alyssa cheerfully replied, “Mr. Black, today is your birthday. Happy birthday! How

about my mom and I keep you company to celebrate?”

Deborah’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as she looked at the rearview mirror in

disbelief.

Alyssa has been in the hospital these past few days, so probably no one has told her that

today is Joseph’s birthday, right?

Over there, Joseph was quite surprised and flattered, “Don’t worry about my birthday. You’ve been

through a lot donating bone marrow; you should go back and rest first. But, how did Alyssa know that

today is my birthday?” This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Alyssa glanced at Deborah in front of her and replied somewhat sheepishly, “This morning, when

Mom’s alarm clock went off and she didn’t wake up, I helped turn it off. That’s when I saw the note on

it…”

Alyssa paused for a moment before continuing, “The note says it’s Mr. Black’s birthday today.”

Joseph’s birthday, huh,” Alyssa couldn’t find the words to express herself.

Deborah suddenly realized and remembered the note on her alarm clock, her face

turning red in an instant.

In recent years, not only has her health been poor and she’s unable to withstand stress, but her

memory has also been failing her.

Last year, I forgot Joseph’s birthday, and he was quite upset about it.

When their collaborator came to the door to offer congratulations, Deborah went to open it. Upon

seeing the person outside, she looked puzzled and asked, “Birthday?”

eyes,

Then Joseph appeared from behind, with a faint smile that didn’t quite reach his as he welcomed his

business partner inside. “Mr. Green, you’re too kind. Please, come in

and have a seat.”

Because of that, Joseph sulked for almost half an hour that night before finally going out to buy her

some late-night snacks.

Deborah made a significant change from her past and decided to keep an alarm clock.

Joseph laughed, “Oh, I see.”

He exchanged a few polite words, but Alyssa insisted, saying that they could visit Moxley Manor

anytime. Instead, they should go to his place for dinner today and celebrate his birthday together.

Soon, Joseph could no longer “evade” and agreed to it.

When Alyssa and Deborah arrived at Joseph’s manor, the housekeeper came out to open

the door for them.

Joseph, wearing an apron and with his sleeves rolled up, was busy chopping and stir-frying vegetables

in the kitchen.

The housekeeper said with a smile, “I told Mr. Black that it’s his birthday today, and there’s no way we

could let him cook for himself. But he insisted that since it’s Alyssa’s first visit, he wanted to personally

prepare the meal.

Originally, a few friends were supposed to come over, but he called them last minute to

-cancel.”

Joseph quickly came out of the kitchen and upon seeing Alyssa enter, he felt a nervous tension, as if

meeting her parents for the first time.

“Alyssa, you’re here! Ah, please have a seat. I bought some fruits and snacks. Take a look and see if

there’s anything you like. If not, I can ask the housekeeper to go out and buy something else. Dinner

will be ready soon, but feel free to have some snacks to hold you over.”

Alyssa looked at him wearing an apron, his hands still damp from washing the vegetables.

Compared to the previous Joseph, who always wore a suit and tie and looked very serious, he now

seems much more approachable and friendly.

In a daze, she suddenly remembered how Deborah, wearing an apron, used to cook for her in the

kitchen.

Alyssa nodded, “Alright, thank you, Mr. Black. I’m not picky, I’ll eat anything.”

She suddenly remembered something and handed over the cake she was holding. “On our way here, it

was getting late, and it wasn’t easy to choose a gift. We passed by a cake shop and bought a cake to

wish Mr. Black a happy birthday.”

Joseph, overwhelmed with happiness, immediately responded, “Thank you, Alyssa! The cake is

amazing, I really enjoy eating it.”

Seeing him so nervous, Deborah couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Joseph actually never really liked eating sweets; he would rather drink water than have something

sweet.

He never eats sweet cream, especially the overly rich ones.

But this time it’s different, since it’s from Alyssa, it must be delicious no matter what.

Joseph genuinely cared about Alyssa’s feelings. He knew all too well that the only real

betw

obstacle between him and Deborah was, in fact, Alyssa.

Deborah adored her and felt guilty toward her, so she hoped to satisfy her in every way

possible.

Alyssa sat down on the sofa, and Joseph immediately went into the kitchen to personally pour her a

glass of water.

Soon, the dishes were served, and he took care of Deborah during the meal.

Ch

Married

When using the serving spoon to serve food for Deborah, there will definitely be a portion for Alyssa as

well.

When serving soup to Deborah, there must be a bowl for Alyssa as well.

Joseph isn’t very good at pleasing others and doesn’t get along well with children.

He used to have a cold and aloof temperament, never taking care of others in a comprehensive way,

nor did he need to please or cater to anyone.

He had no experience, so when taking care of Alyssa now, he was extremely cautious, afraid of making

mistakes and upsetting her.

After finishing the meal, Alyssa couldn’t help but blush from his enthusiasm, saying, “Mr. Black, I’m

really full, I don’t need any water either.”

Joseph finally smiled and put down the cup that was handed to him.

Deborah noticed that they were getting along quite well. Just then, her phone rang, and she stood up,

saying, “I’m going to take this call outside. Joseph, please keep Alyssa company and chat with her.”

Joseph had grown accustomed to her calling him “Joseph” repeatedly, and it took him a

moment to react.

He immediately nodded, “Alright, off you go.”

Deborah took her phone and went outside, while the housekeeper, being perceptive, immediately went

to the kitchen to keep herself busy.

Alone at last, Alyssa finally spoke up, “Mr. Black, do you plan to marry my mommy?”