The knock on the door made Selena nce up just as Ricky walked in.


    "Hey, you''re still awake?" His voice carried a hint of worry.


    Selena quickly tucked away the financial papers she''d been poring over and looked up at him. "I was just about to call it a night." Ricky lingered by the couch, not saying a word and not leaving. The usually defiant teenager looked utterly defeated right then. Selena had a good idea of what was weighing on his mind. She patted the couch beside her, inviting him to sit.


    Ricky plopped down, his elbows resting on his knees, his head bowed low. The energy drained from him.


    Selena gently ruffled his hair, offeringfort with a tenderness she rarely showed. "Hey, it''s okay. We''ll figure it out."


    But Ricky wasn''t a little kid anymore. He understood the seriousness of their situation all too well.


    After a long pause, he spoke, his voice heavy, "Selena, there''s no way we cane up with that kind of money. Maybe we should just dere bankruptcy. I can start working. I''m not scared of hard work. I''ll make enough to support Mom and Dad, and you too."


    Selena felt a pang of bittersweetness. She knew he was sincere. She shook her head softly. "The fact that you''re not ming me for what happened with Aunt ire is a relief. But I can''t let you lose Dad, too. Alright, enough worrying, kiddo. Get some sleep, or you''ll end up with dark circles, and they won''t do you any favors in the looks department."


    Ricky protested, "I''m not a kid anymore. I''m an adult now."


    Selena chuckled, "You''ll always be my little cousin. If the sky''s gonna fall, it''s my job to hold it up first!"


    With that, she gave him a yful nudge with her foot. "Now scoot, get to bed!"


    Ricky''s eyes glistened with unshed tears, and not wanting Selena to see, he quickly got up and dashed out of the room.


    Selena watched him leave, her own eyes misting over.


    The next day, she made her rounds to several banks, hoping to secure a loan using her uncle''s real estate as coteral. However, the news of the app crash had spread like wildfire overnight, creating a media circus and a flood of negative chatter aimed at Brook. In such a climate, no bank was willing to give her the time of day, let alone the money, and she faced rejection after rejection.


    Sitting in her car, she felt a heavy despair settle over her.


    With banks mming doors in her face, herst resort was to seek out private loans.


    She scrolled through her contacts, names flickering across the screen. Even asking friends for help seemed futile The amount was just too overwhelming.


    She was left with two choices: approach Callum or turn to Everett.


    Even though she and Callum were on friendly terms, asking for that much money was a big deal. What could she possibly offer as coteral? As for Everett...


    Well, if she could help it, she wanted to avoid getting tangled up with him again. Caught in a web of indecision, Selena sank back into her seat, feeling helpless.


    Over at his vi, Everett had spent a restless night.


    After Derick fitted him in on the situation the day before, he hadn''t stepped in to help. He was waiting for Selena toe to him, to plead as she used to, to admit her mistakes and yield to him once more.


    е


    This was her consequence for defying him. She needed to learn just how harsh the world could be, so she''d willingly stay by his side. Dressed in his suit, Everett went to the office as usual. But by noon, there was still no sign of Selena and no missed calls on his phone. With a cold expression, Everett pressed the inte. "Derick, find out what Selena''s up to!"


    Having anticipated this, Derick


    replied cautiously, "Mr. Bet, after trying several banks without any luck this morning, she drove off towards the hospital..." Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org