The Billionaire Ex-Wife and the Beggar He Became novel Chapter 161

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Winona was at the hospital, helping her grandmother, Helga Perkins, get discharged when her phone rang—it was Mayo calling.

A few days earlier, when Winona had failed to bring home the family's cherished heirloom—a statue of Jesus that her grandmother had longed for—Helga had broken down in tears, sobbing like a child. No matter how Winona tried to comfort her, Helga refused to eat or drink. Not even Winona's half-serious threat to send her grandmother to the countryside could sway her.

Inevitably, Helga fell ill.

Winona had no choice but to bring her to the hospital for IV nutrition.

During the day, Mia stayed at the hospital to care for their grandmother. After finishing her work and picking up Zane, Winona would come by in the evenings to visit Helga, too.

But Helga's spirits never seemed to lift. Winona worried constantly.

Still, she tried to stay strong for her grandmother. "Grandma, you saved my life," she said gently, holding Helga's hand. "You've only ever asked one thing of me—to bring back the statue of Jesus that belonged to our great-great-grandfather. I let you down. If you want to punish me or even disown me, I won't complain. I still have over a hundred thousand dollars saved up; I'll give it all to take care of you. If you never want to see me again, I'll stay away. I just want you to be okay."

Mia, who had been listening by the bedside, couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Grandma! Helga Perkins! If you keep ignoring Nona, I swear I'll stop being your friend! I won't be your bestie anymore, and you can forget about getting any more lipstick from me!"

Mia was on a roll. "Grandma, this is all the Shepherd family's fault! That statue was worth less than ten thousand dollars, but they spent two million just to snatch it away. How was Nona supposed to compete with that? If you want to blame someone, blame those Shepherd family jerks! When Nona's business takes off and she's rolling in cash, we'll make sure the Shepherds get what's coming to them!"

"Grandma, if anything happens to you, what can I do? You're not punishing the Shepherds, you're hurting Nona! Don't you remember how she sacrificed herself for the three of us at the Shepherds' anniversary party, just to get Yves Prescott's help? Grandma, don't you care about Nona at all?"