Chapter 483: Nolan Brooks Burst Through the Accounting Office Door

"Rose! Stop what you're doing!" Nolan Brooks burst through the accounting office door, his voice uncharacteristically urgent.

Rose Jackson looked up from the ledger she'd been reviewing. She'd returned to work shortly after giving birth, unable to watch Nolan struggle alone with the shop's affairs.

"What's wrong?" Her sharp eyes immediately noted her husband's distress.

"It's Dad." Nolan's Adam's apple bobbed. "Mom and I need to leave immediately."

The pen slipped from Rose's fingers and clattered onto the desk. Nolan hadn't spoken to his father since being disowned. Not even their daughter's birth had warranted a notification.

"How bad?" she asked quietly.

Nolan's face paled. "Sanxi says he's been taken to the county hospital."

Without another word, Rose stood. "You get the tickets. I'll withdraw money from the bank." Medical bills were no stranger to her.

Nolan caught her hand. Their eyes met—no explanations needed. He turned and rushed out, the roar of his car engine fading quickly.

In the adjoining room, Eleanor Brooks played with her giggling granddaughter. Little Dumpling clung to her grandmother's blouse with tiny fists. The child had been attached to Eleanor since birth, crying whenever she awoke to find her gone.

The old woman doted on the girl now. Initially disappointed at having a granddaughter, she'd softened watching her son's devotion. After a month of caring for the baby, she couldn't imagine life without her.

"Mom!"

Rose entered with the child. "Pack your things quickly. Dad's in the hospital. Nolan's gone to buy train tickets."

Eleanor's hands trembled, nearly dropping the baby. "What? What happened to Walter?"

"They think it's a stroke. Sanxi already took him to the county hospital."

Flustered, Eleanor handed the child back to Rose and ran home, still wearing her apron.

The train station buzzed with noise. Nolan paid a premium for two standing tickets before rushing home for his mother. Rose pressed a thick envelope into his hands. "Twenty thousand. Call if you need more."

The train rumbled through the night.

Under the stark hospital corridor lights, Erniu and Sanxi crouched outside a room. Their eyes reddened when they saw Nolan.

"Where's Dad?" Nolan's voice shook.

Inside the room, Walter Brooks lay motionless, his face ashen.

"The doctor says... it's a stroke." Sanxi wiped his face. "We got him here in time, but... he hasn't woken up."

Nolan drew a deep breath. "It'll be alright. Remember when Elena's grandmother had a stroke? She recovered."

Eleanor collapsed at the bedside, tears streaming as she clutched her husband's hand. How could this happen after just one year apart?