chapter2069

Magnus bobbed his head so fast it blurred. "All right, I understand. I won't ask Cecilia for a cent."

Denise studied him, worry clouding her fever-dulled eyes.

"You don't have to follow my compass," she murmured. "Some people think leaning on family is natural. If the strain is too much, do what feels right. Just don't blame me later."

"No, you're right," he insisted. "I'm a grown man. Running to my sister every time I'm short looks pathetic. I promised I'd get my act together. Besides, I've already saved more than thirty thousand, haven't I?"

Those savings were the harvest of brutal weeks, involving nights of being drowned in liquor with clients and mornings woken by headaches that hammered like drums.

Only after joining the workforce did he grasp how merciless money could be.

He still couldn't fathom how he had squandered fortunes before. That sum he could never replicate across several lifetimes.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Denise curved her lips into a small, genuine smile.

"Good."

Conversation ebbed. She lay back, still weak.

The fever had broken, yet dizziness clung to her like fog after rain.

"Are you hungry?" Magnus asked, soft with concern. "I can run out and fetch food."

Guilt pinched Denise's heart. Moments ago, she'd threatened to cut him off like a sulking child.

"A little," she admitted.

"Then I'm on it. Tell me what you're craving, and it's yours."

"Anything at all," Denise said.

Denise had never been fussy about food. Filling her stomach ranked higher than flavor, so long as the meal put strength back into her slender frame.

With that small permission, Magnus practically skipped toward the cafeteria line, eager to earn her approving smile.

What he failed to notice were the searching eyes hidden behind pillars, glass panels, and idle phones, eyes hired to track his every step.

Before long, those watchers had already phoned Cecilia, reporting in hushed detail where Magnus stood and what he was doing.

The moment Cecilia confirmed the caller's description, she knew beyond doubt that the mystery number from earlier belonged to her brother.

Has he really fallen back into the same old habits? The thought pressed against Cecilia's ribs like a stone she could neither swallow nor spit out.

Unease tugged at her. After a lingering breath, she dialed him back, determined to hear the truth from his own mouth.

The ringtone stretched before the call finally clicked alive.

"H-hello..." Magnus' greeting drifted through bursts of clattering plates and overlapping chatter, the unmistakable din of a cafeteria. Cecilia figured he must have balanced the phone between his shoulder and ear while scooping rice

onto a metal tray.

to s

"Why did you call me earlier, Magnus?" Cecilia asked, her tone steady but edged with suspicion.

Hearing his sister's voice, Magnus' fingers tightened around the lunchbox until the thin plastic creaked.

The days of failed attempts had finally broken. He was talking to her at last.

He was about to seek Cecilia's help when Denise's gentle warning echoed in his head. He slipped away from the crowd, seeking a quieter corner before speaking. "Cecilia," he began, voice soft, "it's been a while. I just wanted to check how you've been holding up."

"Same as always," she answered, neither cold nor warm, offering no more than necessary.

"Oh, right. Good." The single word landed flat, and his courage evaporated like steam off hot broth.

At a loss, he muttered, "I've got something to finish here, so we'll talk later."

He ended the call quickly, terrified that Denise might still be waiting on an empty stomach.

Cecilia stared at her darkened screen, stunned that the line had gone dead.

Magnus usually phoned only when he needed money, yet he had asked for nothing.

She waited, certain he would ring again, but minutes stretched into an hour, and her phone stayed silent.

"Lottie, do you think he's truly changed?" Cecilia asked, her brows knitting with cautious hope.

Charlotte could only shrug. "Sven

told me Magnus met and

woman with a remarkably kind spirit.

It seems her influence is steering him onto steadier ground." s

Cecilia knew exactly whom Charlotte meant. The girl was Denise Laney.

Denise had left school early, sold the family's house and van to pay her parents' medical bills, then juggled several part-time jobs to stay afloat, Herresilience bordered on heroic. s This content belongs to find~novel~net