No Strings Attached

Teo grabbed Leonora by the collar without a shred of mercy and tossed her onto the ground like a ragdoll. His eyes blazed with fury, not a hint of pity. "Leonora, let me make one thing crystal clear-you better pray lan pulls through. If he kicks the bucket, you can kiss your sweet life goodbye!"

Leonora's eyes widened with terror, and she immediately shook her head, pleading through tears, "Teo, my bad. I just wanted to spook you a bit. I never thought the flames would go wild, and I never meant for lan to get hurt for my sake. I'm so sorry. Please, let me see him. He's my own flesh and blood, after all. My heart's been in tatters, like it's been pierced by needles."

Teo's grip tightened around her neck, his voice seething with anger, "So, you're in pain, huh? Eaten up by guilt, are you? Good. My son's fighting for his life, teetering on the edge, and you think I'll let you off easy? I'll torment you slowly. For every day lan's out, you'll wish you could die, but it won't be that simple!"

Leonora gasped for air, her face turning a shade of deep purple as Teo's fingers threatened to crush her windpipe. She had never seen Teo this enraged. Looked like lan's vegetative state was the real deal. A flicker of satisfaction crossed her mind, yet tears continued to stream down her face.

When Teo saw she was nearly suffocating, he finally loosened his grip and flung her aside. Then he turned on his heel and left.

As he pushed open the door to lan's hospital room, the harshness on his face melted away. His eyes softened as he looked at Clara. "Clara, Grandma Rose cooked up some chicken soup for you. Have it while it's still warm."

lying on the bed, let out a heavy sigh, "Dad, my fate is hanging by a thread, and you can't spare a thought for

to fuss over? I've got to make

sooner so my son can take over, is that

go early and the kid's still a

ruffled Clara's hair. "See that? Your father-in-law cares more about you than his own son. But don't you worry, whether she's in charge or not, me and all my assets and are yours

from the corner of her mouth with his slender fingers. Witnessing their affection, Teo felt both heartened

then... He couldn't help but let out

looked up at him. "Did you run into

see you. She almost went ballistic with