Chapter 131
Julia was still preoccupied with Zion’s condition when she overheard someone gossiping nearby. Irritated, she remarked, “Lily, you can criticize Zion all you want, but you can’t say he doesn’t care about Xander! Throughout the years, when has he ever neglected him or failed to clean up his mess? But you can’t just turn to him whenever you’re in trouble, expecting him to fix everything. What’s your own family doing?”
In response, Lily Clark sighed, “I’m in a desperate situation now, aren’t I? If I had a solution, why would I seek advice from Zion and you guys?”
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Mom, don’t cry, there’s always a solution,” her daughter comforted.
Julia hadn’t cried yet but Lily beat her to it, which was something she couldn’t stand. Over the years, their family had been burdened many times, with relatives always coming to them in times of need, but never remembering them in times of prosperity.
Out of familial obligation, they never said much. Julia harbored some grievances deep down, but she never spoke up. She knew Zion was too sentimental. How could he not care about his own brother whom he had grown up with?
She understood.
But these people were like parasites; as soon as they sensed their family would offer assistance, they clung on relentlessly. Even when Zion owed two million, it was Xander who convinced him to invest, then refused to take responsibility, shifting all the blame onto Zion. Their family had long been estranged because of this.
Julia had quarreled with Zion over this, almost divorcing, until Nina resolved all the problems.
And now they were seeking their help again.
This time, it really got to Zion, and he ended up falling, breaking his hand.
And on top of that, they had the audacity to bring this up at the hospital, showing no concern for Zion lying in the hospital bed.
Julia asked again, “Where’s Xander? How could you two show up without him?”
“Xander is hiding. If he shows up, he might get beaten to death,” Lily said with teary eyes, trying to speak kindly, “Xander feels guilty too, for the sake of this family, for you guys. He’s been wanting to repay Zion for lending him so much money, wanting to make money to pay him back, but who would have thought…”
Zion lay on the hospital bed, feeling a bit weary of hearing about these upsetting matters. He had put in a lot of effort for this younger brother.
Whenever something happened, it was him who had to clean up the mess, often at the expense of his own affairs. He had almost been promoted back then, but it was ruined by Xander. He was just too soft- hearted, which had harmed his daughter as well.
This time, Zion was resolute about staying out of it. “I’ve already warned him not to get involved in those matters again. He’s already squandered the family’s wealth, and I’ve done everything I can. I can’t keep stepping in to fix his mess. He needs to handle it himself. Money can be recouped, but once you lose your integrity, you’ll never get it back.”
Zion had always been accommodating to their requests, so when he said such things this time, Lily looked up, crying, “Zion, are you really going to turn a blind eye?”
Zion responded, “If I were ten years younger, maybe I could’ve, but I’m too old now.”
At an age where a fall could be fatal, he didn’t have the energy to deal with those messes anymore.
Lily wiped away her tears, disbelieving his indifference. “Zion, are you really going to ignore whether Xander lives or dies? Did your wife influence you to ignore Xander? He’s your own brother, your only brother!”