### Chapter 2: Spending Requires Approval
"How did it go? Did Zach pick up?"
"Nina, where on earth is Zach? That’s his father-in-law in there, he can’t just ignore this!"
At the hospital, outside the operating room, Nina Wainwright made several more calls at Mrs. Wainwright’s urging.
This ti, it wasn’t that no one answered. The phone was off.
Nina Wainwright understood then. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen her calls—he was just tired of her. She put her phone away and didn’t call again.
"Family mbers! Who are the family mbers? Please co and pay the fees! The patient is in critical condition and needs paynt imdiately to proceed with the ergency procedure!"
Just then, a nurse ca over to press for paynt.
Mrs. Wainwright’s face was etched with embarrassnt. "Nina, Mom... Mom doesn’t have any money on ... Just now, when those debt collectors ca, I transferred all the money from my card."
"It’s okay, Mom. I have money. Zach gave a card."
When the crisis first struck, Nina Wainwright hadn’t been looking for Zachary Hawthorne for money—he had given her a card long ago. She was just scared and relied on him instinctively.
"Mom, you wait here. I’ll... I’ll go pay!"
Nina Wainwright said, her voice trembling. Although she was twenty-four, this was the first ti she had ever faced such a life-or-death situation. It was impossible not to be afraid.
Nina Wainwright patted Mrs. Wainwright’s hand, then followed the nurse to the paynt floor.
"Miss, thank you for your help."
She handed the card Zachary Hawthorne had given her to the nurse.
"I’m sorry, Miss, but this card... it can’t be used."
The nurse swiped it, frowned, and quickly handed it back.
"How is that possible?"
At first, Nina Wainwright thought she must have misheard. How could the card Zachary Hawthorne gave her not work?
"Could you try again? Maybe it was a network error?"
"I’m very sorry, but it really won’t go through. Do you have another card, or perhaps another way to pay?"
The nurse paused, then added, "Miss, please hurry. Your father is in serious condition. If he doesn’t get surgery soon, he could suffer brain death and end up in a vegetative state!"
"I... I’ll make a call right now."
Hearing the nurse’s words, Nina Wainwright’s mind went blank. Her already exhausted body could barely support her. She squatted down, took out her phone again, and called Zachary Hawthorne. This ti, as she dialed the number, her hand was shaking.
’Pick up, Zach. Please, just pick up!’
But still, no one answered. The anguish on Nina Wainwright’s face deepened, partly from the fear of what might happen to her father, and partly from her husband’s cruelty.
’Does he know how scared I am? I’m terrified sothing will happen to Dad. If it does, how can I go on with soone so heartless?’
Nina Wainwright fought to control her emotions. After a mont’s thought, she called Zachary Hawthorne’s assistant.
"Miss Wainwright, how can I help you?"
The call was answered after a short while.
"I’m sorry to bother you, Assistant Sinclair, but I’m trying to reach Zach. His phone is off."
"Yes, Mr. Hawthorne is busy. Is there sothing I can help you with? I can pass on a ssage."
Silas Sinclair glanced at the man standing by the window in the hospital room and spoke in a low voice.
Nina Wainwright didn’t have ti to compose herself. She rushed to explain, "It’s like this, Assistant Sinclair. My father... he’s not doing well. He’s at the hospital and needs surgery. When Zach and I got married, he gave a card, and I need to use the money on it now, but the card isn’t working..."
"Miss Wainwright, while Mr. Hawthorne did give you that card, he stipulated that to prevent you from funding your family, every withdrawal, no matter the amount, requires an application. You must state the purpose of the funds, and it must be approved by Mr. Hawthorne. Only after he gives the directive to the bank can you use the card."
Silas Sinclair’s words traveled through the receiver and into Nina Wainwright’s ears. For a mont, she hated how smart modern phones were, hated that the signal was so good she could hear every single word with perfect clarity.
She was his wife. When she graduated, she’d had excellent career prospects. She was a graduate of Zenith University’s top arts school and had even been invited to join a prestigious international dance troupe. But for him, she gave it all up to be a dedicated full-ti housewife.
When he gave her the bank card, she had been overjoyed.
Isn’t that what they say? A man’s love is where his money is. Though the money he gave her was a drop in the bucket for him—an amount he would probably forget.
But from it, she could feel a tiny shred of his regard for her. At least she hadn’t entered the Hawthorne Family without receiving a single penny.
But it turned out he had been wary of her all along, terrified she would give the money to her family!
’But now her father was in the operating room, his life hanging in the balance, and she just wanted to withdraw so money for his dical bills. Was that not allowed? Did she still need to file an application for that?’
"Assistant... Assistant Sinclair, I’m serious, this is an ergency! My father... my father is dying! The hospital is about to issue a critical condition notice! Can you please talk to Zach for ? I can file the application later, is that okay? Just ask him to unblock the card for , let withdraw so money!"
Before Nina Wainwright could finish, Silas Sinclair’s voice ca from the other end. "Hello? Miss Wainwright, are you there? Hello? I’m sorry, Miss Wainwright, the signal is a bit poor on my end. If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang up now."
"No, don’t!"
"Assistant Sinclair, don’t hang up!"
Clinging to him like he was her last lifeline, Nina Wainwright panicked when she heard Silas Sinclair say he was hanging up. She was on the verge of falling to her knees and begging, and even though no one but the passersby in the hospital corridor could see her, she was truly out of options!
’Please, don’t hang up on !’
But no matter how she cried out, he hung up the phone without a hint of hesitation.
"Assistant Sinclair!"
And when she tried calling back, he no longer answered.
This was like a death sentence for Nina Wainwright.
Her father was in the operating room, desperately needing money to save his life. If she didn’t get it from Zachary Hawthorne right now, who else could she turn to?
Who could possibly help her!
Nina Wainwright had never felt so helpless. Her lost gaze swept across her surroundings, seeing only a bleak, gray world.
But... she couldn’t give up. Her father was in the operating room, waiting to be saved.
Nina Wainwright knelt on the floor for a few seconds, phone clutched in her hand, and struggled to get up. She had to think of another way. ’Go find Zachary? But I have no idea where he is! Would it do any good to go back to the old family ho and beg?’
’Or maybe I should plead with the hospital first.’ She wanted to go back to the operating room doors. Her mother was still waiting for her. She wanted to beg the hospital for a little more ti.
But perhaps she stood up too quickly, or perhaps the emotional roller coaster of the evening had finally crushed her.
The mont she rose, her vision went black, and she collapsed.
"Miss! Miss..."
Before Nina Wainwright lost consciousness, the last thing she heard was the panicked cries of the hospital nurse.
...
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