Chapter 242: Not Saving
A faint pink blush began to spread across Sophie Shaw’s cheeks, which were pale from anemia.
She could never resist Alaric Blackwood’s flirting.
"Let’s eat first."
Alaric nodded agreeably. "Then we’ll kiss after we eat."
After dinner, Alaric didn’t get his wish. The attending physician arrived with the match results. Aside from Mandy Halloway and Quentin Blackwood, whose results were still pending, none of the others who had given blood for testing were a match. Even Joseph Shaw was only a partial match.
There were no matches for Sophie Shaw in the national bone marrow registry, either. For now, all they could do was wait for Mandy Halloway’s and Quentin Blackwood’s test results, but hopes weren’t high.
"Mrs. Blackwood, do you have any siblings?" the doctor asked.
"I have a younger half-brother on my father’s side."
"Have him come in for a match test as well."
"He’s only ten years old."
"A ten-year-old isn’t the ideal choice, but he’s family, isn’t he? As long as he’s a match, he can donate bone marrow. All we need is parental consent."
Sophie nodded, but she wasn’t optimistic.
After the doctor left, Sophie hesitated, unable to bring herself to dial Joseph Shaw’s number. In the end, Alaric took the phone from her and made the call himself.
He told him they needed Joel Kane to come in for a match test. After a long silence, Joseph Shaw said, "Alright. I’ll take him to the hospital now."
After hanging up, Joseph Shaw secretly took Joel Kane to the hospital for the match test. That same evening, Joel told Bianca Kane that his dad had taken him to the hospital to have his blood drawn.
Bianca Kane immediately realized the gravity of the situation. She confronted Joseph Shaw, and the two had a huge fight.
"Joel is still a child."
"It was just a little blood. Don’t overreact."
"That’s easy for you to say. What if he’s a match? What are you going to do then? Make him donate his bone marrow to Sophie?"
"Sophie is his sister. Shouldn’t he save her?"
"I refuse. He’s still so young. What if it causes some kind of long-term health problem?"
Bianca Kane was known for doting on her son—so much so that even Vianne Kane would often pick on Joel in private out of jealousy. Hearing the two of them arguing in the study, Vianne waited outside. The moment Bianca emerged, Vianne pulled her into her own room to offer a suggestion.
"Mom, didn’t you say my granduncle was arrested and you had to go to Silhaven? Take Joel with you. Stay there for a while before you come back."
Bianca Kane nodded thoughtfully. "I was planning on making a trip."
"Then take Joel with you."
"What about you? You’re not coming with me?"
"I’m waiting for the cooling-off period to end so I can finalize my divorce with Damian Morgan. I won’t go with you."
"Stay safe. Don’t accept any acting roles for a while, just be good and stay home. If you absolutely must go out, remember to take several bodyguards with you."
"Don’t worry, I won’t go out."
Vianne Kane valued her life dearly. She was terrified of falling into Conor Sullivan’s hands and suffering a fate worse than death. Aside from the one time she had arranged to meet with Alaric Blackwood, she had barely left the house recently and had put all her work on hold.
Speaking of her safety, she couldn’t help but ask Bianca, "Mom, have you found out where Conor Sullivan is?"
"Not yet."
"How can you not find him? He’s a grown man."
"He’s probably not in Kingsport. He might be hiding somewhere else. I’ll have my people search the surrounding areas again. If we really can’t find him, we’ll just have to put it aside for now. If he’s dead set on getting revenge, he’ll show his face sooner or later."
Vianne Kane sighed in resignation. "So, are you and Mr. Shaw going to get a divorce?"
"Joel is already so grown up. What’s the point of a divorce now?"
"You’re certainly very considerate when it comes to Joel. How come you didn’t think about me when you divorced my dad?"
"How can you even compare them? Your father was a worthless bum. He never cared about the company and spent all his time carousing. He used my money to keep several mistresses on the side. Mr. Shaw, at least, has never cheated on me. Besides, he’s always treated you well—much better than your own father ever did."
"No matter how nice he is, he’s not my real father. He’ll never treat me like his own daughter."
Bianca Kane was completely overwhelmed and in no mood to comfort her daughter. She gave a dismissive reply, "That’s enough. You be good here at home. I’m going to my room to pack. I leave for Silhaven first thing tomorrow morning."
"Will our granduncle be okay?"
"It’s hard to say. This time, it’s pretty serious."
"He’s not going to jail, is he?"
"It’s possible."
If it were merely a matter of taking bribes, he would face removal from his post, expulsion from the Party, and administrative penalties plus fines. But his assistant had accused him of kidnapping and intentional injury, which complicated things significantly.
「The next morning.」
No sooner had Joseph Shaw dropped his son off at school than Bianca Kane sent someone over to request a two-week leave of absence for Joel. Then, she took her son to the airport and flew to Silhaven.
When Joseph Shaw returned home after a long day of work, he learned that Bianca Kane had taken Joel away.
He tried calling Bianca Kane, but she didn’t answer. He only received a WhatsApp message: "My uncle is in some trouble, and I have to go help him out. Joel is staying with me for the time being. Don’t even think about it. Even if he’s a match, I will not agree to let him donate bone marrow."
But as fate would have it, the test results came in. Mandy Halloway and Quentin Blackwood were not matches. Only Joel Kane was a match—and, unexpectedly, a perfect one.
The doctor was thrilled. A perfect match was something usually only found between identical twins. Sophie Shaw was incredibly lucky.
That same day, the attending physician contacted Joseph Shaw to share the good news.
Panic seized Joseph Shaw as he remembered Bianca Kane’s fierce opposition and her vow not to let Joel donate his marrow.
After hanging up, Joseph Shaw went to the hospital to see Sophie Shaw.
It was the first time father and daughter had met since Sophie had been admitted to the hospital.
Sophie already knew that Joel was a match. When she saw Joseph Shaw arrive alone, looking troubled, she immediately had a bad feeling.
"Is it that Joel is unwilling, or is it that Ms. Kane won’t agree?"
Joseph Shaw sighed. "His mother doesn’t approve. She’s already secretly taken him to Silhaven."
"Oh."
"Sophie, my partial match is still viable for the transplant. I asked the doctor."
Alaric Blackwood’s brow furrowed. "A partial match is possible, but the risks are much greater. The better the match, the lower the risk of post-transplant rejection, the higher the surgery’s success rate, and the smoother the recovery."
"It’s better than no transplant at all, isn’t it?"
"So you’re not going to consider the risk of rejection or the post-op relapse rate at all?"
Joseph Shaw was at a loss for words, his expression turning grim. "Joel is still young. He’s a minor. If his mother doesn’t agree, we can’t force it."
Sophie turned her head and gazed silently out the window.
Seeing her spirits sink, Alaric said nothing. He strode over to Joseph Shaw and pulled him out of the room.
"Ms. Kane doesn’t agree, but what about Joel? What does he want?"
"I haven’t had the chance to ask him."
Joseph Shaw had never expected the results to be a perfect match.