Chapter 80: The Misfortunes of Grace Cooper's Family Were Set Aside for Now

The misfortunes of Grace Cooper's family were set aside for now. The next morning, Elena Ward packed her belongings to return home. Before leaving, Grace stuffed her bag with food and secretly slipped in ten dollars for travel expenses.

"Sis, I can't take this," Elena said, her eyes stinging as she touched the still-warm bills.

"Take it!" Grace insisted, pressing her hand firmly over Elena's. "Your brother-in-law just got paid. We have enough."

Elena bit her lip and nodded before turning away quickly. She didn’t dare look back, afraid to see the tears in her sister’s eyes. Only when she was far down the road did her own tears finally spill over.

Grace stood at the door, watching her younger sister disappear into the distance. She wiped her eyes. "Elena's grown up," she murmured.

Henry Cooper gently wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. "Don’t worry. She’s a sensible girl."

Back inside, Grace began tidying up. She had an afternoon shift to work and needed to hurry. Since William had recovered, their financial burden had lessened, and life finally held some promise.

As she pulled back the covers, she suddenly noticed an envelope tucked beneath the pillow. Inside, thirty crisp ten-dollar bills were neatly stacked, along with a note:

"Dear Grace, I’m leaving you 300 of the 1,000 dollars Factory Manager Green gave me. Tomorrow, I’ll give Vanessa the same. The rest I’ll take to school. You don’t need to send me any more money. We’re sisters—no thanks needed. —Elena"

Grace burst into tears. Henry rushed over, alarmed at the sight of his wife sobbing uncontrollably.

"Elena… Elena, she—" Grace choked on her words.

Henry’s expression darkened when he saw the money. "I’ll ride after her right now! We can’t accept this!"

"Don’t," Grace stopped him. "If she left it secretly, she meant for us to keep it."

Henry paced anxiously. "But she’s just a student! She’ll need every penny!"

Just then, William emerged from the inner room. His health had improved, his complexion now rosy with vitality.

"Brother, Grace is right," William said softly. "Elena sees us as family. If you force it back, you’ll only hurt her feelings."

Henry’s eyes widened in disbelief. "What kind of nonsense is that?" His voice shook with anger. "After everything Elena’s done for us, how can we take her money when she needs it?"

Grace quickly intervened. "Just hear him out!"

William calmly pulled up a stool and sat before his brother. "What I mean is, we keep it for now. If Elena ever faces an emergency at school, we’ll give it back to help her. Isn’t that better than forcing it on her now?"

Henry froze, his anger fading. He studied his younger brother for a long moment before suddenly ruffling William’s hair. "Since when did you learn to outsmart me, you little rascal?"

Grace burst into laughter, and the heavy atmosphere in the room lightened instantly.

Henry sighed, carefully rewrapping the money. "Fine. We’ll do as William says. But this goes straight to the bank—not a single dollar gets spent."

"Understood!" Grace teased, poking his forehead. "Always the worrier."

Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing the family of three in warmth. Grace suddenly realized—this must be what happiness looked like.