Chapter 102: Paying the Clinic Bill

As Claire Kensington walked into the courtyard, the crowd between the buildings watched in silence.

Jude recognized her from the gala as the eldest daughter of the Kensington family, who had reached out earlier regarding the endowment.

Her offering to cover the Reed family’s $300,000 surgical expenses, however, was unexpected.

"You’re offering to take care of the clinic bill, Miss Kensington?" Jude asked.

"Yes," Claire said, stopping beside him. "It belongs under my family’s responsibility."

"How do you figure that?" Jude asked.

Claire turned toward Helen Reed, who had looked down the moment Claire walked through the archway. "Mrs. Reed can clarify that, Mr. Lawson. She came to the gates of our residence 3 days ago. Would you like to explain the connection to everyone present, Helen?"

Under Claire’s gaze, Helen’s expression tightened, her eyes darting toward the ground.

Beside Victoria Liu, Sophie looked from Claire to her mother, confused. "Mom, what is she talking about? Who is this?"

Helen hesitated, feeling the eyes of the courtyard on her. "She is the eldest daughter of the Kensington family in Manhattan. Your half-sister, Claire Kensington."

Sophie stared at her, her voice barely carrying. "My half-sister?"

Around the walkway, neighbors exchanged surprised looks.

The Kensington name was well known across the city for shipping logistics and commercial real estate holdings.

"I didn’t plan to discuss this here, Sophie," Helen said quietly. "20 years ago, before I met Arthur, I worked in Manhattan and had a relationship with Richard Kensington. You are his biological daughter."

Sophie stepped back, taking in the words. "And Leo?"

"Leo is Arthur’s son," Helen said. "He has no connection to them."

Sophie looked at her parents, her expression hollow. "So that’s why you had no issue pulling me out of the Conservatory and arranging a payout for Leo’s treatment. Because I’m not his child."

Helen’s voice turned defensive. "What other option did we have, Sophie? 3 days ago I went to the Kensington estate to ask for support to cover Leo’s transplant, and security turned me away at the gate. If they refuse to acknowledge you or offer assistance, I had to find another way to handle the bill."

Having failed to secure funds from the estate, Arthur and Helen had finalized the agreement with Lenny Li that evening.

Sophie stood on the flagstones, looking down at the pavement.

The father she had grown up with was not her biological parent, and the family she had supported had treated her future as collateral.

"When she came to the house 3 days ago, security logged the incident, and I had our staff look into it," Claire said, stepping closer to Sophie. "I only learned I had a younger sister in Queens this week, which is why the address sounded familiar when Mr. Lawson mentioned it on the call. Don’t worry, Sophie. You share our family’s background, and I will see to it that our father recognizes you properly."

Sophie looked up, her expression distant. "I’m not going to the Kensington residence."

Claire paused. "Sophie—"

"Thank you, Miss Kensington," Sophie said. "If he had no interest in acknowledging me for 19 years, I see no reason to walk through his door now."

Claire sighed, recognizing that years of absence couldn’t be resolved in a single conversation.

She turned toward Arthur Reed.

"Regardless of formal recognition, that gives you no authority to treat her as an exit payout," Claire said firmly. "If Mr. Lawson and Dean Liu hadn’t arrived today, what would you have finalized here?"

Arthur kept his eyes on his shoes. "We needed the surgical funds, Miss Kensington..."

"His medical needs don’t justify selling her enrollment," Claire replied. "I will wire the $300,000 directly to Mount Sinai’s surgical account this afternoon. And your household will remit the scheduled monthly repayments to my office on the 1st of every month. If you miss a deadline, our legal department will handle collection directly."

Arthur nodded, sweat running down his collar.

Dealing with standard corporate wage deductions was manageable, but facing legal enforcement from a major firm was entirely different...

"Understood, Miss Kensington. Every payment will clear on time," Arthur said quickly, with Helen nodding beside him.

Over by the stairwell, Lenny Li shifted uncomfortably, holding his briefcase.

"Miss Kensington... Mr. Lawson... consider the arrangement cancelled."

Learning that the student he had tried to secure was connected to the Kensington family changed his calculations entirely.

Claire looked at him briefly. "Take your belongings and clear the courtyard."

Lenny picked up his boxes from the pavement and hurried out toward the street, his car doors slamming moments later.

Claire turned back to Arthur and Helen. "Sophie is part of our family. If this kind of arrangement happens again, the response won’t be a verbal warning."

"Understood. It won’t happen," Arthur said, before turning toward Sophie with a forced smile. "Sophie, it was just the stress from the bills. Let’s head upstairs and talk this through."

"Come on inside," Helen added, reaching for her sleeve. "I’ll make lunch."

Sophie pulled her arm back, keeping her distance.

The sudden shift in tone offered no comfort...

She had no interest in returning to the apartment, and walking into the Kensington home felt just as foreign.

She looked toward Jude, her eyes red from the strain of the afternoon. "Mr. Lawson... can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Of course," Jude said, gesturing toward the archway away from the crowd.

Standing in the shade by the brick passage, Sophie looked down at her shoes, her voice quiet.

"Mr. Lawson, I don’t want to go back up to that apartment. Everything feels unsettled right now. What should I do?"

Standing in the shade under the archway, Jude looked down at Sophie.

"Family situations can turn messy, Sophie, but you don’t let it derail what you’ve built. You told your brother your focus is composition and performance. Keep your attention there. If you don’t want to stay in this apartment, transfer into the Conservatory residence halls for the semester."

Sophie wiped her eyes, nodding. "All right. I’ll take a room on campus today. Thank you, Mr. Lawson."