Ashley Bowen nodded, but then shook her head. "No, Grandmother, please don't sleep. Shay will tell you a story."
Tears welled in her eyes as Ashley Bowen gazed at the frail old woman. Her face was ashen, her breathing as faint as a whisper. It felt as if life would abandon her at any moment.
Ashley Bowen gripped her hand tightly. The Empress Dowager simply offered a faint smile and spoke no more.
When she finally closed her eyes, the heart monitor beside her bed shrieked an ear-piercing alarm. A desolate wail immediately echoed through the room. "Grandmother!"
Hearing the cries from within, the people waiting outside couldn't help but break down in tears as well.
Yuri Sinclair was the first to burst through the door. His eyes fell upon Ashley Bowen slumped over the bed, where the Empress Dowager lay in a "deep sleep." The heart monitor beside them had flatlined, showing no sign of life.
