Chapter 99
No.1
The VIP pediatric wing of the Manhattan Private Hospital was usually a sanctuary of hushed voices and soft footsteps.
At 2:00 PM, that silence was violently shattered by the sharp, angry thwack of a wooden cane striking the polished marble floor.
Dr. Gottlieb Blevins, the Nobel-nominated titan of the medical world,stormed down the hallway. His face was flushed dark red with fury. Nurses and orderlies practically threw themselves against the walls to get out of his way.
He reached suite 412 and shoved the heavy door open without knocking.
Elisa was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed.She was holding a damp cloth, gently wiping the sweat from Kayden's sleeping face. When the door slammed against the wall, Elisa jumped, her heart leaping into her throat.
She stood up instantly when she saw her mentor.
Dr. Gottlieb marched into the room. He stopped at the foot of the bed. He looked down at the thick white bandage wrapped around Kayden's head. He saw the pale, fragile skin and the dark bruises forming on her cheek.
No.2
The old man's eyes instantly filled with tears. His
hands shook as he gripped the handle of his cane.
He slowly raised his head and locked his furious,heartbroken eyes onto Elisa.
He raised his cane and slammed the rubber tip into the floor with a deafening crack.
"Is this how you protect your treasure?!" Dr.Gottlieb roared. His voice shook the glass windows."Is this what happens when you stay chained to a toxic,arrogant fool?!"
Elisa flinched. She dropped her gaze to the floor.The shame burned in her chest. She did not offer a single excuse. She stood there like a scolded child and absorbed the absolute truth of his anger.
Dr. Gottlieb took a ragged breath. He pointed a trembling finger at Elisa.
No.3
"If you cannot protect this child from the collateral damage of that monster," Dr. Gottlieb yelled, his voice breaking with emotion, "then I will! From this second forward, this little girl is my granddaughter!Do you understand me?!"
Elisa's head snapped up. Tears instantly spilled over her eyelashes, tracking hot paths down her cheeks.
The declaration was not just emotional. It was a massive, impenetrable shield. Dr. Gottlieb was placing the entire weight of his medical empire, his reputation, and his resources directly over Kayden.
Elisa bowed her head deeply, her shoulders shaking with overwhelming gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you,Doctor."
Dr. Gottlieb let out a heavy huff. He walked to the end of the bed,picked up the medical chart, and adjusted his glasses. He read the notes, gave a curt nod of approval, and tossed the clipboard back.
"I am going to the President's office," Dr. Gottlieb stated, his tone shifting back to absolute authority."I am placing this entire floor under lockdown. No one gets in without my personal authorization."
He turned and marched out of the room.
No.4
Five minutes later, Dr. Gottlieb stepped out of the VIP elevator into the hospital's massive,sunlit main obby.
At that exact moment, the front revolving doors spun. August Chambers walked into the lobby,lanked by three hospital executives and his security detail. He had just finished signing the oaperwork for a massive, routine charitable donation to the hospital's surgical wing.
August's eyes scanned the lobby. He spotted Dr.Sottlieb.
August immediately straightened his tie. He olastered a smooth, respectful smile onto his face ind walked directly toward the medical titan,extending his right hand.
Dr. Blevins," August said smoothly, his voice rojecting across the lobby. "It is an absolute honor o run into you here."
)r. Gottlieb stopped walking. He looked at lugust's extended hand. He did not reach out.
Instead, Dr. Gottlieb's face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated disgust. He looked August up and down as if inspecting a piece of diseased tissue.
No.5
The lobby instantly went dead silent. The executives behind August froze.
"Keep your hands to yourself, Mr. Chambers," Dr.Gottlieb said. His voice was loud, clear, and echoed off the marble walls. "Your hands are far too dirty.I am afraid I might catch an infection."
August's hand froze in mid-air. The smile on his face shattered. The blood rushed to his cheeks,turning them a humiliating, dark red. He slowly lowered his arm, his jaw clenching tight.
"I beg your pardon?" August forced out, his voice tight with suppressed rage. "Did I offend you somehow,Doctor?"
Dr. Gottlieb lifted his cane and pointed it directly at the center of August's chest.
"You are a blind, arrogant fool," Dr. Gottlieb spat,his voice vibrating with absolute contempt. "You crush priceless diamonds under your expensive shoes, and you worship a pile of rotting mud!"
The executives gasped. Everyone in the lobby knew exactly who the "diamond" and the "mud" were.The insult was a direct, public execution of August's judgment regarding Elisa and Allena.
No.6
August's chest heaved. To be spoken to like a misbehaving child in front of his peers was the ultimate violation of his ego. But he could not
retaliate. Dr. Gottlieb's status was untouchable.
Dr. Gottlieb took one step closer. He lowered his voice to a lethal, threatening growl.
"Keep your distance from my prodigy," Dr. Gottlieb warned, his voice dropping to a low, surgical precision that only August could hear. "If the chaotic 'noise' of your personal life disrupts the core personnel of the Aethel project, or anyone she cares about, I will personally ensure that the Chambers Group is blacklisted from every medical research facility on this continent. You will be dead in the water."
Dr. Gottlieb shoved his cane into the floor, pushed past August's stunned bodyguards, and marched out the front doors.
August stood paralyzed in the center of the lobby.The whispers of the hospital staff buzzed in his ears like angry wasps.
He was boiling with a violent, confused rage.Why was a Nobel-nominated god of medicine threatening a corporate war to protect Elisa? What did he mean by "anyone she loves"?
No.7
August spun around. He glared at the VIP elevator bank. He was going to find Elisa and demand answers right now.
He had no idea he was walking directly into a minefield.