Chapter 4

"Fine. I'll call."

I immediately pulled out my phone and dialed Adrian's number.

The line rang. Three times. Then someone picked up.

"Hello?"

It was Sabrina's voice.

"Mrs. Preston."

I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Didn't I already tell you? Mr. Preston's been very busy lately. Whatever you need, you can tell me. See? Your call came straight to me, too."

Every drop of blood in me went cold.

The comments had been right about everything.

When the call ended, my dad looked at me.

"Why did she answer?"

My mouth opened, but I had no idea how to explain it.

My mom sighed.

"Forget it. Don’t call him anymore."

That night, I lay awake on the cold floor, staring into the darkness until dawn. Only one thought kept running through my mind.

Adrian, you'd better get back here soon.

Early the next morning, my mom suddenly took a turn for the worse.

She got up and said her chest felt tight. At first, I thought she was just tired from a sleepless night.

But within ten minutes, she was gasping for air, her lips turning purple. She clutched her chest, unable to get a single word out.

Her heart condition was acting up.

My dad panicked, his hands shaking so badly he couldn't even open the pill bottle.

I grabbed it from him and slipped a fast-acting heart medication under my mom's tongue. Then I grabbed my phone, booked a ride, and rushed her straight to the Preston private hospital.

It had the best cardiology department in the city, a facility Adrian had established specifically to care for my mom.

The moment we reached the entrance, I started wheeling her toward the entrance, desperate to get her inside. But someone stepped in our way.

It was Sabrina.

She stood at the lobby entrance in a sharply tailored business suit, blocking the way like a guard at a temple gate.

"Mrs. Preston."

The fake concern she'd worn the day before was gone. Her voice was flat and cold.

"This hospital is a Preston resource. Mr. Preston says the group is tight on funds right now, so all nonessential VVIP services have been suspended until further notice."

"My mother is having a heart attack!"

My voice nearly broke as I shouted.

"How can that possibly be nonessential?!"

"Mrs. Preston, please don't get so worked up."

Sabrina stood her ground.

"Mr. Preston's point is that public hospitals can treat heart conditions too, and besides..."

Her gaze drifted to my mother's deathly pale face.

"Given the state you're all in, showing up at a Preston hospital could damage Mr. Preston's reputation if anyone sees you."

Damage his reputation?!

My mom slumped in her wheelchair, too weak to speak, and Adrian's assistant was standing there telling us she was an embarrassment to him.

My dad trembled with rage and raised his hand to slap Sabrina.

The comments flashed across my vision in a frantic warning.

[Save her first! Don't get tangled up with her!]

I gritted my teeth and grabbed my dad's arm.

"Let's go."

We turned and walked out of the Preston hospital, heading straight for the nearest public hospital.

We went through the ER, got her registered, ran the necessary tests, and started an IV. After more than two hours of it, my mom was finally settled into a hospital room, her condition stable for the time being.

I sank into a chair beside her bed, completely spent.

But I knew Sabrina wouldn't leave us alone.

Sure enough, less than thirty minutes later, the door swung open.

Sabrina walked in with two bodyguards.

"Mrs. Preston."

She glanced around the room, her brow furrowing.

"Why are you staying in a place like this?"

"This is a public hospital."

I looked at her coldly.

"We haven't used a single Preston resource, and there's nothing here to damage Adrian's reputation. So what exactly is your problem, Sabrina Lowell?"

Sabrina hesitated for a moment before turning to the two men.

"Help the gentleman and the lady pack up. We're moving them somewhere else. Mr. Preston says the shared ward is too crowded, with too many people around. If someone recognizes them and takes a picture, it'll reflect badly on him."