Chapter 2

Once it was proven that the kidney had originally been allocated to Dad, Aunt Ellen started playing dirty. "My husband is already in the operating room anyway! What are you going to do about it? If you've got the guts, go in there and drag him out yourselves!"

The police officer was visibly irritated by her shameless attitude and sternly warned her to watch herself.

Just then, Hazel stormed into the room. She pointed straight at me and yelled. "Stefan, you ungrateful jerk! My dad has always treated you well! Are you going to let him die now for the sake of a dying old man?"

I stared at her and asked word by word, "My dad is dying. Are you really that happy about it?"

Hazel choked on her words for a moment, then lifted her chin stubbornly and shouted, "I'm only telling the truth! Your dad's illness has been a money pit, dragging you down for years. Now you finally get to be free. You should be thanking us!"

It was truly unbelievable that my own relatives could behave this way. Dad wasn't even dead yet, but they were already looking forward to my so-called freedom.

I stopped arguing with them and calmly said to the officer, "Officer, that's the whole story. This whole family worked together to steal my dad's life-saving kidney. I'm demanding this illegal surgery be stopped immediately."

Aunt Ellen jumped up. "Bullshit! On what grounds should the surgery be stopped?"

Even the officer looked troubled. "Well… The surgery has already begun. Stopping it halfway would be too risky."

That was exactly what I had been waiting to hear.

I looked at Aunt Ellen and broke into a wide smile. "That's right. The surgery can't be stopped. Not only shouldn't it stop, but it also needs to be carried out properly."

My response threw her off completely.

I slowly added, "After all, a kidney transplant under local anesthesia must be pretty painful. I hope Uncle Spencer can handle it."

Aunt Ellen's face turned deathly pale. It was only then that she understood what I had meant earlier. Her whole body started trembling. "You… You monster! What did you do to your uncle?"

She shrieked and tried to lunge at me, but two officers restrained her. The office erupted into chaos.

At that moment, my grandparents rushed in after hearing what had happened.

The moment Grandma walked through the door, she rushed to Aunt Ellen's side with loud cries. "My daughter! What on earth is going on here?"

Grandpa walked over to me and brought his cane down hard on my leg without a word. "You heartless brat! Are you really going to destroy your aunt's family over a dead man?"

I took the blow head-on. A sharp pain shot through my leg, but I stood perfectly straight without stepping back. "Grandpa, my dad isn't dead yet. He's your biological son."

Grandpa shook with anger. "What son of mine is he? He fell out with the whole family just for a wife. Look at him now. His wife passed away a long time ago, leaving him with nothing but a burden like you!

"Your uncle's family is rich and powerful, and our whole family benefited when your aunt married him! Now you want to take what's theirs? Not a chance!"

His words shattered the last bit of warmth I still had for them. It turned out that in their eyes, only those who benefited them were considered family. Dad and I had taken care of them for half our lives, yet none of that could match the prestige they gained through Uncle Spencer's family.

Grandma chimed in from the side, "Stefan, just listen to your grandpa. If anything happens to your uncle, what will your cousin do? Your dad already… doesn't have much time left anyway. Just think of it as doing a good deed and helping your uncle."

They went back and forth, every word cutting into me.

With my grandparents backing her up, Aunt Ellen grew bold again. "Did you hear that? Go and change the anesthesia plan back right now! Otherwise, I'll make sure you and your dad both die here today!"

I looked at this disgusting family and felt sick to my stomach.

I pulled out my phone and made a call right in front of them. "Hello, is this Mr. Randall? I've got a big story for you. It's about an organ transplant scandal at Central Hospital, involving a family who tried to sacrifice their critically ill relative to steal the kidney meant for him… Yes, I have all the evidence."