Chapter 5

Tanya had less than 72 hours left to live.

Dr. Graves repeated that twice over the phone.

By the time I got to the hospital, the hallway was already packed with people.

My mother stood at the front, her eyes so swollen they were barely slits.

"I'm asking you for the last time. Are you going to do the tests or not?"

"Has Jessica signed?"

My mother slapped me.

This time, she used all her strength.

My ears rang.

She pointed at me, trembling all over.

"From now on, you're no longer my son."

My father stood behind her and didn't stop her.

He just turned his face away in disappointment.

My father-in-law then rushed up and punched me hard in the cheek.

Harry Fischer held him back, but then grabbed my collar himself.

"I've known you for over 20 years. When Tanya was a baby, she had a fever, and you held her all night, refusing to let go. Now, she's about to die, but you're refusing to save her. What's gotten into you? Is she not your daughter anymore?"

I pushed his hand away.

"Precisely because she's my daughter, this has to be done my way."

Jessica stood in the corner, clutching a folder to her chest.

"Three documents. Only the share transfer agreement left."

The last bit of light in Jessica's eyes went out.

"I can give you 6%. The other 6% will be held by a third party first. We'll deal with it once Tanya's surgery is successful."

"Transfer all of it to me. There's no room for negotiation."

She bit her lip hard.

"Why?"

I closed the file.

"I'll only accept the full 12%."

She stared at me for a long time.

"Fine."

Then, she wiped her tears, turned around, and walked toward the ICU.

That night, the hospital suddenly fell into chaos.

During the nurses' shift change, they discovered that Tanya's bed was empty.

The oxygen tube had been thrown onto the floor.

Only an empty IV bag was left behind beside the bed.

The nurse on duty was ashen-faced.

"Mrs. Holland said she was taking the girl for tests. I thought it was the doctor's order."

Dr. Graves immediately pulled up the surveillance footage.

In the video, Jessica was pushing Tanya into the elevator in a wheelchair.

She had put a coat on the girl and taken a portable oxygen tank with them.

The elevator stopped at the underground parking garage.

When my mother saw the footage, her body swayed unsteadily.

"Where could they have gone?"

My phone suddenly buzzed.

It was a live-stream alert pushed to the entire platform.

On the screen, Jessica stood in the lobby of Eterspring Pharmaceutical's headquarters holding the unconscious Tanya.

She looked up at the camera and said slowly, "I want to see Kevin Holland. If he still refuses to save our daughter, I'll die with Tanya."