Chapter 2

Katie looked at me with an innocent yet greedy gaze. "Just listen to Luke. Give him a chance. It won't cost you anything!"

It wouldn't cost me anything?

I jerked my arm away from her. A surge of rage almost burst out of my chest.

I looked at the cold life signs on the heart-lung machine and at Devan's deteriorating body under the sterile cloth. It all felt absurd.

For Luke's investment and the villa she wanted, she was willing to gamble with the life of the nation's pillar and my future, built over years of hard work.

"Get out," I squeezed the word through my teeth and lowered my head again, preparing to continue the surgery.

There could be no more delays.

But then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something terrifying.

Katie actually reached out and yanked the oxygen mask off Devan's face!

With the breathing support cut off, Devan's already fragile body jolted, and the blood oxygen levels on the monitor plummeted.

The alarm blared, piercing and shrill.

"Katie Wilder!" My vision went red.

She raised her chin proudly, holding the mask in her hand. "Ashton, I'll count to three. If you don't hand the scalpel to Luke, Devan will die right here. Let's see how you explain this to the Williams family and the entire country, then."

Her crisp voice rang through the deathly silent operating room, pronouncing my death sentence.

"Don't you love your profession and patients the most? Now, I'm giving you a choice."

I stared at her, my blood freezing in my veins.

I had never known that the girlfriend who cared for me so sweetly and cheered for my successful surgeries could hide such a vicious side.

"One. Two," she started counting with a cruel smile on her face.

The numbers on the monitor were flashing wildly. The red alarm light reflected off her twisted expression.

I slammed the scalpel down onto the instrument tray. The sharp metallic clang echoed in the room.

"Fine. I'll go."

Katie and Luke both flashed smug smiles.

The moment I turned around, I pressed the emergency button on the wall, connecting straight to the hospital security center.

"There are intruders in the operating room, threatening the patient's life. Send help immediately. Set security to the highest level." I calmly issued the order.

Katie's smile froze. "Ashton, how dare you?"

Ignoring her, I quickly put the oxygen mask back on Devan and adjusted the ventilator settings. Slowly, his oxygen levels began to rise again.

In less than 30 seconds, the door to the operating room was pushed open again.

A group of security guards in black uniforms rushed in, led by none other than Katie's younger brother, Jason Wilder.

He had just become the security captain, and he got the job entirely by using my name.

I pointed at Katie and Luke, ordering, "Drag these two out, and call the police!"

Jason glanced at Katie, then at me. Suddenly, a disdainful smile spread across his face. "Dr. Howard, how did my sister and future brother-in-law become intruders? You should have evidence before you make such accusations."

"Evidence?" I laughed in disbelief. "They illegally entered a sterile operating room and interrupted an emergency procedure. Isn't that enough?"

"Did they really interrupt the procedure?" Jason crossed his arms and adopted a strictly business-like air. "All I see is you shouting, losing control, and nearly damaging expensive equipment."

He twisted the facts with ease.

I wasn't going to waste more words on him. I tried to bypass him, intending to push Luke out myself.

But the moment I moved, Jason and two other guards lunged from behind, pinning my arms and forcing me to the ground.