Chapter 11

Cassian was just about to bring his right foot down on Shawn's throat when a woman cried out, "Stop!"

He quickly halted and looked up, only to see Vera rushing toward him with an icy expression. For some reason, he felt a little panicked—like a misbehaving kid who was caught red-handed by a teacher.

Seeing Vera, Shawn looked as though he'd been saved. He desperately cried out, "Help, Dr. Frost! Save me! Cassian wants to kill me! Quick, help me…"

Lydia seized this chance to chime in, "Cassian has lost his mind, Dr. Frost! He's trying to kill someone! Hurry up and stop him."

"Let go of Dr. Goff Jr.," Vera demanded as she glared at Cassian.

"Let me explain, Dr. Frost—"

"Release him!" Vera commanded without even letting Cassian finish what he had to say.

Alas, it was her tone that made Cassian extremely displeased. "You're not my boss anymore, so what gives you the right to demand that I let go of him?"

Anxious and furious, Vera shrieked, "Do you want to lose your job at the hospital?"

"Shawn and Lydia teamed up to frame me, claiming that I plagiarized the patient's records. And yet you people didn't even bother investigating the matter properly before demoting me to a nursing assistant! What's the point of staying at a hospital like this?"

Cassian had thought things through. Even if he couldn't be a doctor, he could earn a living some other way. He wasn't going to starve to death.

Resisting her urge to flare up in anger, Vera tried to persuade him. "Cassian, even though I'm not your boss anymore, I'm still your mentor. After all, I mentored you during your internship. If you think of me as your mentor, then do as I say and let go of Dr. Goff Jr.

"You spent years studying for your medical degree. It wasn't easy for you to finally graduate. Are you sure you want to give it up so easily? What about your mother? Is this how you repay her?"

Those final words hit Cassian squarely in the chest. He looked up and saw Jasmine's tear-streaked face. Immediately, he was filled with guilt.

"Mom!"

"Cass, let go of Dr. Goff Jr.!"

"But—"

"I know he's a horrible person. You were right to hit him, but it's not worth ruining your life over a bastard like him."

Jasmine's words were just the warning Cassian needed to calm down. She was right. It would be a terrible waste to ruin his life over a bastard like Shawn.

"Listen closely, Shawn. I'm sparing your life today, but if you ever bully my mother again, I'll kill you!"

Removing his leg, Cassian turned to Jasmine and held her steady, saying, "Let's go, Mom."

"Hold it right there!" Lydia shrieked as she stood in his way. "Do you think you can leave after what you did to Shawn?"

"Get out of the way!" Cassian snapped in displeasure.

"I've already called Shawn's father. You're not going anywhere until he gets here!"

"You're really asking for it, huh, Lydia?"

"Now that things have come to this, Cassian, you'd better shut up and cooperate. You broke all four of Shawn's limbs. If they take you to court, you'll spend the rest of your life in prison."

After hearing what Lydia said, Vera finally noticed that Shawn was bleeding from all four limbs.

Damn it! This was a disaster!

"Cassian, leave with your mother at once. The further you go, the better," Vera swiftly said.

"What's the meaning of this, Dr. Frost?" Lydia glowered at Vera in dissatisfaction. "Cassian beat up Shawn and injured him badly. If he leaves, who's going to take responsibility for what happened? You?"

"I'll take full responsibility for it!"

"You?" Lydia stared at Vera in shock.

"I already informed the medical affairs department yesterday that if Cassian makes another mistake, I'll take full responsibility on his behalf.

"What's going on between you two? Why are you taking responsibility on his behalf?" Lydia questioned.

Something about it didn't sit well with her. Could it be that Cassian did have something going on with Vera?

"My relationship with Cassian is none of your business. Cassian, take your mother and go," Vera snapped.

"If I leave, Dr. Frost, what are you going to do?"

"Don't worry about me. I have my ways."

Cassian was moved. Not only was Vera helping him, but she was even willing to shoulder the blame for him. He didn't know if she was a fool or just simply too kind. Nevertheless, as a man, he wasn't going to let a woman take responsibility on his behalf.

"Thank you for your kindness, Dr. Frost, but I'm the one who hit him. I don't need you to take responsibility for it in my place," Cassian said.

"I'm doing it for your own good!" Vera exclaimed agitatedly. "Do you think the vice president is going to let you off the hook after what you did to Shawn? If he takes you to court, you'll go to prison for this!

"Since he's the vice president of the hospital, he's a prominent figure in Rivershire. He's got plenty of connections. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to get out of this."

"I know what you're saying, Dr. Frost, but I'm not afraid of him," Cassian declared.

He'd given it a lot of thought. If push came to shove, he didn't mind risking it all to take them down with him. It was just as Serena said. What did he have to fear when he had nothing to lose?

However, Vera continued to try and persuade him. "Have you thought about your mother? What will happen to her if you go to prison? Can you bear to leave her alone?"

"Thank you, Dr. Frost," Jasmine piped up. "Thank you for looking out for Cassian. As his mother, I'm truly grateful for what you're doing. However, he's a fully grown man, and he should take responsibility for his own actions. If he can't even do that, then he doesn't deserve to be my son."

"But Cassian is still so young! If he goes to prison, his entire life is ruined!"

"Don't worry, Dr. Frost. Cass won't be going to prison. I may not be capable of much, but I can still protect him," Jasmine firmly declared, her voice brimming with confidence.

Vera was confused. What gave an ordinary woman like Jasmine such confidence? After observing Jasmine a little more closely, she began to feel a sense of familiarity, almost as though they were related.

"Have we met before?" Vera abruptly asked Jasmine.

"We have once," Jasmine answered with a smile. "I accompanied Cassian to the hospital on his first day of work at the surgical department. I spoke briefly to you then."

Vera nodded in realization. Just as she was about to speak, a furious roar rang out. "Who hit my son?"

She turned around and saw Donald, the vice president of the hospital, and Shawn's father. He was a portly man who was balding. He marched over in fury with a few security guards following close behind.

"You came just in time, Dr. Goff Sr.! Shawn is hurt," Lydia anxiously cried out.

Donald jogged over to Shawn and kneeled down.

"How are you feeling, Shawn? Are you badly hurt?" he asked worriedly.

"Save me, Dad. He crippled me…"

What was that?

After taking a closer look, Donald realized that all four of Shawn's limbs were broken. With a murderous gaze, he roared, "Who did this?"

"He did!" Lydia said as she pointed at Cassian. "He's the one who hurt Shawn."

"Even God can't save you today!" Donald snarled as he glared daggers at Cassian before roaring at the security guards. "Why are you men just standing around? Cripple him!"