Chapter 2

Rowan's POV

Early the next morning, Mom called again. She was sobbing uncontrollably, "Rowan, your father's kidney transplant failed! He survived, but we still need 100 thousand dollars for treatment. If we don't pay today, the hospital will stop his medication."

She sent me a guarantee agreement. A lending company was willing to cover the medical expenses upfront, but an immediate family member had to sign it to repay the debt.

I gave the document a quick glance. The official seal was fake, and even the hospital's name had a typo. Yesterday, my great chairman of a father had been drinking at a hotel. Yet, today, he was supposedly in the ICU. They couldn't even be bothered to make their story believable.

I asked, "And what if I don't sign it?"

Mom's sobbing suddenly stopped. "Your father will die! Rowan, he's your own flesh and blood!"

I looked down at the bloodstained tissue beside the bed. "I told you yesterday. I'm also dying soon."

Her voice instantly turned cold as she asked, "Why are you still keeping up that act? Your father's in the ICU, and all you can think about is yourself! Even when our family was struggling the most, you never backed down. But now, you're showing your true colors because you refuse to sign a document?"

So, that was how they saw me. It wasn't that I couldn't get sick. I just wasn't allowed to die before Dad did.

I didn't argue anymore. I simply asked, "Where should I sign the agreement?"

"Just stay put at home."

Less than half an hour later, the door was kicked open. Several men stormed into the basement and splashed red paint all over the walls. "Your own father is in the hospital, waiting for money to save his life, and you are trying to hide?"

The commotion attracted many neighbors. The man in charge grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to the doorway. "Everyone, take a look at this! His own father is dying, but he's faking cancer to deceive his own mother!"

Everyone looked at me in disgust and contempt. "What's the point of raising a heartless ingrate like him?"

The man picked up a cup and smashed it against my face. The rim grazed my forehead, and blood trickled down my eyelid. He threw the agreement onto the floor. "Get on your knees and sign it!"

I bent down to pick it up when someone kicked me in the lower back. I went sprawling into the red paint.

Laughter erupted all around me. "Thought you were such a devoted son? Come on! Show your father some respect!"

The man grabbed me by the hair and slapped me twice.

…

Third-Person POV

Meanwhile, inside the black sedan parked at the alley entrance, Morgana stared at the footage from the hidden camera. "I only asked them to have him sign it. Why are they beating him?"

Zander remained calm. "If we don't push him to the brink, we won't know what he really chooses. They're all people I hired. They know what they're doing."

…

Rowan's POV

Inside my home, my pill bottle rolled to a stop at the man's feet. He crushed it under his shoe. The white pills were crushed into powder, mixing with the red paint. "You've got money for medicine, but not to save your own father?"

I lunged forward to pick them up. He planted his foot on my hand and ground his shoe back and forth. "Want these? Beg me."

It felt as though my bones were being crushed. I lowered my head and begged, "Please, give them back to me."

The man laughed, "Crawl over and pick them up."

I knelt on the ground, picking up the pills one by one, even though they were no longer safe to take.

Someone pointed a phone at my face. "Say it! Say you're a bastard who won't even save his own father!"

I said nothing.

The man kicked me in the chest. My back slammed against the wall, and blood poured from my mouth and nose.

The man stumbled backward in fear. "Sir, he's coughing up blood!"

…

Third-Person POV

Morgana yanked open the car door. "Don't hit him anymore!"

But Zander grabbed her by the arm. "He said he had cancer yesterday, and now he's coughing up blood? What are the odds? It's a ruse. Keep going."

The man grabbed my hair again and forced my face down onto the agreement. "I'm asking you one last time. Are you signing it or not?"

Red paint and blood stained the paper.

I picked up the pen and wrote on the back of the agreement. "From age 13 to 20, I earned a total of 187 thousand dollars working and gave every last cent to my parents. Today, I will also cover my father's medical expenses. With this, I have repaid the debt of being born and raised. Once I die, there is no need to notify my family."

Then, I signed my name on the front of the agreement. The men soon left with the agreement.

…

Third-Person POV

When Morgana saw the signature, she finally sighed in relief. "I knew Rowan wouldn't abandon his father."

But the next second, Rowan left the family group chat and blocked everyone.

Zander's expression darkened. "He's still throwing a tantrum even after signing the agreement. He's just trying to make us cave first. Let him reflect on his behavior."

…

Rowan's POV

I swept the broken pills into the trash can, then dragged my suitcase out of the basement. With the little money I had left, I checked into a hospice funded by a charity.

The doctor on duty finished reviewing my medical records, his frown growing with every page. "Your condition is so serious, and your parents have no idea?"

I shook my head. "They are very busy."

"What could possibly be more important than your life?"

I recalled what Dad had said in the private room. He would tell me the truth on my 20th birthday. I answered, "They're busy preparing my birthday celebration."

The doctor froze. "All the more reason to let them know. They should come and spend time with you."

I refused, "No need for that. They've been waiting for this day for ten years. Don't spoil their fun."

…

Third-Person POV

Meanwhile, Zander sent birthday invitations to every relative and close friend of the Emerson family. He planned to announce that Rowan had passed the test to become his heir.

But little did he know that Rowan wouldn't live to see that day.