Chapter 6

Olivia's voice trembled, but she still promised him, "Help me this once, and I won't hold Fiona responsible anymore. I'll never show up in front of either of you again."

Damon froze.

He looked down at her stomach, his frown deepening as if trying to decide whether she was telling the truth.

He had just begun to hesitate when Fiona suddenly scoffed.

"Olivia, looks like being away all those years taught you a thing or two. You used to do nothing but hound Damon, and now you've even learned to play hard to get.

"But do you really think saying this will make him give you a second glance? Don't you realize how pathetic you look right now?"

At that, Damon jerked his leg free. The force sent Olivia falling backward. The back of her head struck the metal bed frame, leaving her scalp numb from the impact.

"First you pretend you're some famous surgeon, and now you're claiming you're pregnant. How many more lies are you going to tell?" Damon narrowed his eyes, his expression once again cold and openly biased in Fiona's favor.

"Keep your head down until Fiona's promotion is officially announced. Don't cause any more trouble.

"Besides, even if you call the police or try to sue, no lawyer will dare take your case. If you don't believe me, go ahead and try."

Fiona visibly relaxed at his words. A smug smile spread across her face as she looked at Olivia with open triumph.

Olivia collapsed onto the floor, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from her body.

Dull pain throbbed through her lower abdomen and the wounds beneath her bandages, making it almost impossible to breathe.

After a long moment, the corner of her mouth lifted into a faint, icy smile.

"Damon, do you know who the high-risk patient I came back to operate on is?"

Damon frowned. Convinced she was still putting on an act, he cut her off without hesitation, his eyes full of mockery and impatience.

"Olivia, don't get so caught up in your act that you start believing it yourself."

He paused, then added, "If what you're saying is true, I'll take responsibility for everything so Fiona doesn't have to, all right? Let this end here. Stop dragging her into it."

Olivia said nothing. She simply lowered her head with a faint, humorless smile.

Damon stared at her bowed head, at the blood-stained gauze still covering her eyes.

For some reason, his chest tightened. He couldn't tell whether it was irritation or something else.

Before he could dwell on it, his phone rang.

The moment he answered, the panicked voice of the family butler came through.

"Mr. Holloway, something's wrong! Your grandpa is in acute heart failure and going into shock. His heart rate and blood pressure are dropping fast!

"The hospital just called. The only surgeon who can perform the emergency operation was supposed to arrive today, but they can't reach her!"

The news hit Damon like a thunderclap.

He went rigid. The calm indifference on his face shattered in an instant.

"Send more people. Do whatever it takes to keep my grandpa stable. Find that surgeon now. I don't care what it takes. I want her found today."

With that, he hurried out of the room.

Fiona immediately followed him.

A nurse nearby called after her, "Dr. Carlisle, should we have someone stay here and keep an eye on Ms. Lawson?"

Fiona waved her off impatiently. "She's blind. What trouble could she possibly cause?"

The hospital room door slammed shut, leaving the room deathly silent.

Olivia forced herself to her feet despite the pain and felt her way out of the room.

She eventually found someone willing to lend her a phone and made a call.

Not long afterward, a military vehicle pulled up in front of her. Moments later, it disappeared into the darkness with her inside.

Meanwhile, Damon stood outside the ICU, staring at his grandfather through the glass, his expression dark with a rare, brooding intensity.

His grandfather was the relative he was closest to in the world. He had suffered from a serious heart condition for years.

Only the world-renowned cardiac surgeon they had brought in could perform such a high-risk emergency surgery. Now that the surgeon had gone missing, his grandfather's only chance of survival had vanished with her.

No matter what it took, he had to find her.

He had no idea how much time had passed before the men he'd sent out finally returned with news.

"Mr. Holloway, we've got a lead."

One of his security men lowered his head respectfully.

"We traced her travel history and confirmed she returned to Calverton yesterday. She kept a low profile and had no public itinerary.

"We tracked the signal and finally pinpointed the source. The signal from the missing surgeon's personal phone is coming from this hospital."

The tension in Damon's jaw eased at once, surprise flashing in his eyes.

Before he could say anything, the man held out a phone with a shattered screen.

"We just found this near the nurses' station where the signal was traced. We've confirmed that it belongs to the surgeon."

Damon reached out and took it.

The moment the cool phone touched his palm, an intensely familiar sensation shot through him.

His hand stilled.

His chest suddenly felt hollow as an absurd possibility seized him and stole his breath.

This phone felt so familiar...

No.

The thought had barely surfaced before panic crushed it.

Damon lowered his gaze. His thumb trembled slightly as he pressed the power button.

The screen lit up.

A photo of Olivia with a little girl appeared before his eyes.