Chapter 3

I turned and reached for the doorknob, but Derek grabbed the back of my collar and yanked me backward with full force. I crashed into the cabinet before hitting the floor with a heavy thud.

"You ungrateful fool!" Helen rushed over and tightly restrained my arms. "Go bring me the agreement, Derek!"

Derek retrieved the Primary Author Transfer Agreement and a pen out of the drawer. He then smirked maliciously, grabbed my right hand, and forced me to sign the agreement.

"Get off me!" I fought back with everything I had, but I couldn't overpower the two of them.

"I don't think a signature alone is enough to stop him from turning around and making a scene later, Dr. Walker," Derek said, staring at the signed agreement as a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

"I've got it covered, Derek," Helen said, smirking. She took out a pre-loaded syringe from her white coat.

I widened my eyes in surprise the moment I saw the syringe. "I-Is that liquid phencyclidine? W-What the hell are you trying to do?"

It was a powerful dissociative hallucinogen—a large dose injected straight into the bloodstream would cause violent agitation, hallucinations, and aggression.

"You want to know what I'm going to do, huh? I'm going to make you look like a madman driven insane by jealousy!" Helen plunged the needle into my vein and forced the drugs straight into my system after saying that.

It took less than ten seconds for the cold liquid to take effect. I felt my vision blurring and my heart pounding wildly. I even felt a violent, uncontrollable urge for rage and bloodshed surging from within me.

"That takes care of that!" Helen released me, stood up, and straightened her clothes.

Derek quickly tore his white coat and hit himself hard enough to leave two bruises on his face. He then pulled open the office door and rushed outside, yelling, "Help! Dr. Lund has lost his mind! He's trying to kill me!"

I stumbled out after him and tried to explain myself, but I had lost control over my own mind.

There were already people gathered all along the hallway.

Derek stood behind the crowd, pointing at me as he yelled, "Dr. Lund lost his mind just because I took over Mr. Zeigler's surgery! He attacked me in the office and threatened to kill me! He's a total madman!"

In that instant, the colleagues and patients' families around me started pointing fingers at me.

"Dr. Lund has always been so composed. What made him blow up like this today?"

"I heard Derek snagged the Zeigler family's surgery, so Dr. Lund is probably upset about it."

"I can't really blame him, though. I mean, a reward from the richest man in the city was probably worth a lot. If it were anyone else, they'd be upset too."

It was too noisy. I could only see twisted, monstrous figures around me, roaring and trying to tear apart everything in their path. "I'll kill all of you! I'm going to kill you!"

In the midst of the chaos, I tackled a distinguished-looking elderly man.

I eventually regained consciousness, only to find myself strapped to a bed in a secure psychiatric ward. Helen and Derek were standing by the bed, looking down at me with contempt.

Helen scoffed and said, "You left Mr. Zeigler with a concussion, so Mrs. Zeigler, the CEO of Zeigler Group, gave the order to lock you away in this place for life, Jasper."

I was instantly dumbstruck after hearing that. I couldn't believe that I had actually assaulted someone of Frank's status. I couldn't even imagine what would happen to me.

Derek shoved his phone right into my face before I could even wrap my head around it. "You should check this out. Your father spent two hours groveling on the concrete steps by the hospital entrance, begging for mercy until his forehead was bloody."

I was heartbroken when I saw Dad bowing so submissively with his face covered in blood. I knew that fighting back at this point would only kill Dad, though.

I suppressed my overwhelming hatred and said through gritted teeth, "I know I'm in the wrong now, Dr. Walker and Derek. I'm begging you—please let me go. I'll serve as your ghostwriter from now on, handling your research and earning the credentials you need for promotion!"

Helen was tempted by the offer. She hesitated for a while before she undid my restraints and ordered, "Strip off your clothes! We're taking some photos as collateral! You'd better do it; otherwise, you can just die here and let your father collect your body!"