Chapter 4

The call ended.

The money hit my account.

Given the situation, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and accept it.

Once this was all over, I was going to get my revenge.

…

Dad's condition stabilized. But only for the moment.

The follow-up treatment was still going to cost a fortune.

And of course, the extremist fan who'd attacked Dad was as arrogant as ever, willing to sit in jail rather than pay a cent in compensation.

My accounts still hadn't been unfrozen.

Friends pooled money together to help cover part of the medical bills. But it was only ever a small part.

The hospital said if I couldn't raise more money, Dad would have to be moved to a regular ward.

I sat against the wall in the hallway, listening to the steady beeping of the machines hooked up to him, and for the first time I couldn't see any way out.

"Mr. Chappell, I heard you need money."

A few strangers stood in front of me.

"We can offer you a loan. It just depends... on whether you want the money badly enough."

The man showed me his company's lending platform. It wasn't a licensed one. And it came with sky-high interest.

I knew exactly how risky this kind of loan was. But I didn't have a choice.

Once my accounts were unfrozen, I could pay off this predatory debt in an instant anyway.

"Where's the contract? I'll sign. I'll take anything under fifty percent interest."

I held out my hand.

But they just smiled.

"No need to rush. We can actually offer you an interest-free loan."

I froze.

"As long as..."

The one leading them gave a knowing smile. "You're willing to put up nude photos as collateral."

"I'll take the high-interest loan instead."

My brow furrowed.

"Sorry, then. Ms. Dawson said she'd only do the nude-collateral deal with you."

My eyes went wide.

Laura again! Why did she have to push me this hard?

The nude-collateral contract was pushed toward me.

Either I signed, and Dad's medical bill got paid immediately. Or I watched him die.

I still couldn't do it. I tore up the agreement.

"Idiot."

The man let out a cold laugh.

"We're the only ones willing to give you money. You'll regret this soon enough."

I felt heat rush straight to my temples.

I went to the bathroom and splashed water on my face to clear my head.

The moment I came out, I saw Dad being dragged onto a stretcher and dumped in the hallway.

I rushed over and grabbed the staff.

They were impatient with me.

"There's no money left in the account. These machines cost ten thousand dollars a day to run, and there are paying patients waiting for them.

"We're a private hospital. We eat our own losses. We don't have time to waste on your father!"

"No!"

Dad hit the floor.

I threw myself down and pulled him into my arms.

"Ms. Dawson said that offer's still on the table, if you want to reconsider."

The staff member clapped his hands and turned to walk away.

There was a sneer on his lips.

"How does a guy like that end up crossing Ms. Dawson, anyway? Please. Everyone knows who's backing Ms. Dawson. This guy really doesn't know how big the world is."

My arms tightened around Dad into fists.

I stopped hesitating.

I dialed an overseas number.

"Shut down every Wall Street operation! Get everyone on a flight home, now! And start up the cross-border financing. Get ten million dollars added to my account!"

"Understood, sir!"

The phone trembled slightly in my hand.

I gritted my teeth.

Laura, I never wanted this to get so ugly. You're the one who pushed me to it.