A Decision Taken From Her

Lumi stared at Aaron as his words settled in her mind.

“Cancel the procedure.”

Her heart slammed against her chest. Her fingers curled into fists at her sides as anger rose through her weak body.

“You have no right to say that!” she snapped, her voice shaking.

Aaron did not even look at her immediately. His eyes stayed on the doctor, his expression firm and controlled.

“Stop everything,” he said again, his tone colder this time. “She’s not going into that room.”

The doctor hesitated, glancing between them. “Mr. Vanders, this is—”

“I said stop.”

The authority in his voice filled the room. The nurses froze. The doctor swallowed hard.

Lumi felt something break inside her.

“No!” she cried, her voice rising. “I already paid for this. You can’t just walk in here and take control. This is my body. My decision!”

Her breathing became uneven. Her chest rose and fell fast as she struggled to stay calm.

“Doctor, please,” she said, turning to him. “Ignore him. I booked this. I signed the forms. You have to listen to me, not some random man who just walked in here.”

The doctor opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Lumi let out a shaky laugh that quickly turned into a sob. “Is this how it works?” she asked bitterly. “Because he’s rich? Because he has money, you suddenly forget your patient?”

Her eyes burned as tears filled them.

“Answer me!” she demanded.

The room stayed quiet.

Aaron finally stepped closer.

“I call the shots here,” he said calmly. “This is my facility.”

The words hit her harder than anything else.

Lumi’s lips parted, but no sound came out. Her body felt weak, her strength slipping away with every second. She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to cry. But she felt too drained to do either.

She shook her head slowly, her voice coming out softer this time.

“I can’t do this,” she whispered. “I don’t have anything. No job. No home. I can’t even take care of myself right now. Why are you doing this to me?”

Her hands trembled as she pressed them against her stomach.

“Why are you forcing this on me?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Why are you torturing me?”

Aaron watched her quietly.

Then, slowly, something changed in his expression. It was brief, but it was there.

A thought.

An idea.

The corner of his lips lifted slightly.

Without a word, he reached into his coat and pulled out a thick bundle of cash. He tossed it onto the small table beside her.

The sound was sharp in the quiet room. Lumi’s eyes dropped to it immediately.

Money.

A lot of it.

Her breath caught. The scent of it filled the air, and for a second, her mind went blank.

Aaron spoke, his voice steady.

“Take care of the child.”

She looked back up at him, stunned.

“That’s your job now.”

Her throat tightened. “You think money solves everything?”

“It solves what matters,” he replied.

She shook her head slowly, disbelief filling her face. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.”

He turned to the doctor.

“Make sure she’s stable. No complications,” he said. “And move her to a private ward.”

The doctor nodded quickly. “Yes, Mr. Vanders.”

Aaron did not look at Lumi again.

He walked out of the room without another word.

The door closed behind him. Lumi stood there, frozen. Her eyes moved slowly back to the money on the table.

Her chest tightened again, but this time it felt different.

Confusion.

Fear.

And something else she didn’t want to admit.

Relief.

The nurses moved quickly around her.

“Ma’am, please sit,” one of them said gently.

Another nurse helped her change back into her dress. Lumi didn’t resist. She felt too tired to argue anymore.

Her mind was still stuck on everything that had just happened.

He owns the hospital.

The thought repeated in her head.

They helped her onto a wheelchair.

“We’re moving you to a private ward,” the nurse explained. “Mr. Vanders has arranged everything.”

Lumi let out a small, empty laugh.

Of course he had.

They wheeled her through clean hallways, past quiet rooms and soft lights. Everything looked expensive. Everything looked controlled.

Nothing felt like hers.

They stopped in front of a room and pushed the door open.

Inside was a single bed. The room was spotless. Bright. Calm.

Too calm.

They helped her onto the bed and adjusted the sheets around her.

“You’ll stay here for now,” the nurse said. “He gave strict instructions that you should be taken care of until he returns.”

Lumi stared at the ceiling.

Until he returns.

She closed her eyes slowly.

What was happening to her life?

—

At the same time, Aaron drove back to the Vanders estate.

His hands rested steadily on the wheel, his expression unreadable.

But his mind was active.

Very active.

The image of Lumi in that hospital gown stayed in his head.

Her words.

Her desperation.

Her refusal.

And then the moment she looked at the money.

He had seen it clearly.

She needed help.

More than she wanted to admit.

He drove through the gates and stepped out of the car without waiting for anyone.

The estate was quiet.

He walked straight inside and headed toward the older section of the house.

His grandfather’s wing.

The air felt different there. Slower. Heavier.

When he stepped into the garden area, he saw the old man sitting by the small pond, holding a fishing rod.

Elias Vanders.

Aaron stopped for a moment, watching him.

The old man didn’t turn.

“I know you’re there,” Elias said.

Aaron walked forward.

“Grandfather.”

Elias glanced at him briefly before looking back at the water.

“You look troubled,” he said. “That’s new.”

Aaron ignored the comment and sat down beside him.

A servant appeared and placed a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Aaron didn’t want it.

But he took a sip anyway.

The silence stretched for a moment.

Then Aaron spoke.

“Have you been doing anything lately?”

Elias raised a brow. “That depends.”

“Setting me up,” Aaron said flatly. “Sending women. Playing games.”

The old man let out a dry cough, then gave a small, cynical smile.

“I was planning to,” he admitted. “Why? Did one of them finally work?”

Aaron’s jaw tightened slightly.

“It’s nothing,” he said.

Elias studied him carefully.

“That’s not how you sound when it’s nothing,” the old man replied. “What happened?”

Aaron stood up.

“Forget it.”

He turned and started walking away.

“Boy,” Elias called after him. “What’s wrong with you?”

Aaron didn’t answer.

He kept walking.

But as he stepped out of the garden, something shifted inside him.

A plan.

Clear.

Simple.

And effective.

For the first time that day, a faint smile appeared on his face.

It didn’t reach his eyes.

But it was there.

And it meant one thing.

He had decided what to do next.