Chapter 2 Every Last Cent

The notification appeared on my screen.

"Your request has been denied. Reason: You seriously couldn't wait one more day? Guess you finally showed your true colors."

I gaped at the message, unable to believe what I was seeing.

My thoughts barely caught up before my phone buzzed again.

Reese was calling.

I answered immediately. "Hello—"

"Felix Mayer!" Her icy voice cut me off. "You made it three whole years, and with only one day left, you finally showed your true colors?"

"Reese, listen to me. Mom was in a car accident—"

"Stop!" she snapped. "Mom? You seriously have the nerve to bring up your mom? When you married into my family, you told me she was dead. Now, with the agreement about to expire, you're using a dead woman to scam me out of money? Felix, I can't believe I ever trusted you."

"No, that's not what I meant." Frustration shook my voice. "Not my mom. Your mom. I mean your mom—"

"Shut up! My mom has been in meetings all day. I just spoke to her! You're so desperate for money that you'd lie about my mom being in an accident? What the hell is wrong with you?"

My mind went blank. If her mother was in the office, who was lying in the operating room?

"Reese, just listen to me—"

Before I could finish, she hung up.

I called her back immediately, but it went straight to voicemail. I tried sending a message, but it wouldn't go through.

She had blocked me.

"Sir!" The doctor's voice pulled me back to reality. He stood outside the operating room, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Are you paying the deposit or not? We can't operate until you do so."

I rushed over and pressed my face to the tiny window in the operating room door. There was no mistaking it—the woman on the table was Reese's mom, Linda West.

Linda had never liked me.

For the past three years, she'd rarely missed a chance to remind me I wasn't good enough for her daughter. But no matter how she'd treated me, she was still my mother-in-law. I couldn't just stand by and watch her die.

Clenching my jaw, I bolted out of the hospital.

The first place I tried was a payday loan office, but the loan officer barely looked at my application before turning me down. "Sorry. You don't have any assets or collateral. We can't approve your request."

Three more desperate attempts, three more rejections.

…

By the time I left the last office, hope was slipping through my fingers.

Eventually, I found myself standing outside a plasma donation center.

The nurse reviewed my information and glanced up. "You sure you want to donate 600 milliliters? That's quite a lot."

I nodded. "I'm sure. How much can I get?"

"Usually, you'd get around 2,000 dollars. But your blood type is extremely rare, so we can offer you 3,000 dollars."

She hesitated for a moment, then added, "You should really think about this. Donating this much at once could be dangerous."

"I know, but I've already made up my mind."

A little while later, I leaned back in the chair, eyes fixed on the machine as my blood drained away. Slowly, a dizzy haze crept over me.

The nurse's words blurred into background noise. All I could picture was Linda's pale face, motionless on the operating table.

Half an hour later, I walked out with 3,000 dollars.

Combined with the 2,847.23 dollars I already had, I now had 5,847.23 dollars. It was enough to pay for the surgery.

I rushed back toward the hospital.

But halfway across an intersection, darkness swam at the edges of my vision. My knees nearly buckled.

"Whoa, you okay?"

A stranger grabbed my arm before I could hit the ground.

"I'm fine, thanks."

I forced myself upright and pushed forward.

By the time I reached the hospital, my legs felt numb. Yet I walked straight to the billing desk. "I'm here to pay the surgery deposit."

The clerk nodded, and relief flooded through me. I had made it back in time, with just enough to save Linda.

I pulled out my phone, hands trembling as I opened my banking app. Just as I was about to confirm the transfer, the screen flickered and refreshed.

My balance was zero dollars.

I stared at the number, confusion crashing over me where relief had been. Before I could process it, two messages flashed onto the screen.

"Under our agreement, I control all the funds in your possession."

"And I know you've been using the Sampson Group's name to scam people out of money. We're done. Expect divorce papers."

I stood rooted as the truth hit me. Reese had transferred every last cent, even the money I had bled for.

My fingers trembled as I opened my call history and tried to call her again, but the call wouldn't even go through.

She had blocked me.