Anne froze, the weight of his words crashing down on her. ’Denis owns fifty percent of the hospital!’
In that instant, she understood everything. Denis was behind this. He was using his influence to corner her, forcing her to crawl back to him.
A bitter resentnt churned inside her.
"I understand," she murmured. "Thank you for your suggestion."
She rose from her chair and left the office, her heart heavy with frustration.
Anne walked down the corridor with heavy steps, her mind swirling with the doctor’s words. eting with the dean would be a challenge, and even then, there was no guarantee he would consider her request. Without Denis’s approval, the dean was unlikely to take any action.
That left her with only one option—returning to Denis and pleading for his help.
’What should I do now?’ Anne questioned herself, debating whether she should call Denis or not.
As she mulled over her dilemma, her gaze landed on Patricia and Lorie, who were chatting and laughing without a care in the world. A surge of frustration twisted in her chest—how could they be so carefree in such a dire situation?
Clenching her fists, she strode toward them.
She overheard Lorie saying, "I need to buy new clothes and matching accessories."
"Go ahead and get whatever you need," Patricia encouraged her. "If you need more money, take my card too."
"That’s so sweet of you, Mom." Lorie bead, wrapping her arms around Patricia in delight.
Anne’s frustration boiled over. "We’re in the middle of a crisis, and all you care about is shopping?" she snapped, making them jolt in surprise. "Do you even care about Papa?"
"Of course we do!" Lorie retorted. "He is my father – my biological father. But it’s you who doesn’t want him to wake up."
"Stop spewing nonsense," Anne shot back. "Don’t accuse like that."
"How dare you yell at my daughter?" Patricia fud, rising to her feet. In a blink, she struck Anne across the face.
Anne’s head snapped to the side, a stinging imprint of Patricia’s fingers left on her cheek.
"Lorie is right," Patricia declared. "This is your fault. You delayed the paynt, and now the hospital won’t keep him."
Anne turned back to face them, her cheek burning—but it was nothing compared to the fire raging inside her.
"Still blaming ?" she said, her voice laced with disbelief. "I’ve been the one paying his dical bills all this ti. I even covered the cost of his new dication. You two haven’t contributed a single cent. If you were truly worried about him, why didn’t you pay the bill on ti?"
Her sharp gaze flicked to Patricia. "Isn’t he your husband?" Then she turned her sharp gaze to Lorie. "Isn’t he your father? Don’t you feel any responsibility toward him? All you do is bla , yet neither of you has lifted a finger to help him."
"You have the audacity to question us? I’ll kill you." Patricia lunged at her, ready to beat her.
"Mom, don’t cause a scene here," Lorie intervened, pulling Patricia back. "She’ll only create more problems for us."
"Humph," Patricia snorted bitterly. "You were nothing but an orphan when we took you in. We gave you a na, a ho, an education—we fed you, clothed you, and raised you. Now, all we ask is that you repay that kindness. It’s your duty to cover his dical expenses. After all, he treated you like his own."
Anne took a deep breath, suppressing the anguish welling up inside her. Her father was the only reason she maintained ties with this family. He was the only one she truly loved, and for him, she was willing to do anything—even if it ant swallowing her pride and begging Denis for help.
At that point, she made her decision. She would go to Denis.
"Yes, I’ll do anything for him," she said firmly. "But not because I owe you anything. I’m doing this because he is my father. Because I love him."
Without wasting another second, she turned and stord away, ruthlessly wiping away her tears.
At Augustine’s office...
Gustave slid a file across the desk toward Augustine. "This is the report on Becca," he stated. "She has been with the Beaumont Group for five years—loyal and hardworking. Over ti, she built a close relationship with Madam Anne, but their recent conflict has raised suspicions among the staff."
Nodding at the file, he continued, "Her confession is inside. During interrogation, she admitted everything. She never truly liked Madam Anne, only harbored resentnt and jealousy toward her. She only pretended to be her friend to gain career advantages. However, her hidden resentnt turned into outright vengeance when Tania approached her with an offer to work together against Madam Anne."
Augustine scanned the docunts, his expression unreadable. "So, Tania was the mastermind behind all this, manipulating Becca."
"Yes," Gustave confird. "Tania fed her lies, convincing her that Madam Anne had seduced Denis to secure the secretary position. Becca believed every word, unaware that it was actually Tania who had abandoned her boyfriend in pursuit of her career."
Augustine let out a dry chuckle. "What a scheming woman. She and Denis make quite the pair." Closing the file, his voice turned cold as he issued a stern command. "Blacklist Becca. Make sure she is shut out from the corporate world."
"Understood, sir."
Augustine shifted his attention. "What’s the latest on Mr. Lee?"
"His secrets have surfaced online, and public backlash is hitting him hard," Gustave reported. "His company is taking a major hit. Additionally, so powerful force is working behind the scenes to bring his business down. I believe it’s Denis."
"Hm." Augustine nodded. "Keep posted."
Just then, Gustave’s phone rang and interrupted their conversation. He glanced at the screen, his expression tightening. "Excuse , sir, I need to take this."
Answering the call, his deanor shifted instantly as he absorbed the information. When he hung up, he turned to Augustine with urgency and blurted, "There is a problem with Madam Anne’s father. The hospital is refusing to keep him."
"What?" Augustine tensed, concern flashing in his eyes. "Why?"
"The exact reason is unclear," Gustave admitted. "But they are discharging him despite the bills being paid. Madam Anne is already there, trying to resolve the issue."
Augustine shot up from his chair. "Contact the dean imdiately. Find out why they are refusing to keep him, and fix it—whatever it takes. If money is the issue, offer more. I don’t care what you have to do, just make sure it’s handled."
Without another word, he strode out of the office, determination etched into every step. He jumped into his car and sped toward the hospital.
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