At that moment his eyes settled on him, warmth returning to them.
"Nathaniel... I feel—" He paused, flexing his fingers slowly before placing his hand over his chest. "I feel... strong again."
"Father?" Nathaniel's voice trembled.
Nathaniel's father stepped forward hesitantly. His hands shook as he reached out, gently touching his father's wrist—then froze. His eyes widened.
The pulse was strong. Steady. Alive.
And then, to everyone's astonishment, the old man sat upright. No wheezing. No tremors. His spine was straight, his movements firm. He looked down at his own hands in quiet wonder, curling his fingers as if discovering them for the first time.
Victoria, who had mocked Megan only minutes ago, stood frozen. The color drained from her face as she watched her grandfather move with unnatural ease. Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
"How... is this even possible?" she finally whispered.
Dr. Alden stumbled back, dazed. His twenty years of medical experience had not prepared him for this. He blinked hard, checked the monitors again, rubbed his eyes—but the results didn't change.
"These readings..." he muttered, voice barely audible. "They're... better than before he even fell ill..."
At that moment, Nathaniel's father turned toward Megan, truly looking at her for the first time. The arrogance in his expression melted away, replaced with stunned disbelief.
Then his gaze snapped toward Dr. Alden.
"You!" he barked, storming over and grabbing the older man by the collar. Rage poured off him like heat.
"You nearly killed my father! And why? Because of your ego?!"
"I—I didn't mean to—" Dr. Alden stammered, his legs trembling beneath him.
"Didn't mean to?!" Victoria stepped forward sharply.
"We paid you millions. You're supposed to be the best in the city—and yet, you ignored a clear warning because you couldn't handle someone doing better than you!"
Dr. Alden's face went pale as Mr. Chen, Nathaniel's uncle, calmly pulled out his phone.
"Hello? Yes. Send the VIP security footage to every hospital board across the country. Let them see how Dr. Alden let pride nearly kill a patient."
"No, please!" Immediately Alden dropped to his knees. His voice cracked. "My reputation—"
"Your reputation?" Mr. Chen's voice cut like a blade. "What about our father's life? You gambled with it like it was nothing—because you couldn't admit you were wrong."
At that moment, the hospital director stepped forward, eyes filled with disgust. He ripped the name tag off Dr. Alden's coat and threw it to the ground.
"Your medical license is revoked. Effective immediately. And that's just the beginning."
At that moment Mr. Chen's voice dropped, deadly quiet.
"The ten million we invested in your research center? Gone. Consider it dissolved. And your students? After today, no hospital in this country will hire them. Their careers just ended with yours."
Dr. Alden collapsed, tears streaming down his face. The silk tie he wore, the designer watch on his wrist—bought with Nathaniel family donations—now looked like shackles.
"Take him to the police," Nathaniel ordered, his voice cold and sharp. "Let him explain how he deliberately endangered a patient's life. Twenty years in prison might teach him the humility he lacked."
Security didn't hesitate. As they dragged him away, the doctors and nurses who once jumped at his orders stepped back without a word. Some looked away. Others glared.
Even the janitor refused to hold the door open.
Then Nathaniel's voice rang out again.
"Stop him."
Everyone turned as one of Dr. Alden's students tried to slip out quietly.
" You think you can just Walk out from here after insulting Miss Megan, calling her name
The student turned pale instantly.
"I—I was joking!" he stuttered, stumbling back.
"I wasn't," Nathaniel said icily.
"Get him out of my sight and make sure that big lips of his are well taken care of," Nathaniel said coldly, turning away.
At that moment, the tension that had strangled the VIP ward slowly faded. People exhaled. The storm had passed.
Then—from the back of the room—a hesitant voice called out.
"Well..."
Megan turned to see Victoria, awkwardly hovering by the doorway, avoiding every gaze. She shifted uncomfortably, cleared her throat, and leaned in slightly.
"Hypothetically speaking... if I had that... issue you mentioned earlier... would you be able to fix it?"