The VVIP ward of Shen Hospital gleamed with wealth—polished marble floors, rich drapes, and a quiet that felt unnatural.
But beneath the luxury, the air was heavy and thick with dread.
Rachel lay motionless on the bed, her face as pale as the sheets.
Tubes and wires clung to her body—an IV in her wrist, an oxygen mask covering her face, a neck collar keeping her still, gauze wrapping her head.
The steady beep of the ECG was the only proof that could tell people who saw her looking pale that she was still fighting for her life... Perhaps desperately.
Doctor Tim stood with twelve of the hospital's best doctors, their white coats were spotless but their faces were tense and looked strained too as sweat slid down their temples despite the cool air of the hardworking air conditioners.
Their hands were moving quickly, but there was a stiffness to them, as though the weight of Erica who was watching them from behind had frozen their spines.
Erica stood by the window, her back straight, her frail frame radiating a quiet but lethal authority.
Her eyes never left the doctors and she didn't need to speak; her presence alone pressed down like an iron hand on their shoulders.
For twenty long minutes, no one dared break the silence and the only sound that could be heard was the machine beside Rachel's bed, each beep like a clock ticking towards the moment the doctors face heavy criticism from Erica and get reprimanded for not being able to wake Rachel up.
At last, the doctors turned to Erica, their heads bowed.
"How is my granddaughter?" Erica's voice was sharp and low, cutting through the still air as she asked and fixed her gaze on them.
None of the doctors dared to be the first to answer Erica.
A few of the doctors swallowed hard aa their eyes darted to one another, silently begging someone else to speak first.
Erica's gaze turned colder as she said, "I asked you all a question... Are you all dead?"
Still, none of the doctors had the courage to answer Erica..
The air in the room dropped a degree and with her tone snapping like a whip, Erica raised her voice and said, "Speak!"
The word "Speak!" made a few of the doctors to flinch.
Taking a deep breath and clenching his fist, Doctor Tim finally stepped forward and said,"Listen, Chairwoman Shen… we have done for Rachel all that can be done.... Medically, she should have woken up by now but instead—" He hesitated, his voice faltering under her stare. "She has fallen into a coma."
Erica's eyes narrowed as she snapped at them and said, "You call yourselves elite doctors, yet you cannot wake one girl? You guys are incompetent and you disgrace the word "elite."
The group of doctors lowered their heads even further, their shame mixing with fear and no one dared to defend themselves not even Doctor Tim.
After some seconds, Doctor Tim drew a deep breath, forcing himself to go on as he continued, saying, "Chairwoman Shen, this may not be a matter of medicine... From my observation… Rachel is not waking because she does not wish to."
Erica's brow lifted slightly, taking a deep breath, she stared at him intently and said, "Explain."
"I believe something happened—something that has left Rachel unwilling to face reality.... The problem here is that her body is able, but her mind… refuses to respond."
For a moment, Erica said nothing as she began to think heavily about what Doctor Tim said.
The stillness in the room deepened and after a while, she looked at Doctor Tim, anxiety etching on her face as she opened her mouth slowly, saying, "And what would you have me do, Doctor Tim?"
Seeing she really needed an advice from him, Doctor Tim smiled and said, "I suggest you stay with her and try to speak to her... Try to remind her of moments and people she cherishes... Show her she is not alone and that's it okay to come out from hiding."
Erica's eyes lingered on him for a while before saying, "Very well. You may go."
Relief washed over the doctors as she dismissed them with a flick of her hand.
They immediately filed out quickly with their heads still bowed.
Only Tim remained, Restlessly moving as the silence stretched.
"What are you still doing here?" Erica's sharp voice cut at him again.
"I—thought you might still need me." Doctor Tim stammered.
Erica stared at him with an amused look on her face before saying, "Well, you thought wrong. Now leave."
Doctor Tim obeyed without another word and left the ward, closing the door softly behind him.
---
Twenty minutes later, the quiet atmosphere was shattered by the sharp growl of an engine outside.
A sleek black Range Rover tore into the hospital's parking lot with its tires screeching as it drove and parked neatly into a parking lot space.
Many heads turned—some nurses paused mid-step, some patients stopped talking, and even some passersby slowed down their walking pace.
The front door slowly swung open and, from the driver's side, a tall woman in a perfectly-cut black suit with her hair pulled back into a severe ponytail stepped out with her long legs clad inside her high heels.
She gracefully moved to the passenger side and opened the door for a blonde girl who stepped out slowly.
The blonde girl, clad in a plain skirt and a T-shirt, walked towards the tall woman with her sneakers squeaking against the pavement.
Smiling at her briefly, the tall woman walked to front of the blonde girl and led her towards the entrance.
As the two of them walked towards the entrance, they were trailed by the eyes of everyone nearby.
The hospital's Chief Medical Director and twelve other doctors were already waiting, falling into step behind them as they entered.
In the elevator, the girl glanced up nervously. "Miss Mahon… who am I going to meet?"
Susan's face stayed unreadable as she said, "My boss asked for you... Don't worry, you'll see for yourself soon."
When the elevator reached the VVIP floor, Susan led her to Ward 001 and knocked.
"Who is it?" came Erica's sharp voice.
"It's me, Susan."
"Enter."
Inside, Erica looked up from a magazine.
Her gaze slid from Susan to the girl, assessing her in an instant. "Is this the one who saved my granddaughter?"
"Yes, Madam Shen," Susan said with a small smile.
Erica's hand lifted slightly, beckoning. "Come here."
The girl didn't move at first, staring in disbelief.
Sitting in front of her eyes was Erica George Shen—the richest woman in the world.
She thought she was in a dream so she slapped her cheek lightly and winced at the sting before it dawned on her that she wasn'tdreaming.
"Why did you do that?" Erica asked, one brow raised.
"I thought I was dreaming," the girl murmured.
Erica's lips curved faintly. "You're a pretty girl—inside and out... Keep it that way."
The girl blushed, tucking her hair behind her ear.
They spoke briefly before Erica said, "Tell me what you want as a reward. Say the word, and it's yours."
The girl shook her head. "I want nothing. Only for her to get better."
"You refuse a thank-you from me?" Erica's voice softened, but the weight in it remained.
"I refuse. Doing the right thing isn't something to be paid for."
Erica studied her for a long moment, then inclined her head before saying,"Then please allow me to pay for your education—anywhere you choose to school in, I will pay for it."
This time, the girl nodded her head in agreement.
Susan then brought out and handed to her a gold-coloured Shen Bank card and said, "In there is fifty billion Norpondian dollars, you school in Shen International Academy and you are based mainly in Norpond so it's better to have a bank card with Norpondian dollars inside it.."
The girl froze in shock and before she could compose herself, Susan brought out and handed to her a Shen Airlines first-class her a plane ticket.
The girl thanked them sincerely and after she got permission from Erica to leave, she said her warm goodbyes and left with the door clicking shut behind her.
---
When the door shut, Erica's eyes turned to Susan.
"Seeing that girl made me feel like a coward and a sinner to let that Charlotte girl to continue going around River city, flaunting around Liam, a man she stole from my granddaughter.... Susan, I need to make sure Rachel doesn't call me a sinner or a coward.... Effective immediately, every Shen Group subsidiary are to end all partnership with DY Group.... No exceptions... Pull out every investment and don't leave a cent to them.... Also, make their shares fall—You can use your method and if that doesn't works then use whatever it takes."
"Yes, Madam Shen." Susan answered as her pen scribbled on her notebook, jotting down the task assigned to her.
"One more thing, acquire *Chixia*, their art gallery... And I want one-third of DY Group under our control... Once we have it, sell it all and donate every coin, every property, every asset to charity—under Rachel's name... I want them to experience how it feels like to have things taken or stolen from them."
Susan wrote in silence, her face calm but her eyes darker as she smiled and said, "Understood."
Erica's tone dropped lower, saying, "And send Charlotte a warning—tell her not to bite off more than her greedy mouth can chew next time... She will no it came from me."
Susan closed her notebook, her voice firm while saying, "It will be done."
Erica's gaze then hardened suddenly, saying, "And Susan…" She straightened, her voice sharp as a slap. "Stop calling me 'Madam Shen... I've told you a thousand times but you never listen.'"
Susan who was caught off guard raised her head to meet Erica's gaze, saying,"You are my boss... That's why I call you, 'Madam Shen."
"But that word feels distant," Erica said, a faint heat in her tone. "Please call me *Erica* Friends address each other casually regardless of status and we are friends, are we not?."
Susan lowered her head slightly. "Yes, we are...Madam Shen.... OOPS! I meant to say, 'Erica."
Feeling embarrassed, Susan turned and ran out the door, her heels clicking harshly against the polished floor.
Just as she reached for the handle, Erica's voice stopped her, saying,—"Let the business world and the public know we are the ones attacking DY Group and inform the Dylan family about what their second daughter did and tell them their precious daughter made my precious daughter's man lose his mind."
Susan's lips curved into a faint smile. as she nodded her head and said, "Understood."
Opening the door, she left, closing the door behind her.
The ward fell silent again—except now, that silence carried the weight of a storm already on its way.