Elias stood in the middle of the luxury hospital suite, his heart hammering against his ribs. He looked at the expensive leather chairs, the silk curtains, and the state-of-the-art medical equipment that hadn't been there yesterday. It didn't feel like a hospital anymore. It felt like a palace.
He turned his gaze to the bed. Dante Moretti was sitting up, leaning against a pile of soft pillows. Even with bandages wrapped around his chest, he looked like a king sitting on a throne. He was holding a tablet, probably moving millions of dollars with a single tap of his finger.
"You are insane," Elias whispered, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and shock. "I checked the hospital records this morning. The board of directors is gone. The ownership has changed. You actually bought this entire building overnight?"
Dante looked up from his tablet. A small, dark smile played on his lips. "In my world, Elias, if something is valuable, I buy it. If someone is useful, I keep them. You saved my life. I don't like owing people favors. It makes me feel weak. So, I decided to settle the debt by making sure you have the best workplace in the country."
"My life isn't a debt you can settle!" Elias snapped. He walked over to the bed, his white coat fluttering behind him. "I am a doctor. I work for my patients, not for a mafia boss. I'm going to the Chief of Medicine right now. I'm handing in my resignation. I'm done."
Elias turned to leave, but Dante's voice stopped him like a physical blow.
"The Chief of Medicine already reports to me, Elias," Dante said. His voice was low, smooth, and very dangerous. "And if you walk out that door, I will close this hospital by sunset. I will tear it down. Hundreds of nurses and doctors will lose their jobs. Thousands of poor patients in this district will have nowhere to go for surgery. Their blood will be on your hands, not mine."
Elias froze. His hand was trembling as it gripped the door handle. He closed his eyes, feeling the weight of Dante's words. He was thirty-five years old. He had spent his whole life learning how to save people. He couldn't let them suffer because of his pride.
He turned around slowly. His face was pale with rage. "You would ruin all those innocent lives just to keep me here? You're a monster."
Dante's expression didn't change. He looked at Elias with a predatory hunger. "I am a Moretti. We don't ask for what we want, Elias. We take it. And right now, I want you. I want the only man who wasn't afraid to put a scalpel in me. You will stay here as my personal physician until I am fully healed. That is the deal."
Elias felt the walls closing in. He was trapped in a cage made of gold and silk. "Fine," he spat out. "I will stay until your stitches come out. But after that, I am leaving this city. And don't ever touch my bank accounts or my loans again. I don't want your dirty money."
Dante's smile grew wider. It was the look of a man who had already won. "We will see, Doctor. We have a long road to recovery ahead of us."