Unfit To Know

The corridor remained trapped in a thick, stunned silence. A crowd of doctors and nurses stood paralyzed, their eyes wide as they watched the esteemed, untouchable Valerie Dalton vanish into the changing room. She had just broken her own notoriously strict rules to operate on Vance's dying grandfather. For years, the medical genius of Apex Hospital only treated royalty, billionaires, and the global elite. Yet here she was, standing in a rundown public hospital, commanding the room with an icy authority that sent the local medical staff scrambling to obey.

The heavy double doors of the operating room swung shut. A second later, the red surgical lights flicked on above the frame, painting the pale hallway in a tense crimson glow.

Vance stood rooted to the spot. His usual impenetrable calm wavered, a rare fracture in his stoic demeanor. His knuckles turned white as he stared at the glowing red letters.

Beside him, Audrey felt a sudden vibration in her pocket. She pulled out her phone, her screen flashing with an incoming call. It was Preston. She cast a guilty sideways glance at Vance, her fingers hovering over the screen.

"Go ahead and answer it," Vance said, his voice stripped of any visible emotion, though his eyes never left the surgical doors.

Audrey hesitated for a long moment, the weight of her massive debts pressing down on her chest. She swiped the screen and brought the phone to her ear.

"I just got the news, Audie!" Preston's smooth, calculated voice poured through the speaker. "The diva is holding a limited concert here in Oakhaven tonight. There will be a lot of famous people joining, and I managed to secure two VIP tickets. Are you free tonight? I know you are her biggest fan."

The diva Preston referred to was none other than Harper Quinn. She was an international superstar boasting billions of fans, known worldwide for her angelic singing voice. In over ten years since her debut, Harper had maintained a pristine reputation, free from a single scandal or rumor. Tickets to her exclusive shows were impossible to acquire, let alone VIP seats.

Audrey’s immediate instinct was to reject the offer. She opened her mouth to say no, but the crushing memory of the recent financial aid Preston had provided silenced her. The six hundred thousand dollars Vance had dumped on the table earlier flashed through her mind. She felt utterly defeated by her obligations.

"Okay," Audrey replied reluctantly, her voice low. "I'll go."

She hung up the phone and turned to her husband. "Give me some time," she whispered, her tone defensive yet tinged with guilt. "I just need a little more time to properly sever my ties with him."

Vance’s brows knit into a deep frown. He finally turned his gaze away from the surgical doors and looked directly into her eyes. "I will return him that six hundred thousand, so you don't have to go," he stated, his voice firm and unwavering.

Hearing those words, Audrey felt a sudden, profound pang of disappointment. She let out a heavy sigh, breaking eye contact. She knew the dismal state of his struggling renovation business. On a good year, his small start-up brought in maybe three to four hundred thousand dollars. Now, with his grandfather's sudden, catastrophic health crisis, his business had come to a grinding halt. Clients had already jumped ship. Audrey anticipated that Vance would end up practically homeless in the coming months.

To her, his promise to produce six hundred thousand dollars in cash sounded like nothing but empty, pathetic bravado designed to protect his fragile male ego.

Seeking to change the uncomfortable subject, Audrey looked toward the operating room. "Do you actually know Valerie Dalton?"

"No," Vance replied flatly. "I don't have the right to know her."

Audrey nodded slowly, feeling a bitter confirmation in her chest. She interpreted his statement as an admission of a massive class barrier. Valerie was a medical goddess of the upper echelons, and Vance was merely a struggling blue-collar worker. She remained entirely unaware that Vance meant something else—that Valerie was the one utterly unfit to know a man of his supreme status.

The tension in the hallway spiked to dangerous levels as time crawled by. Suddenly, the operating room doors banged open with a loud crash.

Valerie emerged into the corridor. Her surgical gown bore fresh stains, and her eyes, visible above her tight medical mask, were dead serious.

"His condition is not looking good," Valerie declared loudly, her voice echoing off the linoleum walls. "Not only does he have a brain tumor, but he has severe kidney failure. We need a donor now! We have two hours, at most!"

She spun on her heel and slammed the doors shut before anyone could utter a word.

Vance stood frozen, stunned by the sheer impossibility of her words. He had reviewed his grandfather’s comprehensive medical reports just days prior. The documents showed perfectly healthy kidneys; the only critical issue had been the tumor.

His shock rapidly morphed into something sharper. Without a moment of hesitation, he pulled out his phone and stalked down the corridor, distancing himself from Audrey and the gossiping nurses. He dialed his subordinate’s encrypted number.

"Winston," Vance demanded the second the line connected. "Get me a suitable kidney donor within an hour."

"What?" Winston’s confused voice crackled through the speaker. "Sir, isn't that already handled? When I sent your grandfather's medical history over last night, Valerie deduced the failing kidneys from the secondary blood markers. We already made top-secret preparations to transfer the organs overnight. They should be arriving at the hospital at any minute."

A heavy silence fell over the line as the shocking truth settled in Vance's mind. Valerie had already secured the organs. The dramatic announcement she just made was a calculated performance. She had deliberately caused a completely unnecessary panic just to test him.

Furious, Vance gritted his teeth, his knuckles popping around the phone. "This Valerie," he hissed, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

He ended the call and pivoted back toward the nurses' station. He glared at Dr. Pierce and the terrified medical staff who were currently whispering among themselves.

"Good job, you guys," Vance sneered deeply, his voice laced with venom.

Dr. Pierce shuddered, taking a step back as he felt the sheer weight of Vance's murderous glare. "M-Maybe the equipment went haywire," the stout doctor blurted out, sweat beading on his forehead as he scrambled for a pathetic excuse.

Outside the hospital building, the humid night air clung to the asphalt. A sleek, crimson Ferrari sat parked near the emergency entrance, its engine purring softly.

Preston lounged in the driver's seat, scrolling through messages on his phone. A notification popped up, and a wide, gleeful grin spread across his face. He tossed the phone onto the dashboard and burst into laughter.

"Incredible," Preston scoffed, shaking his head. "Nothing can go wrong now. Vance might have solved my previous puzzles, but now even the heavens are on my side. I can't believe the old man has kidney failure. He is as good as dead."

Sitting in the passenger seat, Bryce ran his hands enviously over the soft leather interior of the sports car. Audrey's brother leaned back, a greedy twinkle in his eye.

"Preston, my future brother-in-law, you have nothing to worry about," Bryce remarked, a sick sense of celebration in his tone. "I will definitely tear them apart. Once the old man croaks, Vance will vent his anger on my sister. I will be right there to fan the flames. They will sign those divorce papers in no time."

Preston smirked, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. "Once you succeed, I will gift this car to you."

"Awesome!" Bryce gasped, his eyes bulging. He looked on the verge of tears. A Ferrari! He knew he could never afford such a machine in his entire lifetime.

Their twisted celebration was abruptly interrupted by the heavy roar of a massive engine. A dark, armored Mercedes-Benz G-Class with a distinct military registration plate pulled over to the curb, its tires screeching slightly against the pavement.

"Huh?" Preston frowned, sitting up straight. "Why is a car with a military license plate here?"

The heavy armored door swung open. A tall, muscular figure stepped onto the sidewalk. The rhythmic thud of his combat boots echoed in the quiet parking lot. He wore a crisp, decorated uniform, his broad shoulders carrying a secure iron medical box. Without a sideways glance, the imposing man marched purposefully toward the hospital's glass entrance.

"My goodness," Preston breathed, his eyes lighting up with instant excitement. "That is Major-General Carter Dalton!"

Carter Dalton was the formidable commander stationed in Oakhaven. At only thirty years old, he held immense power. He was also Valerie’s elder brother. A mere stomp of Carter’s foot was enough to send shivers down the spines of the city's most elite families.

"Let's go see what he is up to," Preston urged.

In a flash, both Preston and Bryce scrambled out of the Ferrari. They trailed closely behind the imposing military figure, intimidated but far too curious to stay put.

Back in the surgical ward, Audrey paced the floor. She looked up and saw a towering man in a dark green army uniform striding down the corridor. Her face fell in dread. She recognized him instantly from the local news broadcasts. He was the youngest, most ruthless major-general of Oakhaven.

As Carter approached the doors of the operating room, his sharp eyes scanned the hallway. His gaze locked onto Vance standing near the wall.

Instantly, the commanding aura surrounding the major-general vanished. Carter subtly lowered his head. His breath caught in his throat, and his calloused hands, gripping the heavy iron box, began to tremble slightly.

It had been five years. Five long years since he had last seen this legendary man. He never expected to encounter the supreme Lord Kensington in a rundown public hospital in Oakhaven. An overwhelming wave of absolute awe and terror washed over him. Every instinct in his military-trained body screamed at him to stand at attention and deliver a crisp, perfect salute.

But Winston’s severe, prior orders echoed loudly in Carter’s mind: Do not engage. Do not strike up any conversation. Do not expose his true identity.

Carter swallowed hard, forcing his trembling hands to keep a steady grip on the medical box. He stopped in front of the surgical doors, keeping his eyes firmly glued to the floor, terrified that even a prolonged glance might offend the man who held the power to eradicate entire bloodlines.

The operating room doors slid open. Valerie stepped out, her eyes scanning her brother. She reached out and snatched the iron medical box from his grip without uttering a single word of thanks.

She turned her head slightly toward Vance. "This is what we call a suitable kidney," she remarked dryly, before disappearing back into the surgical theater.

Hours crawled by in agonizing suspense. The rhythmic beeping of monitors faintly echoed through the thick doors, blending with the hushed whispers of the medical staff who still lingered in the hall.

Finally, the crimson surgical lights flicked off.

The doors parted, and a team of nurses carefully wheeled Vance's grandfather out on a stretcher. His chest rose and fell in a steady, reassuring rhythm. His vitals were stable. They made a beeline for the Intensive Care Unit, the squeaking wheels breaking the tense silence of the corridor.

Valerie exited last. She reached up and pulled her surgical mask down, letting it hang around her neck. She looked exhausted but triumphant. Her heels clicked sharply against the floor as she coolly walked straight up to Vance.

She reached into her coat pocket, pulled out a pristine white slip of paper, and presented him with the staggering medical bill.

"Each kidney costs eight hundred thousand, bringing that to one million six hundred thousand," Valerie stated, her voice ringing clearly in the quiet hallway. "As for my personal consultation fee, it is five million. That means the total is six million six hundred thousand. Remember that you owe me."

Vance took the slip of paper, his face unreadable. "Thank you," he uttered quietly.

Audrey stood frozen in place, her mind spinning. Where did the kidneys come from? Why did a military general deliver them? And why in the world would a doctor of Valerie's untouchable status go out of her way to help her husband?

Before Audrey could process the insane sequence of events, Valerie turned and began to walk away.

Sensing an opportunity, Preston eagerly stepped out from the crowd. He smoothed the lapels of his designer jacket and plastered on his most charming, practiced smile. This was his chance to flaunt his family's medical pedigree and win favor with the legendary doctor.

"Hey, Ms. Dalton," Preston greeted smoothly, stepping directly into her path. "It is so nice to see you again."

Valerie stopped. She slowly dragged her eyes up and down Preston's frame, her gaze radiating pure, unadulterated irritation. "Who are you?" she asked, side-eyeing him as if he were a stain on the floor.

Preston's breath caught in his throat. A flush of humiliation crept up his neck. He came from a prestigious family with deep medical roots, and he had even interacted with her at a banquet years ago.

"My name is Preston Sterling," he pushed on, keeping his smile plastered in place. "My father is Reginald Sterling, my grandfather is Edmund Sterling, and—"

"Stop," Valerie cut him off sharply. Her eyes blazed with impatience. "I don't know you, and I don't want to know you. Get lost."

The crowd of nurses exchanged wide-eyed glances. Preston felt his face burn with intense embarrassment, but he refused to back down. He needed to know why she was here.

"I heard that you only prefer to work in Apex Hospital and never step out," Preston probed frantically. "So, what brings a doctor of your immense stature to perform a grueling surgery for an absolute nobody like Vance? Do you know each other?"

Valerie scoffed loudly. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, glaring at Preston. "No. Who am I to know him?"

Preston beamed internally. Her words made perfect sense to him.

"And why wouldn't I carry out this surgery?" Valerie continued, her tone dripping with disdain for the man standing in front of her. "The entire procedure brings a massive six-million-dollar payout. Who would refuse that? If your family ever needs a surgery like this and can front the cash, I will be the first to help you out."

She brushed past Preston, leaving him standing in the hallway looking like an absolute fool.

Preston forced a tight smile, trying to recover his shattered dignity. He turned back to face Audrey, a wry, mocking smile spreading across his face as he pointed a thumb at Vance.

"Vance is very poor. He can't even fork out six hundred thousand even for the surgery fee alone."