Chapter 66

No one saw it coming, but in a blink, every phone in the hall buzzed to life. Electronic billboards acrosS Crolens-once silent or looping dull ads-suddenly lit up with the exact same video.

Onscreen, a nervous middle-aged woman, hands shaking, held out a sheaf of medical documents. "Dr.Wilde, does my son really need imported drugs?Aren't the local ones good enough?"

The scene cut to Marsha's sharp profile. She didn't bother to hide her annoyance, cutting the woman off."If you're strapped for cash, why show up at all?"With a flick of her wrist, the report landed on the table. "The imported drug is far more effective than the local ones. If you truly love your son, shouldn't your priority be saving his life?"

A dull thud echoed as the woman collapsed to her knees, voice breaking. "Dr. Wilde, I'm begging you,please! I really can't afford the imported drug!"

Marshna's patience snapped. She rose to her feet,slamming the table and sending her heels clattering across the tile. "If you're going to beg, do it outside.Don't take up time for real patients!" Her glare shot to the nurse."Next!"

Security stepped in, dragging the woman away as her desperate cry echoed through the lobby."My son-he's only sixteen!"

Abruptly, the video cut off-only to fade back in with a different scene. This time, a nervous young intern approached Evita, medical file in hand. "Dr. Wilde,this woman just has a benign tumor. Surgery should be enough. There's no need to risk her life with so much chemotherapy before-"

Evita's response was brutal. She hurled the report in his face."Who runs this hospital, you or me? If I don't squeeze every penny out of the patients, how do l keep dead weight like you on payroll?"

The camera followed as the intern was forced out,humiliated and injured. In a later interview, voice hoarse with bitterness, he recounted the aftermath.

"I performed surgery with Dr. Kirk. He kept quiet even though he had connections-he was safe. But the rest of us? VitaLink ruined my hands for speaking up. Now I'll never touch a scalpel again. People call this the Wildes' hospital, but it's just a slaughterhouse feeding on sick people's misery."

After the intern's damning testimony, the video rolled on, one victim after another appearing onscreen.Each told of surgeries gone wrong, their lives permanently altered,families left in ruins.

Every story pointed the finger squarely at the Wildes,their once-sterling reputation now drenched in disgrace.

With the last testimonial fading to black, a wave of shock rippled across the city.

VitaLink Hospital - once the pride of Crolens -found itself at the center of a firestorm, outrage erupting in the streets and all over the news.

No sum the Wilde family could offer was enough to bury the scandal or halt the headlines racing across social media.

Almost overnight, both the Wildes and their flagship hospital became untouchable, their names whispered only in disgust.

Former allies wasted no time-connections with the Wildes were severed, everyone scrambling to avoid the fallout.

But for now, all the attendants just gaspoed at the chaos unfolding before them.

Yet the question hung in the air: Who orchestrated such.a devastating expose? Could Rylie have been involved?

As curious glances darted her way, Rylie merely offered a calm smile and waved her phone in the air."Just a little scare tactic. I didn't even dial anyone."

No police call had come from her; at least on the surface, she appeared uninvolved. Coincidence or not, Sean's keen gaze lingered on Rylie a moment longer before he spoke up. "That's all for today. The seminar is over."

Soon after, Brock leaned over, voice low. "Dr. Owen,

our general would like to invite you for coffee."

Rylie gave a small shake of her head. "It's too late for coffee tonight. I promised my grandfather I'd be home for dinner. Remind him to ease up on the coffee, and get more rest. Next week, make sure he stops by the clinic-the medication isn't working like it used to, and we're ready to move forward with the next phase."

Brock accepted her instructions with a simple nod."Will do."

Sliding her sun hat back in place, Rylie left the Morgan estate, making sure she was gone before the sky lost its glow.

Upstairs, Brad lingered at the wide study window,watching her stride away with a steady gait. "The police arrived out of nowhere," he said, "even we weren't given a heads up."

One of his staff replied from behind, "This was a covert sweep-meant to slip past the Wildes' actual protectors and nab the guilty without warning."

"Who orchestrated it?" Brad asked, eyes never leaving the horizon.

A brief pause, then the subordinate admitted, "The hacker covering their tracks is good. We haven't found them yet-but we're on it."

With Rylie gone from sight, Brad finally turned, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "Forget it. There's no reason to dig any deeper."

His subordinate blinked, caught off guard by Brad's relaxed tone and almost approving smile. "If someone's righting wrongs, there's no needto keep them under a microscope."

..·

Back in her bedroom, Rylie's instincts immediately told her that something was amiss.

A careful scan of the space brought her straight to her desk. She called out for the servant. "Did anyone come in here today?"

Looking honestly confused, the servant shook her head. "No, Miss Owen. I only dropped off that music score you asked for."

The handwritten score still sat exactly where she'd left it, undisturbed. Yet something about the room still felt off. With nothing visibly missing, she let the servant go, but suspicion lingered in her mind.

If it wasn't Paola poking around, then it had to be that troublemaker Percy. What was he looking for in her room?Not finding any answers, Rylie decided to let the matter rest for now. She took a quick shower,changed into clean clothes, grabbed her motorcycle keys, and set off for the research lab that Brad had secured for her-ready to pick up where Timothy's work had left off.

Afternoon slid into evening, and Rylie was still deep in her research when her phone buzzed. Percy's name flashed on the screen, his message an unexpected invitation to meet at a bar later.

A faint frown creased her brow as she stared at the text. Percy had never shown much interest in her before; this out-of-the-blue invite seemed strange.

She kept her reply simple, saying, "Okay." Saving her latest results, she made up her mind to see what he was up to.

When darkness settled, Rylie zipped through city streets on her bike and parked outside the bar that Percy had named. Inside, thumping bass vibrated through her chest, shaking the floor as she made her way in. It didn't take long to spot Percy, lounging in a corner booth, a handful of sharply dressed friends gathered around him.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence." Percy lifted his glass in mock salute, v/oice thick with sarcasm. "Honestly, I figured you'd chicken out."

Expression unreadable, Rylie slid into a seat across from him. "What's this about?"

With a sly laugh, Percy gestured to his group. "Word got around that I had a cousin nobody had met.Everyone wanted a look,so here we are."Around the table, designer jackets and sparkling dresses mixed with sly glances, his friends sizing Rylie up with smirks and curious eyes.