Chapter 3

I looked him dead in the eye. "So, you think I’m only after your money?"

Carter went quiet for a second, then scoffed. "You said it, not me."

Right then, my mom started seizing and passed out. I snatched the car keys to take her to the ER, but Carter blocked the car door. "Apologize to Vivian first."

Vivian brought out a glass of warm tap water. "Maybe Mrs. Vance just needs some water to wake up?"

My mom was losing consciousness. Tears streamed down my face as I begged him. "Carter, let me take her to the hospital first. Please."

He didn't budge an inch. "Apologize."

Looking at my mom’s pale, turning-blue face, I bowed my head to Vivian. "I’m sorry."

Satisfied, Carter took the water cup, pinched my mom’s jaw, and forced the water down her throat. She choked violently. A thick stream of blood gushed from her nose and mouth.

He finally panicked. He drove us to the hospital at lightning speed.

In the emergency room, the doctor screamed at me, "Who fed water to a gastric cancer patient?! Her esophageal lining is ruptured and bleeding out!"

My dad wept. "Her medication... it was lost..."

Vivian whimpered from the corner. "I just wanted to help her take her pills..."

I grabbed her by the collar. "You touched her medicine?"

Carter shoved me away. "She was only trying to help! Can you stop assuming the worst of people?!"

When the red "In Surgery" light turned on, I collapsed onto the hallway floor.

A nurse rushed out. "We are out of Rh-negative blood! The last unit in stock was just signed off by a Mr. Brooks for his assistant—"

I ran up to the third-floor ward. Vivian was lying on a bed, scrolling on her phone with an IV in her arm.

"Give the blood back to my mom," I got down on my knees, begging Carter. "She’s going to die."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is this how you beg someone?"

I swallowed every ounce of my pride. "Mr. Brooks, I beg you."

Carter finally softened a bit. "Vivian is just feeling a little dizzy. If you apologize properly, she might give it to you."

Vivian stretched her leg out, tripping me. "How about a little bow first?"

I looked toward the direction of the ER. My forehead hit the cold, dirty tile floor. "I’m sorry."

Vivian suddenly ripped the IV out of her arm. Blood splattered onto the floor. "Oops! My hand slipped!"

I went crazy, trying to scoop up the blood bag from the floor. But Carter pulled me back. "Are you insane? That’s dirty! I’ll find another way."

In my deepest despair, someone gently pulled me up.

Mr. Sterling, the senior partner of our law firm, walked in. He handed a fresh blood bag to the nurse, then turned to Carter, pulling a stack of legal documents from his briefcase.

"Mr. Brooks, according to the proxy shareholder agreement Ms. Vance signed before your marriage, the 45% of the company shares she holds through you are now officially revoked."

He then looked at Vivian. "And as for you, Ms. Ward, you are officially notified. The evidence of your embezzlement of company funds is solid."

Carter’s face drained of color. "What shares?!"

Mr. Sterling smiled coldly. "The proxy agreement you made Ms. Vance sign. Did you forget?"

He supported my shaking shoulders. "Ms. Vance, the board has been waiting for you to return and take charge for a very long time."

When the ER light finally went off, the doctor walked out with a reassuring smile.

I took one last look at Carter, who looked like he had just seen a ghost, took Mr. Sterling’s suit jacket, and walked away.

My mother’s face was still pale when they rolled her out of the operating room, but her breathing was stable.

The doctor took off his mask, his voice grave but relieved. "The bleeding has stopped, but the damage is severe. She needs absolute rest and the best care possible. Ten minutes later, and we wouldn't have been able to save her."

I held my mom’s cold hand, tears finally spilling over.

It wasn't out of self-pity, but the sheer terror of almost losing her.

Mr. Sterling stood quietly by my side. Once I calmed down, he handed me a thick leather folder.

"Ms. Vance, here are all the copies of the proxy agreement, the email records of the core project designs you anonymously provided to the company over the years, and the bank statements of Carter Brooks and Vivian Ward offshore transfers."

I took a deep breath and took the files.

My fingers touched the cold paper. My heart was even colder.

Carter and Vivian were "escorted" to an empty consultation room nearby by the hospital security and Mr. Sterling's men.

When I walked in, Carter was pacing anxiously. Vivian was curled up in a chair, her face white as a sheet, all her previous arrogance gone.

"Chloe, what is going on? What shares? Is what Mr. Sterling said true?"

Carter spoke first, trying to assume his usual controlling tone, but the tremor in his voice gave him away.

I didn't even look at him. My eyes landed straight on Vivian.

"Ms. Ward, or should I call you... Carter’s 'secret accountant'? You used your position to help Carter embezzle over twenty million dollars of project funds. The evidence is airtight. Do you want to settle this with me now, or should we wait for the white-collar crime division?"

Vivian snapped her head up, looking at Carter in horror, her lips trembling.

Carter’s face turned purple. "Chloe Vance! Don't you dare threaten us! The company is mine!"