All Chapters of The Chairman’s Ultimatum Disgraced Surgeon’s Second Life: Chapter 1
- Chapter 9
9 chapters
The Fallen Prodigy Returns
Adrian didn’t even spare a single glance at the cityscape as his private jet descended. He was staring at the platinum band on his left hand. The ring was a custom piece Lilian had designed. It was heavy and ostentatious, just the perfect symbol of the Monroe family’s status. For three years, even while living in self-imposed exile, he hadn’t taken it off. It served as an important reminder of the life they had convinced him he deserved.He turned it slowly under the cabin light. He remembered sliding it onto Lilian’s finger, with the stupid belief that he was stepping into a destiny built on love and achievement. He was Adrian Cole, the youngest surgeon to chair a division at the Metropolitan Medical Group, otherwise known as MMG. He was the golden boy. She was his golden ticket.Now, it was just lead.As the plane settled and the steps got lowered onto the asphalt of the private terminal, Adrian pulled the ring off. It felt relievingly light.He walked past the uniformed fligh
A Hospital in Panic
The emergency room floor of Monroe Medical Group was filled with so much tension, a knife could probably cut through it. It was 7:05 PM, and the energy wasn’t the usual organized chaos of triage and traumas; it was more of frantic chaos. Everyone who wasn't actively saving a life had their phone out, refreshing news sites and whispering in hushed, terrified tones.“Did you see the graphic? Urgent CEO Announcement. That’s never a good sign,” Dr. Thompson, a frazzled-looking resident, muttered to a nurse.“It means someone big just bought someone else big, and we’re the someone else,” the nurse, whose name was Kelly, replied, her arms crossed. “I heard the Monroe family has been bleeding cash for months. Something about that new wing expansion they couldn’t finance.”A third voice chimed in, a respiratory therapist named Dave. “Bleeding cash is an understatement. Remember those stock options we were all promised last year? Poof. Gone. My cousin in accounting said they look like they’r
Exes? Or Strangers
The silence was so deafening, their reactions were way better than Adrian had imagined. He almost burst out laughing. He didn't think it'd feel this satisfying to see em all like this after so long. William Monroe, Adrian’s former father-in-law, was the first to find his voice, a reedy, choked noise. “Adrian? No, this… this isn’t possible. You lost everything. You haven’t got the capital for this. Robert, what is this man doing here? Call security.”Robert, who had been scrambling for an explanation, only stammered, “The counsel confirmed it, Father. ColeTech Global Holdings… it’s his.”Adrian’s gaze finally settled on Lilian. She was still sitting, frozen in place at the long mahogany table, her pale gray suit contrasting sharply with her face, which was now the color of old plaster. The composure she cultivated so meticulously had shattered completely, revealing the fear beneath.She pushed back her chair and stood, trying to inject some of her stupid, old authority into the mom
Lily's Return
The front doors swung open and a young woman walked in, a tender, bright smile on her face. Dr. Lily Monroe wasn't Lilian. As a matter of fact, it felt like they were from two different worlds entirely. Lilian was a definition of perfectionism, order, control, and expensive tailoring designed to convey power. Lily, however, was energy wrapped in a cheap, slightly rumpled trench coat, carrying a backpack and a rolling carry-on bag that looked like it had been dragged through several continents. Her hair, a warm brown color, was currently pulled back into a quick, functional ponytail, and she was grinning like she’d just landed in Disneyland, not a debt-ridden hospital owned by a revenge-driven sociopath.She loved hospitals. Not the money or the politics her family obsessed over, but the actual, pulsing heart of the place. She’d spent the last three years in the humanitarian medicine circuit—tents in Southeast Asia, makeshift clinics in South America—where decisions were fast, re
Softness He Didn’t Plan For
Adrian hadn’t anticipated this. He had planned for fear, for pleading, and for corporate warfare. He hadn’t planned for this quiet, wide-eyed gratitude or the gentle way Lily’s voice said his name.He immediately defaulted to his prepared persona. “Dr. Monroe. I apologize. I’m afraid I don’t know who you are referring to. I am Adrian Cole, the new Chairman of ColeTech. You may have mistaken me for someone else.”Lily shook her head, her eyes suddenly glistening with a clarity that said she saw right through the expensive suit and the cold mask. “No. I didn’t. That voice. And those eyes, Adrian. They’re exactly the same. They’re just… colder now.”She took a step closer, and Adrian’s defense mechanisms went into overdrive. He wanted to push her away, to remind her that he was the monster her sister claimed he was. But the look on her face wasn’t judgmental; it was something surprisingly close to pity, mixed with relief.“It’s so good to see you,” she said with all sincerity. Adrian
First Victory, First Blood
What a waste. Sure, the little confrontation from earlier had been quite unsettling, but Adrian was no fook. He could sense how furious and possessive she was being. Adrian needed to remind himself that Lilian was poison, pure and simple.The next day, Adrian took his first decisive step in dismantling the old guard. He called a private meeting with Dr. Garrison Vance, the Head of Procurement and Logistics, the man who had signed off on the faulty equipment that caused the death on Adrian’s table three years ago. Vance had been William Monroe’s golfing partner and had actively testified against Adrian, claiming Adrian had overridden his warnings.Adrian sat across the table from Vance in the private conference room. Vance was sweating profusely. He'd been seeing the news. And if they were legit, and from what he was seeing they were, it meant that his life was over. Literally. Panic clawed at his throat. “Dr. Vance,” Adrian began, cutting straight to the point. “Our audits show
Humiliation On A Gown
By morning, the news was all over the place. The net was on fire, newspapers, headlines, everything. And it wasn't a humble corporate press release; it was a scorched-earth media campaign orchestrated by ColeTech’s PR team, designed for maximum shock value.The front page of every major financial and local paper screamed the same headline: FALLEN SURGEON RISES: DISGRACED DOCTOR PURCHASES THE HOSPITAL THAT RUINED HIM.The articles didn't mince words. They detailed Adrian Cole’s meteoric rise, the infamous malpractice suit, the subsequent destruction of his medical career, and then the shocking, three-year metamorphosis into the mysterious Chairman Cole, who now owned 51% of the Monroe Medical Group. They painted Adrian as a cold, brilliant titan who returned not just for money, but for a very specific, personal vengeance.The Monroes watched their world crumble at the breakfast table.“This is a catastrophe,” William choked out, throwing the paper down so hard his coffee jumped in th
The Price Of Treachery
The voice on the other end of the line was the sound of damnation, and Lilian had accepted the terms. She had said, "I'll do it," but the agreement felt less like a choice and more like sliding down a slick, dark slope she’d already stood too close to.Adrian hadn't just defeated them; he’d exposed them to something far worse than public humiliation. He’d exposed them to those who waited for this moment. A perfect time to strike.A heavily armored, black SUV—nothing flashy really, just some expensive anonymity—picked her up exactly where the voice had told her to wait. A defunct loading dock three miles from MMG. The ride was an eerily silent one, the soundproofed interior making the chaos of the City disappear.She felt like a package being delivered, not a partner being welcomed or going through the introductory phase. For a second, she wondered if she was doing right thing or something. The vehicle stopped inside a massive, windowless warehouse located somewhere near the industr
What’s so urgent?
The morning light in Lily Monroe’s temporary hospital-provided apartment was slightly harsh, cutting across the pristine, impersonal beige walls.She hadn’t even bothered to unpack more than a single suitcase.This place felt exactly like what it was: a holding cell until her family decided where to slot her back into the Echelon City hierarchy.She was sipping coffee, leaning against the counter, when her phone screen lit up with a video call from half a world away.“Betty, you’re up early,” Lily answered, smiling.Betty, her best friend and fellow resident from her time abroad, looked blurry and cheerful on the screen.“Early? It’s past five, but who’s counting? I wanted to catch you before the great Monroe Medical Machine chewed you up and spat you out. How’s the prodigal sister settling in?”Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair.“It’s surreal. Like returning to a house that’s been perfectly preserved in amber, except now there’s a giant, vengeful Adrian Cole shaped hole in