Adrian left the Sterling Group building with the envelope clutched in one hand and a scowl on his face. Isabella had promised to settle his sister’s hospital bills if he delivered it. That was all. No explanation, no details, just an address on the outskirts of the city and a warning not to open it.“What does she take me for?” he muttered, heading for the bus stop. “Unpaid labor, and now I’m her errand boy. If it wasn’t for my sister…”He almost turned around. Almost. The thought of his sister in that hospital bed was enough. He caught the bus and went.The workshop sat at the end of a forgotten road—boarded shops, unfinished concrete shells, weeds everywhere. The sign above the gate was rusted and hanging crooked. Fresh tire tracks cut through the dirt near the entrance.Adrian knocked. Silence. He shoved the gate open; it complained on its hinges.Inside, the yard was cluttered with dead engines, car doors, and stacks of bald tires. One bare bulb glowed in the workshop. He stepped

STERLING CITY HOSPITALAdrian arrived at Sterling City Hospital with his head still aching from the beating he had received at the workshop. He had barely recovered enough strength to walk properly, but the thought of his sister kept him moving. He had to find a way to pay her medical bills before it was too late.However, the moment he entered the ward, his heart sank.His sister was no longer in her room. Instead, she lay on a narrow bed in the corridor, surrounded by other patients who had also been moved out of their rooms. Her face looked pale, and the sight of her lying helplessly in such a place made Adrian’s chest tighten with pain.He hurried toward the nurses’ station and approached the nurse responsible for his sister’s care.“Why has my sister been moved out of her room?” he demanded, struggling to keep his voice steady. “Why is she lying here in the corridor?”The nurse looked up at him with an irritated expression, as though his presence had become an inconvenience.“Is

The elderly man turned toward Mr. Bennett and quietly whispered something to him. Mr. Bennett listened, nodded in response, and then turned to Adrian, asking him to follow him out of the office.Still confused by what was happening, Adrian followed the managing director into the corridor.“What was that about?” Adrian asked. He had expected the elderly man to offer him money immediately, but the look on his face after hearing his sister’s name had left him worried.Mr. Bennett sighed before answering. “Well, your grandfather has never liked your mother.”“Huh? Why?” Adrian asked, unable to understand why his grandfather would hold such a grudge against the woman who had raised him.“When your father brought your mother home and announced that he intended to marry her, your grandfather strongly opposed the marriage. He wanted your father to marry a woman from a noble family, someone whose background matched the status of the Pendragon family. Your father refused to accept his decision

Walking toward them from the far end of the hallway was Mr. Bennett, the managing director of Pendragon Group’s Ruby City branch. His polished black shoes and perfectly tailored suit gave him an air of wealth and authority that was difficult to ignore.The hospital director recognized him immediately, and so did nearly everyone else in the billing area. There was hardly anyone in Ruby City who did not know Mr. Bennett, the man responsible for overseeing one of the most influential companies in the city.“Mr. Bennett!” the director exclaimed, his attitude changing so quickly that Adrian could hardly believe what he was seeing. The same man who had been threatening to ruin Adrian’s life moments earlier now bowed respectfully before the Pendragon Group executive. “What brings you to my hospital, sir?”“I came here with him.” Mr. Bennett replied, pointing directly at Adrian.“Him?” The director stared at Adrian in disbelief, as though he could not understand how someone dressed in such wo