From Rags To Riches

Chapter 5

Leo Vance stood frozen, his eyes darting between the blinking green light on the card reader and the blank face of the nurse. He looked like someone had just told him the sky was purple. The smug, superior air he had carried into the lobby was gone, replaced by a twitch in his left eye.

"Paid?" Leo finally managed to choke out. "What do you mean paid? Someone like him doesn't just have ten million dollars lying around. This is a mistake. The machine is broken. Check it again."

The nurse pulled the receipt from the printer and handed it to Elias with both hands, her head bowed slightly. "There is no mistake, Mr. Vance. The transaction was authorized by the hospital financial team after careful  review. The balance is settled. All of it."

"So, Elias," Leo said, his voice cracking as he tried to regain his footing. "Who did you crawl to? Which one of your rich little 'friends' did you beg to do your dirty work? Because we both know you didn't earn a cent of this. Did you sell your badge? Or did you find some lonely old lady to pity you?"

Elias didn't get a chance to answer. The automatic glass doors of the lobby slid open with a soft hiss, and the entire room went silent.

A woman walked in, and it was like the air in the lobby had been sucked out. She wasn't wearing anything flashy—just a tailored white suit and heels—but she moved with a grace that made every head turn. Her dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, and her eyes were sharp, scanning the room until they landed on Elias.

"I did it gladly," she said, her voice smooth and clear.

She walked straight to Elias’s side and slipped her arm through his. She didn't look at Leo. She didn't look at the crowd. She looked only at Elias, a small, knowing smile on her lips.

"Maybe you should get a girl who can do the same for you, Leo," she added, finally turning her gaze to the stunned man at the counter. "Though, looking at you, I imagine you’d have to pay her just to stay in the same room."

The lobby erupted in a collective gasp. Necks were straining as people tried to figure out who this woman was. Elias felt her arm against his. He had never seen her before in his life, but he knew the game Thomas was playing. This was the training Thomas had mentioned. He didn't pull away. He stood tall, letting her lean into him.

"You..." Leo stammered, his face turning a dark shade of red. "Who do you think you are? You come in here and talk to me like that? Do you have any idea who my father is?"

"I know exactly who your father is, Leo," the woman said. She pulled a small, silver phone from her bag and tapped the screen. "And I know his real estate company is currently hanging on by a thread. You’re trying to act big in a hospital lobby because you’re terrified that by next month, you won't even be able to afford the gas for that car your daddy bought you."

"That’s a lie!" Leo shouted, stepping forward. "Elias is worthless! He was a scholarship student! He’s a cop who can’t even pay for his daughter’s surgery! He’s lucky he has a fine face, because that’s the only reason a woman like you would even stand next to him."

The woman laughed, and the sound was like ice clinking in a glass. "At least he has a fine face, Leo. You don't even have that going for you. And as for being worthless? Elias has more value in his little finger than your entire family tree."

"We’ll see about that," Leo hissed. He pulled out his own phone, his fingers trembling as he dialed. "I’m calling my father. He’s on the board here. I’m going to make sure the hospital issues a refund on that payment immediately. I don't care how much money you throw at them. My father is linked with the Vance Group, and the Vance Group is the primary partner for the new city development project. I’ll make sure your kid isn't treated here. I’ll have her moved to the street by midnight."

Elias felt a surge of cold fury, but before he could speak, the woman squeezed his arm.

"Go ahead, Leo," she said softly. "Make the call. See what happens."

Leo glared at her and pressed the phone to his ear. "Dad? Yeah, it's me. I’m at the hospital.

 There’s a guy here, Elias Thorne. He’s trying to—"

Leo stopped. He pulled the phone away from his ear, looking at the screen. "Dad? Hello?"

Suddenly, the phone in Leo's hand began to ring. It was an incoming call from his father. Leo looked confused, but he answered it quickly. "Dad, I was just calling you. This guy—"

"Shut up!" a voice screamed from the phone. It was so loud that the people standing nearby could hear it. Leo’s father sounded like he was having a heart attack. "What did you do, Leo? What did you do at that hospital?"

Leo staggered back, his face going pale. "I... I didn't do anything. I was just—"

"We just lost everything!" his father wailed. "The New World Development Company just canceled our affiliation. They pulled every contract. They said it was because of unprofessional conduct by a family representative at the city hospital. Do you have any idea what this means? We’re ruined, Leo! I’ve worked forty years for this, and you destroyed it in five minutes!"

Sweat poured down Leo’s face. He looked like he was about to faint. He looked at the woman standing next to Elias, his eyes wide with terror. "Who... who are you?"

The woman didn't answer right away. She took her arm out of Elias’s and stepped toward Leo. She was shorter than him, but in that moment, she looked ten feet tall.

"Before you make threats, Leo, you should really do your findings," she said. Her voice was no longer smooth; it was sharp as a blade. "My name is Elena. And I am the heiress of the New World Development Company."