His Billion-Dollar Secret

Chapter 4

"If you want your daughter to live, Mr. Henry, you need to trust me completely."

Jayce stood in the private operating room at Memorial Hospital, looking at the small girl on the table. Lily Henry looked so tiny and fragile, her face pale, tubes connected to machines that beeped softly. Robert Henry stood beside him, his eyes red from crying.

"I trust you," Robert said, his voice shaking. "Please save her."

"Everyone out except my assistant," Jayce said firmly. He had called Leonard to help him. Leonard knew how to handle the special instruments Jayce used for his healing procedures.

The nurses looked confused. One of them, an older woman named Nurse Patricia, frowned. "Sir, hospital rules say we must be present during all surgeries."

"This is not a normal surgery," Jayce said, pulling on his surgical gloves. "What I'm about to do, you won't find in any medical book. Either you leave, or the girl dies. Choose."

Nurse Patricia looked at Robert, who nodded desperately. She and the other nurses left the room, muttering to themselves.

Leonard entered, carrying a black case. "Everything's ready, boss."

Jayce opened the case. Inside were thin silver needles, each one carved with tiny symbols. These were the tools Master Chen had given him, made from a special metal found only in the mountains where he trained.

"What are those?" Robert asked, staring at the needles.

"Ancient healing tools. They work with the body's energy pathways." Jayce began placing the needles at specific points on Lily's small body. "Your daughter's illness isn't just physical, Robert. Her energy flow is blocked. Medicine can't fix that. Only this can."

For the next three hours, Jayce worked in complete silence. His hands moved with perfect precision, placing needles, removing them, adjusting their positions. He pressed his fingers on Lily's pressure points, guiding energy through her body. Leonard assisted, handing him tools and monitoring the machines.

Robert watched from behind a glass window, praying silently. He had seen many things in his years as a detective, but nothing like this. Jayce's hands seemed to glow slightly as they moved over Lily's body. It had to be a trick of the light, but it was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

Finally, Jayce stepped back and removed all the needles. He checked Lily's pulse, then smiled. "She's going to be fine. Her body just needs rest now."

"That's it?" Leonard asked. "She's cured?"

"The disease is gone. Her body needs time to heal fully, but yes, she's cured." Jayce pulled off his gloves and walked to the window. Robert ran into the room and hugged him, crying.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I'll never forget this."

Jayce gently pushed him away. "Remember your promise, Robert. When the time comes, you'll testify against Stephen."

Robert's face became serious. "I will. I swear on Lily's life."

"Good. Now stay with your daughter. When she wakes up, she'll want to see you." Jayce started to leave, but Robert called out to him.

"Jayce, wait. There's something you need to know about Stephen. Something I never told anyone."

Jayce turned around. "What is it?"

"Stephen didn't work alone when he killed your parents. He had a partner. Someone who helped him plan everything." Robert's voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone in the Barker family."

Jayce's blood went cold. "Who?"

"I don't know the name. I only heard Stephen talking on the phone that night. He said 'the Barker woman' would make sure the house was empty except for your parents. He said she owed him a favor and would do anything he asked."

"The Barker woman," Jayce repeated slowly. "Rose."

"Maybe. Or maybe it was someone else. The Barker family is big. It could be anyone." Robert sat down beside Lily's bed. "But whoever it was, they helped murder your parents. And they're still out there."

Jayce felt anger burning in his chest. All this time, someone in Hailey's family had been involved in his parents' deaths. Someone who smiled at him every day while hiding that terrible secret.

"Find out who it was," Jayce said, his voice hard and cold. "I need to know."

After leaving the hospital, Jayce rode his motorcycle through the dark streets. His mind was racing. Rose seemed like the obvious answer, but what if it was someone else? What if Old Master Barker himself had been involved? No, that didn't make sense. The old man genuinely cared about him.

His phone rang. It was Emma, the maid.

"Mr. Jayce, you need to come back quickly!" Emma sounded scared. "Miss Hailey just left with Mr. Damson Cole. I heard them talking. They're going to the Plaza Hotel!"

"Did Hailey say why?"

"No, but Mrs. Rose seemed very happy about it. She gave Miss Hailey a new dress and told her to 'make Damson fall in love again.' I think they're planning something bad!"

Jayce hung up and turned his motorcycle toward the Plaza Hotel. So Rose was trying to push Hailey into Damson's arms. She wanted to break up the marriage quickly so she could make her deal with Stephen.

But what Rose didn't know was that Jayce owned the Plaza Hotel. It was one of his many properties. And he wasn't going to let Damson Cole touch his wife.