Instant Rise of Zion Blade

Chapter 4: The Discarded Man

“Hello,” the delightful voice came again through the phone that Zion held close to his ear.

Even though the words had been clear the first time, Zion didn’t believe he had heard them correctly.

“Who’s your young master? And who are you?” Zion inquired.

The voice hesitated for only a fraction of a second.

“Sorry, Young Master. I know this might be sudden, and you’re not expecting this. My name is Quinn Temple, and I’m your grandfather’s most loyal servant,” Quinn explained.

“You see, originally, when you were born, your mother was sent away from the Blade family. However, your grandfather has asked me to find you because he wants you to come and claim your rightful position in the family as one of its potential heirs.”

Zion was incredibly shocked by the news and perplexed that he had never known he had a family that would actually bother to reach out to him.

“What’s with the ‘Young Master’ anyway?” he asked.

He wasn’t in the best mood after everything that had happened, and the title seemed rather extravagant to his ears.

“Young Master, if you’d allow me, please, I would come pick you up. When you meet your grandfather, he can explain as much as you’d need to know about your bloodline and your mother’s story as well. I’m not in a position to tell you the details,” Quinn explained.

Zion could understand that. Of course, he was interested in knowing what his family was like. For them to have sent his mother away, and him before he was even born, and now they needed an heir or whatever, and they were reaching out to him…

He wanted answers.

If anything, his mother’s strange illness must have come from somewhere, and maybe he could find the answers to it and also learn about his bloodline.

“All right, then,” Zion agreed.

He didn’t really have a plan for what to do next, so he’d just start from here.

“That’s great news, Young Master. I’m really happy that you agreed to meet your grandfather. So, when shall I come pick you up?” Quinn asked excitedly.

“If tomorrow is okay, I really want to look my grandfather in the eyes and ask him why he actually sent us away, and why he made my mom suffer so much that her condition got so bad that she has to spend every day in the hospital. For many years now, I haven’t heard her voice at all, nor has she even opened her eyes,” Zion said with a deep frown, his tone filled with bitterness.

Quinn, on the other end of the phone, went still for a moment. He broke into a sweat across his forehead.

If only Zion knew who his grandfather was, he really wouldn’t be saying that he’d look the old man in the eyes to question him.

Quinn didn’t say his thoughts aloud, but with a nervous laugh, he said, “Tomorrow is perfect, Young Master. I shall inform your grandfather that you’ve agreed to meet him immediately.”

He hung up.

The next morning, Zion checked out of the hotel he’d spent the night at and headed to the hospital where his mother was.

It was a daily ritual for Zion. He’d come to the hospital every morning to check on his mother. Every nurse and doctor there already recognized his face because he’d never miss a day without coming to see his mother.

As soon as he opened the glass door to GreenHeart Hospital, the familiar scent of medicine and fresh air greeted his nostrils.

Along with it came the stares from nurses at the hospital.

Zion walked toward the counter, where a young-looking lady dressed in uniform stood receiving people who came in.

“Good morning. I’m here to see my mother,” Zion said.

Deep down, he really wished he could ask her questions about his family and what happened that led to his mother being sent away. But even if he couldn’t ask her, he’d get the answers today. First, he had to see his mother before proceeding to the airport, as he and Quinn had agreed to go see his grandfather.

The nurse hesitated for a moment, as if she were searching the system. Then she raised her head with a polite nod.

“You can go in. You already know the room,” she said.

“Thank you.”

He rushed in. He didn’t notice anything about the look she gave him at all, as his mind was set on seeing his mother.

He walked through the hallway toward his mother’s room, Room Seventeen, in the VIP section of the hospital.

Zion stood frozen as soon as he got closer and saw nurses actually coming out of the room. One of them was pushing a bed with a fragile woman lying on it, moving her out of the room as if evacuating the patient.

And that happened to be his mother.

Zion approached.

“Excuse me. I don’t remember anything about you people changing her room. I mean, the hospital usually updates me before they do anything to my mother. What’s going on?” Zion asked in a calm, polite manner as best as he could.

These were the nurses taking care of his mother, and he was grateful to them, but he didn’t understand why they were bringing her out of the room.

The first nurse in front had a stern expression when Zion approached her. Her name tag read ‘Janet,’ with two other nurses behind her, ‘Ana’ and ‘Tina.’

Janet frowned as she stepped forward.

“Get out of the way and allow us to proceed with the procedure. Patients who don’t belong in the VIP shouldn’t be there in the first place. This is a hospital, not a charity organization,” she declared as she prepared to push Zion aside so they could pass.

“What do you mean? My mother is receiving VIP treatment in this hospital. She’s been here for years,” he said. “I think you should check your records. You’re mistaken,” Zion insisted.

She let out a dry, mocking laugh.

“I’m mistaken? Or it’s you who’s insane?” she said.

She sounded frustrated, and Zion froze because he wasn’t expecting an insult.

“Don’t act like we don’t know already. We heard that the Whitmore family no longer wants anything to do with you, and they’ve cut the payment for your mother’s hospital bills,” she said.

Zion didn’t know about this. He had cut ties with them but did not know that Elena would rush to cut the payment off.

“But even if the payment is cut off, she’s not due for a renewal payment now, is she?” he asked.

Janet’s patience was wearing thin.

“Do you expect us to wait until then and start chasing you to pay? How’d you afford to pay for VIP treatment after the Whitmores kicked you out with nothing?” she asked in a disdainful tone.

“We’ve got a job to do. Don’t waste our time, Mr. Zion,” Ana muttered.

Her tone showed clear mockery as she spoke, and then a laugh followed as Tina joined in.

“A former CEO who sold off his company because he thought he’d finally found a family to leech off of. Turns out his scheme has been discovered,” Tina added.

The three laughed in deliberate unity as they humiliated him.

“What has my divorce from the Whitmores got to do with you taking my mother out of the room she belongs in? Her health is very fragile, and if you handle her roughly, she might—die.”

The words he was concerned about almost choked him as he spoke.

“Die?” Janet sneered. “When would she not die? I mean, for years now she’s been in this state, between life and death, and yet you still hang on to the hope that she’ll survive it?”

She shook her head pitifully.

“You can’t afford VIP treatment anymore, and our hospital policy doesn’t include being generous to a pitiful patient. So, if you’d please excuse us while we continue our duty, else you’ll be thrown out by security along with your mother onto the street,” Janet said seriously.

“Who said I couldn’t pay for her VIP treatment? Her payment isn’t due. It’s still until the end of the month before I’m required to renew the payment, and the hospital also allows a few days’ delay before they take any reasonable action,” Zion explained.

The three nurses shared the same mocking stare they had given Zion.

“And so? What if the policy allows that procedure? Would it matter if we take action to avoid bad debts before it happens?” Janet asked.

“The Whitmores won’t be paying your bills anymore, and we can’t risk allowing you to take advantage of this hospital’s generosity,” she added.

“The woman has suffered enough. Isn’t resting in peace better than having her keep hanging on to life when her son can’t even afford proper treatment for her without running to a woman to take care of it for him?” Tina said with a malicious expression.

Zion had never had a fight with these nurses. In fact, he usually gave Janet and Tina, especially, who had stayed in the hospital longer, a few-dollar tip whenever he came around.

But their attitude toward him had changed significantly now that he didn’t have the chance to give them tips whenever he came around. This was due to the fact that he had sold his company and wasn’t getting paid for the work he did at Elena’s company. He was broke despite living under their luxurious roof.

But something they didn’t know was that currently he wasn’t as broke as he had been before.

Last night, after the call with Quinn, Quinn had connected his number to a special assistant whom he could call and make a request of anything he wanted. According to Quinn, if he needed a hundred million dollars in cash within minutes, she’d process it for him.

He’d tested it yesterday at the hotel where he stayed. He simply called and asked her to help him pay for one night, and she processed it immediately.

“So what you mean now is that you’re taking my mother out of the VIP room because you think I can’t afford the renewal payment?” Zion asked.

Anger lay beneath his calm expression, but he managed to hold it in.