Supreme Authority

Chapter 13

The ride was quiet. Too quiet.

Alex hadn’t said a word, hadn’t even glanced at her. Cassandra wasn’t used to that.

People usually tried to make small talk, offer a polite smile, something.

But Alex just sat there, calm and distant, as if she didn’t exist. It was like riding next to a storm that hadn’t broken yet.

They rolled up to the Miller estate late in the afternoon.

The car slowed to a stop in front of the mansion’s wide front steps. The guard sprang forward, opening the door.

Cassandra stepped out first, heels crunching on the gravel.

Alex followed, his eyes sweeping the grounds with a soldier’s precision before locking on a man in a dark suit waiting near the entrance.

The man bowed slightly. “Miss Dupont. Sir. Welcome. Lord Miller hasn’t returned yet. He asked me to personally guide you to the young lady’s room.”

“Thank you, Martin. Please lead the way,” Cassandra said, her tone all business.

A few minutes later, Martin stopped in front of a door, opened it, and stepped aside. Cassandra went in first, Alex right behind her.

The room was hushed except for the steady beeping of a heart monitor.

Curtains filtered in a pale light, spilling over the bed where a frail woman lay, skin pale as paper. By the window stood a young man, tense as a coiled spring.

He turned sharply as they entered. “Cassandra,” he said, voice clipped. “Where is the doctor my grandfather promised?”

Cassandra gestured toward Alex. “Right here, Adrian. This is Alex.”

Adrian’s eyes locked on Alex, narrowing. He took a step closer, sizing him up with open suspicion.

Alex barely noticed. His focus was already on the patient.

He took in everything—the shallow rise of her chest, the faint irregular hitch in her breathing, the nearly translucent pallor of her skin.

He didn’t need a stethoscope to know she was in trouble.

Adrian’s voice cracked like a whip. “Him? A doctor? You’ve got to be kidding.”

Alex stayed silent, still studying the woman.

Adrian moved closer, jaw tight, anger sparking in his eyes. “You expect me to believe this? I won’t let some stranger experiment on my sister.”

Cassandra stepped between them before the tension could snap. “Adrian, stop. Alex is here to help. We don’t have the luxury of arguing.”

Adrian’s face twisted. He shot Cassandra a look of disbelief. “Help? You want me to trust him? He’s a fraud. He doesn’t even belong in this house.”

That last line made Cassandra’s expression go cold.

“Watch your mouth, Adrian Miller.” Her voice was low and sharp.

“You’re not just insulting Alex—you’re insulting my family. My grandfather trusted him enough to send him here. If you call Alex a fraud, you’re calling my grandfather a fool. Is that what you mean to say?”

Adrian barked out a bitter laugh, anger boiling over. “I don’t care about your family’s pride, Cassandra. My sister’s dying. And I’m not letting some nobody pretend to be her savior.”

Cassandra drew a breath, ready to fire back, when the door flew open.

A tall man in a white coat strode in, his young assistant close behind, lugging a black medical case. The doctor’s easy, confident smile lit up the room like a flare.

Adrian’s whole face changed. Relief hit him so hard it was almost a smile.

“Dr. Cole!” he said, rushing forward to clasp the man’s hand. “Finally. Thank God you’re here. Please—tell me you’ve brought something that can save her.”

Dr. Cole gave a slow, confident nod, the corners of his mouth curling in a smug, self-satisfied smile.

“Of course I do. I didn’t spend the last three days buried in my lab for nothing. I ran every test, studied every result, and tracked down the root cause of her illness.”

“I even consulted the top specialists in the city—men and women who are the best at what they do. Together, we developed a concentrated antibody meant to attack the source directly and give her body the strength to fight back.”

Adrian’s relief broke across his face like sunlight through storm clouds. “You’re brilliant, Dr. Cole. I knew you’d pull through for her.”

Dr. Cole’s chest swelled, arrogance rolling off him like heat from a forge.

“Naturally,” he said smoothly. “It takes relentless dedication and a rare mind to reach my level. Cases like this? Most doctors wouldn’t even know where to start.”

He flicked two fingers at his assistant. “Bring me the injection set. We don’t waste time when lives are on the line.”

The assistant snapped open the black case, laying out gleaming syringes, cotton, and tiny glass vials. Dr. Cole selected a bottle, checked the label with a surgeon’s precision, and nodded to himself.

“This goes straight into her IV,” he said. “Her immune system will start fighting back almost immediately. By tonight, you’ll see a change.”

Alex, silent until now, stepped closer. His calm voice cut through the tension like a cold wind.

“That’s not going to work. It might kill her.”

Adrian whirled around, fury flashing in his eyes.

“Shut your mouth. You’re not the doctor here.”

Alex didn’t flinch. “Her body isn’t fighting a normal infection. Your serum will push her system past its breaking point.”

Dr. Cole slowly turned, eyebrows pulling tight. He’d been challenged before, but not like this—not by some quiet stranger who dared to contradict him in front of his patient’s family.

Who does this boy think he is?

His voice dripped with disdain. “And you are?”

Alex’s reply was quiet but unyielding. “Someone who actually understands what’s killing her.”

Dr. Cole’s laugh was sharp and humorless. “Understand? You?”

He shook his head, his smirk cutting like a blade. “Kid, I’ve been practicing medicine for over thirty years. You don’t even look old enough to rent a car. And you think you can stand here and tell me I’m wrong?”

Adrian’s jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it might snap.

“I’ve heard enough,” he snapped. He spun toward the guards by the door. “Get him out of here—now!”

Alex’s gaze stayed steady, his voice flat but carrying an edge that made Cassandra’s stomach knot.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Adrian ignored him, motioning the guards forward.

But Cassandra moved fast, stepping between them. Her voice cut through the air like a whip.

“Stand down. He’s here under my protection, and nobody touches him.”

The guards froze, glancing at Adrian.

Adrian’s nostrils flared, but he saw the steel in Cassandra’s eyes and thought better of arguing. His hands curled into fists at his sides, but he didn’t say another word.

Dr. Cole let out a low scoff, clearly done with the whole exchange. “Hold her arm steady,” he told the nurse.

The nurse obeyed. Cole slid the needle into the IV line with smooth, practiced motion, pushing the pale amber liquid into the patient’s veins.

This kid knows nothing, he thought with grim satisfaction. Let me remind everyone here how a real doctor saves a life.

At first, there was silence. Then the heart monitor spiked, beeping faster, shriller. The patient’s chest started heaving, her breathing uneven and desperate.

Her skin turned ashen, slick with a sudden, icy sweat.

Adrian’s head snapped toward the monitor, panic hitting him like a fist.

“What the hell is happening?”