THREE YEARS FOR NOTHING

Misunderstandings 1

The hospital tests came back like a miracle written in clinical language. Sterling’s bloodwork showed improvements that shouldn’t have been possible—inflammation markers down, organ function normalized, even his bone density better than it had been in decades. The doctor stood in the examination room with the results in hand, shaking his head in disbelief.

“This is remarkable,” he said, looking between Sterling and Vivienne. “Whatever that special medication is doing, it’s working better than anything I’ve seen in thirty years of practice. Continue the regimen exactly as prescribed.”

Vivienne’s face lit up with relief and vindication. Her grandfather could live for years, maybe even another decade or more. The family business would be secure. Everything would be alright.

But as they left the hospital, her thoughts kept circling back to Thaddeus Crane. That fraud. That opportunist who’d somehow convinced her grandfather to hand over one hundred million dollars and earned an invitation to a banquet tomorrow night. She’d seen men like him before—predators who studied wealthy families, learned their weaknesses, positioned themselves perfectly to exploit trust and desperation. Her grandfather had warned them about people like that for years, lectured them endlessly about staying vigilant.

And yet he’d ignored his own advice the moment some prison-dressed stranger showed up with a set of needles.

Vivienne pulled out her phone the moment they were in the car. Her father answered on the second ring.

“Vivienne? Is everything alright with your grandfather?”

“He’s fine now, but we encountered a scammer today.” The words came out hot and angry. “Someone who pretended to treat Grandfather’s illness and tricked him out of one hundred million dollars. The man’s actions were despicable, Father. Absolutely despicable.”

There was a pause, then her father’s voice turned cold with fury. “What’s his name?”

“I don’t know. He never gave one.” Vivienne’s frustration bled through the phone. “And it gets worse, Grandfather wants to host a banquet for him tomorrow night. I’ve tried to talk sense into him, but he won’t listen. You need to come home and deal with this before it goes any further.”

“I’ll be there tonight,” her father said, and the line went dead.

The military off-road vehicle pulled up to the Ashford family villa just as the sun was setting. The man who stepped out was tall and broad-shouldered, his civilian clothes doing nothing to hide the rigid, spear-straight posture that marked him as career military. Even in a simple jacket and jeans, General Marcus Ashford looked like he could command an army with a glance.

Vivienne met him at the door. “Father.”

“How is he?” Marcus’s voice was clipped, efficient.

“Much better. The hospital confirmed it, all his indicators are improving. The special medication from the research institute is working perfectly.” Vivienne’s expression hardened. “But we need to deal with that scammer before he takes advantage of Grandfather’s gratitude.”

Marcus nodded curtly. “Where is he?”

“I had someone track him down. He’s at an old house in the residential district, apparently it belonged to his parents. He’s there now sorting through belongings.”

“Good.” Marcus turned back toward his vehicle. “I’ll handle this personally.”

“Make sure he understands he picked the wrong family to target,” Vivienne called after him.

Vivienne returned to the villa and found her grandfather in the sitting room, reading. She approached him with the special medication from the hospital in her hands.

“Grandfather, it’s time for your medicine.”

Sterling looked up from his book and waved her away. “I don’t need that.”

“You have to take it. The doctors said—”

“The medicine is useless to me, Vivienne.”

Her face flushed with frustration. “Your health improved precisely because of this medication. The tests proved it. But you’re being stubborn—refusing to trust your own family, instead letting yourself be fooled by a scammer’s few words.”

Sterling sighed, setting his book aside. He looked at his granddaughter with a mixture of sadness and disappointment, then stood and walked to his room without another word. Vivienne waited, clutching the medication bottle, her jaw tight.

He returned moments later carrying a box—the full supply of special medication the hospital had prescribed weeks ago. He tossed it at her feet.

Vivienne stared down at it, then bent to pick it up. Her hands trembled slightly as she opened the box. Inside, every single vial was perfectly arranged, their seals unbroken. Not one dose had been touched.

She looked up at her grandfather in disbelief. “You… you didn’t take any of it?”

“I’ve been tired of endless medications for years,” Sterling said quietly. “I stopped taking them because they never worked. Not a single dose in months.”

Vivienne’s mind raced. If he hadn’t taken the medicine, then the hospital tests showing his improvement meant… She felt the certainty draining from her chest, replaced by cold doubt. “Could it be that man really did cure you?”

Sterling shook his head, though whether at her question or her attitude, she couldn’t tell. “Young people are too full of themselves. Always thinking they know everything, unaware of how vast the world truly is.” His voice was gentle but firm. “There are countless extraordinary people out there, Vivienne. You need to broaden your perspective instead of judging others with prejudice.”

Vivienne stood frozen, the weight of her mistake settling over her. Then something clicked in her mind—something terrible. She looked at her grandfather with sudden panic. “Father just returned.”

Sterling’s expression darkened. “Why has he abandoned his post to come back?”

Vivienne’s voice came out small. “I… I called him. I told him about the scammer. He went to confront the man.”

For a moment, the room was utterly silent. Then Sterling exploded.

“You did WHAT?” His voice shook the windows. “If your father dares to offend that man, he can get out of this family! I will NOT tolerate such a descendant!”

Vivienne had never seen her grandfather this furious. “I’ll stop him—I’ll call him right now—”

“Then do it!” Sterling pointed toward the door. “NOW!”

Vivienne’s hands shook as she pulled out her phone and dialed her father’s number.

Marcus drove through the city with controlled anger simmering beneath his professional exterior. He’d spent his entire adult life serving his country, had earned his rank through combat and leadership, and had protected his family from countless threats both foreign and domestic. Some two-bit con artist trying to exploit his elderly father would learn what happened when you crossed the Ashford family.

He found the house easily—a modest brownstone wedged between a laundromat and a bodega, the kind of place that had probably been working-class even when it was new. The door was open. Marcus signaled to the two men he’d brought with him, and they moved inside with practiced coordination.

Thaddeus was in what had once been the living room, carefully wrapping framed photographs in newspaper. The furniture had been pushed against the walls, and boxes sat in neat stacks near the door. He looked up as Marcus entered but didn’t stand or show any sign of concern.

“Thaddeus Crane?” Marcus’s voice carried the weight of authority.

“That’s me.”

“You’re under arrest for fraud.”