The Chairman’s Ultimatum Disgraced Surgeon’s Second Life

First Victory, First Blood

What a waste.

Sure, the little confrontation from earlier had been quite unsettling, but Adrian was no fook. He could sense how furious and possessive she was being.

Adrian needed to remind himself that Lilian was poison, pure and simple.

The next day, Adrian took his first decisive step in dismantling the old guard. He called a private meeting with Dr. Garrison Vance, the Head of Procurement and Logistics, the man who had signed off on the faulty equipment that caused the death on Adrian’s table three years ago.

Vance had been William Monroe’s golfing partner and had actively testified against Adrian, claiming Adrian had overridden his warnings.

Adrian sat across the table from Vance in the private conference room. Vance was sweating profusely.

He'd been seeing the news. And if they were legit, and from what he was seeing they were, it meant that his life was over. Literally.

Panic clawed at his throat.

“Dr. Vance,” Adrian began, cutting straight to the point. “Our audits show a significant discrepancy in the acquisition of our new MRI equipment last quarter. The vendor selection was not competitive, and the pricing was grossly inflated.”

Vance stammered, adjusting his tie. “Mr. Cole, that was approved by the Monroe family. It was a preferred supplier. Perfectly standard procedure.”

“Standard procedure for corruption, perhaps,” Adrian countered, sliding a single sheet of paper across the table. It was a document Eric’s team had uncovered: a signed affidavit showing a massive kickback payment from the vendor to an offshore account. The signature was clearly Vance’s.

Vance’s face went white. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

“You helped the Monroes frame me, Dr. Vance,” Adrian said in a quiet and deadly voice. “You lied under oath to save your kickbacks. You cost me my license and almost my freedom. I don’t care about the MRI machine, Doctor. I care about justice.”

Vance finally found his voice. “Adrian, please! I was pressured! William threatened my family! Give me a severance package, I’ll sign anything, I’ll leave quietly!”

“You’ll leave quietly, yes,” Adrian agreed, standing up. “But you won’t be signing anything except your resignation. And I will ensure this document is forwarded to the District Attorney, along with the details of your testimony. Consider this my opening salvo.”

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Vance was escorted out of the building by security, his box of personal items clutched to his chest. He was the first piece of the old structure to be violently removed.

The hospital staff, witnessing the abrupt, non-negotiable firing of a deeply corrupt executive, started to feel a terrifying new kind of respect for the new boss. This wasn’t just a rich man buying a toy; this was a ruthless man cleaning a filthy house. The fear of Adrian Cole, the avenging angel, began to spread.

Later that evening, the Monroe apartment was a disaster of emotional debris. Lily had been released from her shift and was being confronted by an enraged Lilian.

“You’re telling me he has proof?” Lilian shrieked, pacing the lavish living room. “That’s ridiculous! You’re just defending him because you always had a pathetic crush on him, Lily! You were always his little fan club!”

Lily stood her ground, her face set with rare determination. “He is Chairman Cole now, Lilian! And he just fired Dr. Vance, the man who lied about the equipment! That’s proof enough for me. And yes, I saw the kind man in him with everything he's done in just a day, but I also saw the deep hatred he has for you.”

“Hate is his problem!” Lilian sneered. “Let him hate! As long as he doesn’t bankrupt the rest of the family! You shouldn’t have gone to him. You shouldn’t have told him you never believed he was guilty. You gave him an edge!”

“I told him the truth because it was the truth!” Lily countered. “And he told me something I wish you’d listen to: he’s not going to stop. He’s going to take everything from you. And he shouldn’t. He should be trying to rebuild, not destroy.”

Lilian laughed, a sharp, bitter sound. “Rebuild? He has hundreds of millions, Lily! He doesn’t need to rebuild anything! He needs to accept that I had to make a tough choice for the family!”

“A tough choice?” Lily shook her head in disgust. “You destroyed an innocent man to protect your father’s stock value! And now he’s coming for us all, and you deserve it, Lilian. You threw him away like trash.”

The argument was explosive. Lilian, with her control completely gone, let slip a truth she had always kept buried deep.

“He was trash, Lily! He was a brilliant nobody! He was my ticket to the top! Do you think I married him for love? I married him because he was the fastest-rising prodigy who could secure the family legacy! When the scandal hit, he became a liability! A liability! I protected the Monroe name! That was my job! But of course you wouldn't know because all you ever do is play dress up and genius!”

Lilian stopped, breathing heavily, horrified by the truth that had spilled out.

Adrian was standing in the hall just outside the apartment door. He wasn’t exactly eavesdropping; he was looking for Lily. He wanted to apologize for snapping at her earlier, maybe even warn her about Lilian's increasing recklessness.

He heard every word.

“Do you think I married him for love? I married him because he was the fastest-rising prodigy…”

Adrian stood there, utterly still. He had always known Lilian hadn’t loved him with the blinding passion he had felt for her, but he had believed in her affection, in her loyalty. He had convinced himself that the court betrayal was a moment of panic.

But this—this was different. This was him hearing the cold truth from her directly. The truth that he had been nothing more than a strategic acquisition, a rung on her ladder. His entire marriage, his entire world, had been a business transaction.

The last, small ember of regret he held for her—the last shred of the man who had adored her—finally died. The coldness returned, deeper and more complete than before.

Lilian, still shaking from her own admission, walked quickly to the front door, needing to escape the apartment and the shame of her outburst.

She opened the door and gasped, freezing dead in her tracks.

Adrian stood there, a shadow in the dim hallway light, his face an expressionless mask.

He stepped inside, pushing the door shut quietly behind him. Lily, tears streaming down her face, simply watched, unable to move.

Adrian walked past Lily, his entire focus fixed on Lilian. He stopped directly behind her, his voice dropping to a low, chilling whisper that promised utter ruin.

“Now, how bout you try facing me without my love protecting you.”