The Forgotten Heir Of Pendragon

Chapter 7

Adrian and the accountant turned toward the voice and saw the hospital director approaching them with a deep frown on his face.

“Why are you holding up the line?” the director demanded.

“Thank goodness you’re here, sir,” the accountant said with relief.

“That is not an answer to my question,” the director snapped. “Why are you holding up the line?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” the accountant replied, lowering her head slightly. “This man came here with an empty credit card to pay his sister’s hospital bills, and now he’s insisting that I try it again as though the first attempt wasn’t enough.”

“What? You brought an empty credit card?” the director shouted, turning toward Adrian. “Does this hospital look like a charity organization to you?”

Adrian stared at him in disbelief. He had expected the director to listen to both sides of the story before passing judgment, but instead, the man had immediately joined the accountant in humiliating him.

“What? Have you suddenly lost your tongue?” the director demanded when Adrian remained silent.

“Shouldn’t you hear both sides of the story before judging me?” Adrian asked.

By then, people from different parts of the hospital had begun gathering around the counter to watch the argument unfold.

“Are you seriously asking me that question?” the director roared. “In fact, take your sister and get out of here until you have enough money to pay her bills!”

“I should get out?” Adrian repeated, his mouth falling open in surprise.

“Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I said?” the director shot back.

“Is this how you treat your customers?” Adrian asked, his voice filled with disgust. “Are you even qualified to be a doctor? Didn't you swear an oath to protect human life? Why are you treating my sister’s life as though it means nothing?”

The director’s face darkened with anger. He had not expected the shabby young man to challenge him in front of so many people.

“How dare you question me? How dare you question my integrity?” he thundered.

“I’m questioning your integrity because your integrity is questionable,” Adrian replied without backing down.

“Shut up!” the director shouted. “Since you seem to have so much to say, let me make something clear. If your sister doesn’t receive treatment here, I’ll make sure no other hospital in this city agrees to treat her!”

Adrian let out a disbelieving laugh. “How can you make such a ridiculous threat? You’re only the director of this hospital. You can’t possibly control every hospital in the city.”

The accountant standing beside the director laughed mockingly before explaining, “You clearly have no idea who you’re talking to. The director’s father is the chairman of the country’s medical board, so yes, he has enough influence to make sure no hospital in this city accepts your sister.”

Adrian’s face suddenly turned pale. He slowly turned toward the director, who was now smiling maliciously at him.

“You certainly enjoy running your mouth, don't you?” the director sneered. “You seem to have forgotten that you’re a nobody with no power or influence in this world.”

“I... I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know you had so much influence,” Adrian stammered, his confidence finally faltering. He wished he could take back his earlier words. With his sister’s life hanging in the balance, provoking the very person who could help her was the last thing he should have done.

“Tsk! I have no intention of helping you anymore. Take your sister and get out of here!” the director barked.

“Please, sir, I’m truly sorry. I’ve been under a lot of stress because of everything that has happened. I didn’t mean to offend you. Please, I don’t want my sister to die,” Adrian begged desperately.

The director paused and glanced at the crowd that had gathered around them. If he threw Adrian out and carried out his threat in front of all these witnesses, people might see him as a heartless man who was willing to let a patient die over a personal disagreement. Rather than risk damaging his reputation, he decided to ease his stance just enough to punish Adrian in another way.

“If you don’t want your sister to die, you should learn to control that mouth of yours instead of running it like a foolish woman,” the director said coldly. “However, I’ll forgive you this once.”

“Really?” Adrian asked, his expression brightening with disbelief.

“Yes, but there’s a condition,” the director replied, a suspicious smile spreading across his face.

Something is wrong, Adrian thought as he studied the man’s Cheshire-cat grin. “What’s the condition?”

“Get down on your knees, grovel before me, and lick my shoes,” the director commanded.

“Whaaat?!” Adrian exclaimed, staring at him in utter disbelief.

“What?” The director’s smile vanished as he frowned at Adrian. “You don’t want to do it?”

Adrian hesitated, his mind racing as he considered what might happen to his sister if he refused the director’s humiliating demand. What if someone recorded the incident and used it against him in the future, especially now that he had discovered he was the missing heir to the Pendragon family?

At that moment, he felt trapped between his sister’s life and his own dignity. He was just about to make his decision when the director’s phone suddenly rang.

“Give me a second,” the director said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone.

Adrian watched in confusion as the man’s expression changed the moment he glanced at the screen. The director suddenly broke into a smile, and when Adrian heard who was calling, he could not help rolling his eyes in disgust.

“Hey, Dad,” the director answered casually, putting the call on speakerphone, apparently eager to show off his connections and humiliate Adrian further.

“YOU FOOL! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” an enraged voice thundered from the phone.

Everyone around the counter was stunned by the sudden outburst, but nobody was more shocked than the director himself. He hurriedly reached for his phone, intending to turn off the speaker, but his father’s next words left him frozen.

“What on earth have you done this time, you useless son?!” his father roared. “You’ve just gotten us expelled from the medical board!”

The director forced out an uneasy laugh. “Ha ha... Dad, please tell me you’re joking.”

“Are you stupid?!” his father shouted. “Do you think I would joke about something this serious? You’d better find a way to keep your pathetic hospital running because the board will no longer support you. From now on, you’re on your own! You have your own foolishness to thank for this!”

A sharp beep followed, and the call abruptly disconnected.

Silence descended upon the billing area. The people who had gathered to watch the confrontation quietly returned to their duties, apparently unwilling to attract the director’s attention while he was in such a terrible mood.

The director remained rooted to the spot, staring blankly at his phone as his arms slowly fell to his sides.

“W-what... what just happened?” he muttered in disbelief.

“Want to know what happened?”

A voice suddenly rang out from farther down the hallway, drawing everyone’s attention toward its owner.

“Well, let me tell you something. Nobody gets to disrespect Adrian Cole like that!”