The Master They Underestimated

Chapter 6

Damon carefully packed his silver needles into their case, making sure each one was secured before snapping the lid shut. He slipped the case into his coat pocket and turned toward the nurses standing beside Arthur's bed.

 "Make sure someone stays with him at all times. His condition has stabilized, but that doesn't mean the danger has passed. If his breathing changes or his readings become unstable, call me immediately."

 "Yes, Dr. Callahan," one of the nurses answered.

 Damon gave Arthur one final glance before heading for the door. The old man looked considerably better than he had an hour ago, but the faint lines of exhaustion on his face reminded Damon that his recovery would take time. Whatever had caused his sudden collapse, Damon wasn't convinced the problem had been completely resolved.

 Outside the room, Vanessa Rhodes stood beside Eunice Brooks, her assistant. She had been so focused on her grandfather's condition that she had barely noticed Damon preparing to leave.

 Now that Arthur was stable, however, she couldn't allow the man who had saved his life to walk away without properly thanking him.

 "Eunice, stay here with my grandfather. Don't leave his side, and call me if anything happens."

 "Of course, Miss Rhodes."

 Vanessa waited until Eunice entered the room before hurrying down the corridor after Damon.

 "Dr. Callahan, wait!"

 Damon stopped and glanced over his shoulder. He had barely taken a few steps when Vanessa caught up with him, her heels clicking against the polished floor.

 "Has your grandfather's condition changed?" he asked.

 "No. He's stable for now." She paused to catch her breath, then straightened her jacket. "I came to thank you."

 Damon looked at her for a moment. "You already thanked me inside."

 "That was before I had the chance to think properly." Vanessa offered him a sincere smile. "You walked into a situation that several experienced doctors couldn't handle, and you managed to stabilize my grandfather when we were running out of options. I don't think a simple thank-you is enough."

 Damon slipped his hands into his pockets. "And what do you think would be enough?"

 "A gift."

 She answered without hesitation.

 "Name your price, Dr. Callahan. Money, a car, a house, a property, or even a position at one of the medical facilities owned by my family. If there's something specific you want, you can tell me. I'll see what I can do."

 Vanessa was accustomed to people reacting eagerly whenever the Rhodes family's wealth was mentioned. Even those who initially pretended not to care usually found a reason to accept an offer once they understood how generous it was.

 She expected Damon to be no different.

 Instead, he raised an eyebrow.

 "Do you always try to solve everything with money?"

 Her smile faltered slightly. "That's not what I'm doing. I'm offering you something in return for your help."

 "And I heard you." Damon glanced toward the exit. "But I don't need any of those things."

 Vanessa stared at him, wondering whether he had misunderstood her offer. She wasn't trying to insult him or suggest that his medical skills could be bought. She simply wanted to repay him in a way that reflected her family's gratitude.

 "Dr. Callahan, you may not need the money, but that doesn't mean you can't accept it. You saved someone important to me. Allow me to do something for you."

 "Then do something for me."

 She immediately brightened. "What is it?"

 "Make sure your grandfather recovers properly. Follow the doctors' instructions, keep him under observation, and don't let anyone interfere with his treatment. That's enough."

 Before Vanessa could respond, Damon turned and resumed walking.

 For several seconds, she remained where she was, watching him move farther down the corridor.

 What kind of man turns down an offer like that without even thinking about it?

 She had met doctors who demanded extravagant fees before agreeing to treat wealthy patients. She had also met those who pretended to be modest, only to request expensive gifts afterward. Damon, however, seemed genuinely uninterested in anything she could offer him.

 It was difficult to tell whether he was simply indifferent to wealth or whether he had no idea how much the Rhodes family could provide.

 Either way, Vanessa wasn't accustomed to being dismissed so easily.

 She hurried after him.

 "At least let me give you a ride. It's getting late, and I owe you that much."

 "There's no need. I can get home myself."

 "Dr. Callahan, must you make thanking you so difficult?"

 Damon turned his head to look at her. "Must you make refusing you so difficult?"

 Vanessa opened her mouth, then closed it again.

 She couldn't decide whether he was deliberately provoking her or whether this was simply how he treated everyone. Most people would have been falling over themselves to impress her, yet Damon seemed perfectly comfortable disagreeing with her at every turn.

 Before she could find a suitable response, a loud commotion erupted near the hospital's main entrance.

 "Get out of my way!"

 The angry shout rang through the corridor, followed by the crash of something striking the floor.

 Vanessa turned sharply. Several men dressed in dark clothes had forced their way past the security desk. One of them had a security guard by the collar, while another shoved a second guard aside when he attempted to block their path.

 The receptionist scrambled backward, knocking a stack of documents from the counter. Patients and their relatives hurried away from the entrance, frightened by the sudden disturbance.

 "Find Vanessa Rhodes!" a man barked. "Our boss wants her brought to him. Search every corridor if you have to!"

 Vanessa's expression changed.

 The men weren't ordinary visitors, and their behavior made it clear they had no intention of respecting hospital rules. More importantly, they had come specifically looking for her.

 Damon noticed the change in her face.

 "You know them?"

 "No." Vanessa lowered her voice. "I've never seen them before."

 "Then why do you look worried?"

 "I'm not worried."

 She answered too quickly, and Damon gave her a brief, skeptical glance.

 Vanessa lifted her chin, refusing to let a group of strangers see any sign of fear. Still, she couldn't ignore the uneasiness settling in her stomach. Her family had business rivals, and her grandfather's sudden hospitalization had left her without her usual security arrangements. Whoever these men were, their timing was suspicious.

 The intruders soon spotted her.

 Their leader was a broad-shouldered man with a deep scar running across his cheek. He looked at Vanessa, then grinned as though he had finally found something he had spent hours searching for.

 "Miss Rhodes," he called, walking toward her. "There you are. You've made us waste quite a bit of time."

 Vanessa stood her ground.

 "Who sent you?"

 The man's grin widened. "You don't need to know that. You're coming with us."

 "And what makes you think I'll go anywhere with a stranger who barges into a hospital and attacks the security staff?"

 His expression hardened.

 "Don't make this difficult. We have orders to bring you in, and we're not leaving without you."

 Vanessa folded her arms, refusing to be intimidated.

 "If your boss has something to say to me, he can come here himself. I'm not going anywhere."

 The man stared at her for a moment before letting out a humorless laugh.

 "You really think you can give us orders?"

 "I don't think. I know you have no authority over me."

 Her defiance seemed to irritate him. He glanced at his companions and made a small gesture with his hand.

 Immediately, the men spread out, blocking both ends of the corridor. Two moved toward the entrance while another stepped behind Vanessa, cutting off the route back to the treatment rooms.

 Damon's expression remained calm, but his eyes moved from one man to the next, quietly assessing the situation.

 There were too many of them for Vanessa to push past, and the frightened security guards were in no position to help. The men had clearly come prepared to take her by force if necessary.

 The scarred leader stepped closer.

 "Last chance, Miss Rhodes. Come quietly, and nobody needs to get hurt."

 Vanessa's fingers curled at her sides. She was the sole heiress of the Rhodes conglomerate, and she had spent years learning how to stand her ground against people who thought money and power gave them the right to control her. She wasn't about to surrender simply because a few thugs had decided to threaten her.

 "Get out of my way."

 The man's face darkened.

 "Take her."

 One of his companions immediately lunged forward and reached for Vanessa's arm.

 "Don't touch me!" she snapped, pulling away.

 Instead of releasing her, the man tightened his grip and yanked her toward him.

 Vanessa gasped and tried to wrench her arm free, but his fingers dug painfully into her skin. Before she could struggle again, another hand shot forward and caught the man's wrist.

 The thug froze.

 Damon stood beside Vanessa, his grip firm as he stared at the man holding her.

 "She said not to touch her."