The Son-in-Law They Regretted Losing

Chapter 3: Sixty Seconds to Burn

I hurried down the hallway toward the hospital payment office to finally pay for my mother's treatment. My heart was beating fast with hope. 

But as I passed by her hospital room, my blood ran cold. I saw my mother's bed actively being pushed out into the corridor by the staff.

"Stop!" I shouted, running toward them. "What are you doing? I am going to pay right now!"

Nurse Tinsley, who was pushing the front of the bed, looked up and mocked me with a cruel sneer. Nurse Blythe stood right next to her and joined in.

Nurse Tinsley spoke haughtily. "The remaining balance in your account is insufficient to continue paying the hospital fees. We need to free up this space immediately for patients in greater need."

A hot wave of anger rushed through me. "Don't kick her out. I have money now. I will pay the full amount for everything."

Nurse Tinsley laughed loudly and mocked me. "You were just borrowing money from everyone on the phone, and now suddenly you have money? Did you happen to find some cash on the ground outside?"

Nurse Blythe and Nurse Greer joined in the mockery, shaking their heads at my wet delivery uniform.

I swallowed my anger and pleaded with them. 

"I just received a huge transfer. Please give me some time. I will transfer the money to the hospital account right away."

Nurse Tinsley mocked me again. "Go ahead then. I will give you the hospital's payment account number. Let us see if you can actually turn this lie into reality."

I quickly opened the banking app on my phone and tried to make the transfer. 

But my breath caught in my throat. The screen turned red. I found that my account had been frozen, and I could not transfer any funds out at all.

Nurse Tinsley saw my face and mocked me instantly. "What is wrong? Having trouble with the transfer? This is what you call paying the full amount?"

I felt incredibly frustrated. My bank account had been flagged as a risk account by the automated security system due to the massive, sudden incoming transfer. I begged the nurses for just a little more time, explaining to them that my account was under a regulatory review because of the large sum.

Nurse Tinsley just mocked me further, refusing to listen. Suddenly, Nurse Greer reached out and grabbed my phone right out of my hands. She stared at the bright screen and saw the total amount displayed: $1,500,000,149.

Nurse Greer mocked me loudly, turning to the others. 

"Come and see this. A man so poor he cannot even afford his mother's surgery, yet his bank account shows one point five billion dollars. "

"But he cannot transfer a single cent out. How ridiculous!"

Nurse Blythe came over, pointed a finger at me, and scolded me angrily. 

"You are so foolish, Riven. Why did you photoshop a fake screenshot to deceive us? "

"You are just wasting our time. Haven't you paid a single cent in the end? "

"You are a total waste of oxygen. You cannot even scrape together your mother's surgery expenses."

I felt a deep sense of despair, but it quickly turned into pure rage. I snatched back my phone from her hands and immediately called customer service.

When the line connected, I demanded angrily, "Why has my account been frozen?"

The head of the bank, Director Callaway, answered the call himself. Hearing my name, he quickly apologized in a panicked voice. 

"I am sorry, sir. The bank flagged your account due to a large incoming sum, so the risk control system locked it automatically out of caution."

I was too furious to care about his excuses. "I need to make a payment urgently. Transfer one million dollars to the hospital account within one minute, or I will switch my entire portfolio to another bank right now."

Director Callaway continued apologizing repeatedly. "We will handle it immediately, Mr. Kaelen. Someone will contact you shortly to follow up on your services."

I hung up the phone. 

Nurse Tinsley saw me put the phone down, assumed I was pretending to be wealthy again, and continued mocking me. 

"Do you really think you are a VIP bank client, ordering the bank to transfer money directly to the hospital account? If you are going to brag to save your pride, at least make it believable."

I defended myself, standing tall and looking her dead in the eye. "Everything I am saying is true. You will see the truth in exactly one minute."

Nurse Tinsley grew completely impatient. She ignored my words and continued pushing my mother's bed out of the hospital room toward the elevators.

I stepped directly in front of the gurney and stopped her, my hands gripping the metal bar. 

Just then, a loud chime echoed from my phone. I received a text confirmation of a successful wire transfer.

I held the screen right up to Nurse Tinsley's pale face. "I have successfully paid. Move my mother back to her hospital room right now and continue preparing for the surgery.”