Chapter 3. Aileens's Move

Ace's physical condition suddenly took a turn for the worse as he began to experience tightness in his chest, struggled to breathe, and coughed up a significant amount of blood. The paramedics, who were already present on the scene, had just finished measuring Ace's blood pressure when they immediately recognized the severity of the situation. Without wasting any time, they quickly reached out to Dr. Aileen, the attending physician on duty, for assistance.

Upon receiving the call, Dr. Aileen sprang into action, providing clear and concise instructions to the paramedics on how to stabilize Ace's condition. Despite the chaotic scene around him, Ace could hear the sound of Dr. Aileen's voice in the background.

"Stay with me. Keep your focus on me." Her tone was urgent and commanding. She knew that maintaining eye contact could help ground Ace and keep him focused on the present moment, which was crucial given his critical condition.

Ace felt relieved and assisted with the presence of Dr. Aileen. He tried to follow every instruction given and kept his focus on Dr. Aileen's voice. In a short time, Ace began to feel better and the symptoms he was experiencing started to subside.

After a while, an ambulance arrived and Ace was immediately taken to the hospital to receive more intensive medical care. Thanks to the quick and accurate actions of the paramedics and Dr. Aileen, Ace survived a life-threatening situation.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Ace continued to receive intensive care from the responsible medical team. Nevertheless, he felt grateful that Dr. Aileen and the paramedics had helped him through a very difficult and critical time.

After two days and Ace's condition had started to improve, the hospital director, who was also Aileen's boss, came to visit. "Good afternoon, Mr. Ace. I am the head of the surgery department and I would like to inquire about some matters regarding your VIP membership," said Dr. Brian, whom Ace recognized.

Ace immediately tried to straighten his aching body with the help of Dr. Aileen, who happened to be there. "Thank you,  Doctor," Ace said with a faint smile.

Ace then turned towards Dr. Brian, meeting his gaze with a calm expression. 

"Is there something you need, Doctor?" he asked, despite being aware of the subject matter the doctor was likely to bring up.

Dr. Brian looked at Aileen with a strange look. He might have thought that Ace didn't recognize it, but Ace totally knew that something was between these two.  "I heard that you are a victim of violence, is that correct, sir?" asked Dr. Brian, with a condescending look. Seems He had dealt with many cases like this before.

"I am a victim of assault," Ace replied shortly.

"Have you reported it to the police?"

"Why would I need the police for VIP membership? Isn't that right?" Ace replied cleverly. Dr. Brian should understand Ace's words. In this case, involving the police would only complicate matters because Ace wanted to handle it in a smarter way. To bankrupt Bruce, of course, that was Ace's plan.

Dr. Brian just looked at Ace intently. Ace knew the doctor's doubts and also the Hospital’s.

"My police record is clean. I am just a student at Brooklyn University, majoring in IT," Ace explained so that the doctor could breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alright. I understand now."

"And doctor... I want to buy this hospital. Please prepare your best offer for me."

Suprisingly! Dr. Brian immediately looked incredulous at Ace's last statement. "How can a 22-year-old student buy a hospital this big? I think there's something wrong with your brain, Mr. Ace. Or do I need to have your condition reevaluated by a Neurologist?"

Doctor Brian seems so frustrated to handle the young man in front of him. He pressed his head and said.  “Such crap!”

So low, but Ace can hear it so clearly. Ace realized that his earlier statement would make anyone doubt him. Crazy man! Who would believe that a 22-year-old student could buy such a large hospital? And one more thing, Ace was still a patient here, he needed to gain trust, and therefore, he needed a representative who could assist him in handling all the decisions he would make.

"Alright. I'll invite my team to negotiate with the hospital director. Just let me know the time and date so I can prepare," Ace replied firmly.

He takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. "I'll emphasize again, Mr. Ace. Do I not need to invite a neurologist to examine your condition in detail?" he continued.

"I'd prefer to provide proof," Ace answered casually.

Dr. Brian fixed his glasses and then spoke. "Well, that's interesting. Show me the proof if you're serious about your words and not just bluffing!" He challenged.

Hearing the challenge didn't intimidate Ace. In fact, he was even more delighted to be given the opportunity to prove himself without much effort. All because Ace had learned a fact himself when Aileen received a call. The fact that Aileen was facing financial difficulties, and this was a good leverage to persuade this arrogant doctor.

"Aileen, do you want to be my personal doctor? How much salary do you ask for?" Ace offered bluntly to Aileen.

Aileen, upon hearing Ace's offer, could only stare in astonishment. She had actually been swayed by Dr. Brian's statement that Ace's brain was disturbed.

"Personal doctor for you, Sir?" Aileen asked hesitantly. Because honestly, Ace's condition had improved rapidly at the moment. It was as if there was some magic overnight that accelerated the healing process after surgery.

"Not for me, I've already recovered. I want there to be one doctor who is 100% responsible for my mother's recovery. Say, are you willing?" Ace asked without mincing words. For him, whether Aileen accepted his offer or not was not a big deal, as Ace could still look for someone else like Aileen.

However, there was one thing that caught Ace's attention about Aileen. Besides her gentleness and professionalism in her work, Aileen was not like most women who jumped to conclusions without checking.

Aileen was still weighing Ace's words, hoping she wouldn't make a wrong decision in trusting this handsome student. In fact, Aileen herself was tired of being under Dr. Brian's authority, who was too proud of his position as the director's son.

"Alright, I'm in, Mr. Ace."

Ace smiled, he knew that Dr. Aileen would join him. He just needed to provide a strong reason so that there would be no doubt in her beautiful eyes. "What's your main reason?" Ace asked to test Aileen's honesty.

Aileen's expression looked thoughtful, in fact, there were many reasons she wanted to convey. However, she realized that she couldn't reveal them all and chose one. "I need a backup job, sir," Aileen answered, trying to touch on Dr. Brian, who was also her fathatic boss.

Ace felt the tension between them both and he tried to make it worse. "Interesting. We can't rely on just one job, right?" Ace asked again. 

"You're absolutely right," Aileen confidently replied.

Dr. Brian understood Aileen's intention and intended to twist her subordinate's reasons. "What do you mean, Doctor Aileen? Are you challenging me to demote you from your position as VIP manager?" Brian asked arrogantly.