Lin Tong froze momentarily, then frowned in displeasure.
But before he could speak, Charlotte exploded:
"Not let him treat her?! Are you that eager to see President Vanderbilt paralyzed?!"
"Move!"
She shoved against Daniel—but he didn't budge.
His eyes, piercing as a blade, locked onto Lin as he repeated, cold and absolute:
"He. Can't. Heal. Her."
The room stilled.
Even the nurses paused.
Daniel Lockwood—the man everyone dismissed as useless—was openly challenging the city's top orthopedic surgeon?
Lin's face darkened with outrage.
"I can't heal her? Me—the foremost specialist in this city? You dare question my expertise?"
Of course he was furious. No professional tolerated public doubt, let alone a celebrity doctor like him.
"Expertise?" Daniel laughed—a sound devoid of humor.
In his past life, Lin's incompetence and thirst for powerful connections had left Elena with permanent damage.
This time?
Not a chance in hell.
"You're nothing but a fraud who climbed the ladder on connections," Daniel spat. "A so-called 'expert' in name only."
Daniel's eyes narrowed into slits, his words leaving no room for retreat—he had burned all bridges with Lin Tong.
The moment his accusation hung in the air, the hospital room froze over.
Every pair of eyes locked onto Daniel, their expressions shifting to horrified disbelief.
Had he lost his mind?!
What kind of grudge did he hold against Elena to sabotage her like this?
Lin, red with fury, let out a mirthless laugh and jabbed a finger at Daniel's face.
"Fine. Fine! You're the first bastard to ever question my skills! Since my expertise is so worthless to you, find someone else!"
"But as a doctor, I'll say this—if President Vanderbilt doesn't undergo surgery within 24 hours, the best-case scenario is paralysis. Worst case? Death. Enjoy the guilt, you reckless fool!"
He turned sharply, coat flaring—playing the dignified martyr.
Charlotte panicked.
"Dr. Lin! Please, wait—" She chased after him, voice desperate. "We need you! Double your fee—no, triple! Just give me five minutes to handle this!"
Then she whirled on Daniel, her face contorted with rage, tears glazing her furious eyes.
"Daniel Lockwood!!! Yesterday, you watched her fall down the stairs and did nothing! And now—now you're blocking her only chance at survival?!"
"What the hell do you want?! How can you be this heartless?!"
"Ten seconds. Get. Out. NOW!"
Her final shout echoed off the walls, raw with grief and fury.
Daniel clenched his jaw.
He knew—no one here would trust him. Not after the monster he'd been.
So he didn't waste another breath arguing with Charlotte.
Instead, he turned to Elena—her lips curled in that hollow, broken smile that carved trenches through his chest.
His voice softened, raw with remorse:
"Elena... I know what I did was unforgivable. I'm not asking for absolution. Just one last chance to prove myself."
"Lin Tong can't heal you. Give me twenty-four hours. I'll bring you the best surgeon in the country—I swear on my life, you will be okay."
"Just this once... trust me."
Elena's lifeless eyes held his, her expression calm as a corpse.
Beneath that stillness?
A heart shredded beyond recognition.
This man—the one she'd loved half her lifetime—now stared at her with fear, desperation, a plea she'd never seen before.
Since when did he care if she lived or died?
Since when did her pain matter?
She must be hallucinating.
Charlotte's scream shattered the silence:
"TRUST YOU?! When has she ever not trusted you?! You soulless monster! The whole city knows you're a leech! What 'surgeon'—you'd probably drag Death here yourself!"
She stabbed at her phone to call security—
Then froze.
Elena's voice, weak but absolute, cut through:
"Charlotte. Escort Dr. Lin out. We'll discuss surgery... tomorrow."
Silence.
Wh—
WHAT?!
"President Vanderbilt!" Charlotte's hand trembled around the phone.
She knew how deeply Elena loved Daniel.
Knew he'd always been her exception, her undoing.
But this? This was suicide.
But—
This was the woman once hailed as the Ice Phoenix of Wall Street—ruthless, untouchable, a legend in her own right.*
And now?
Now she was gambling her life on a man even the city's beggars sneered at.
Charlotte's chest ached with fury.
Even after every lie, every betrayal—
Even at death's door—
She still chose to believe him?!
"You—" Her voice cracked. "You're really going to die for this bastard?!"
Elena knew Daniel's worth.
Knew his hatred for her ran bone-deep.
Yet.
Yet.
When had she ever denied him anything?
Even when she knew he was lying through his teeth?
Her lips parted, the words quiet as a funeral shroud:
"If this is what you want... I'll allow it."
"Go. I'll wait." A pause. "No treatment. Not until you return."
There it was.
Her answer.
No hesitation.
No conditions.
The same fatal devotion that had killed her in his past life.
If he asked,
If she had it—
Even her last breath was his to take.