Chapter 2 - THE FOOTAGE
Dr. Hannah Cole examined Emily personally.
The baby’s heartbeat filled the room.
Strong.
Steady.
Emily closed her eyes.
For several seconds, nothing else mattered.
Not Preston.
Not Vanessa.
Not the hospital.
Not the Saint Claire trust.
Only that sound.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Her son was still there.
Still fighting.
A tear slipped from the corner of Emily’s eye.
Dr. Cole rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.
“His heartbeat looks reassuring.”
Emily exhaled.
“And me?”
“You need monitoring.”
Emily opened her eyes.
“For how long?”
“At least several hours.”
Dr. Cole hesitated.
“And I want you away from stress.”
Emily almost laughed.
“That may be difficult today.”
Outside the room, Raymond was already watching the security footage.
The video had no mercy.
There was Emily beside the elevator.
Vanessa approaching.
Preston standing several feet away.
Vanessa saying something.
Emily stepping backward.
Then Vanessa moving toward her.
The image showed exactly what Rachel had described.
No confusion.
No misunderstanding.
No missing context.
Preston watched the screen with his jaw clenched.
Vanessa stood beside him.
“That angle makes it look worse.”
The security supervisor stared at her.
Raymond did not move.
“Play it again.”
The clip restarted.
Vanessa shifted uneasily.
“Raymond, seriously—”
“Again.”
They watched it a second time.
Then a third.
On the fourth viewing, Preston finally looked away.
Raymond noticed.
“Difficult to watch?”
Preston said nothing.
“Imagine being Emily.”
Vanessa stepped forward.
“She was provoking me.”
Raymond turned.
“What did she say?”
Vanessa hesitated.
“What?”
“You said she provoked you.”
Raymond pointed toward the monitor.
“What did she say that justified that?”
Vanessa’s mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Raymond nodded.
“That’s what I thought.”
Preston rubbed his forehead.
“Can we handle this privately?”
Raymond stared at him.
“You had that opportunity.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means your marriage was private.”
Raymond stepped closer.
“Your affair was private.”
Another step.
“Your lies were private.”
He pointed toward the screen.
“But the moment this happened inside my hospital, in front of employees and patients, you lost the privilege of asking me for privacy.”
Preston’s eyes narrowed.
“Your hospital?”
There it was.
The arrogance returning.
Raymond almost smiled.
“You really don’t know, do you?”
Preston’s expression changed.
“Know what?”
Raymond turned toward the general counsel.
“Margaret.”
Margaret Hale opened a folder.
“Whitmore-Saint Claire Medical Center is controlled through Saint Claire Health Holdings.”
Preston scoffed.
“My father founded—”
“Your grandfather,” Margaret corrected, “contributed land and initial construction capital.”
Preston stopped.
“The Saint Claire family provided the majority expansion financing, acquired controlling voting rights twenty-six years ago, and currently controls sixty-eight percent of the holding company.”
Vanessa slowly looked at Preston.
Raymond continued.
“And the Whitmore family’s remaining interest is heavily leveraged.”
Preston’s face went pale.
Margaret turned another page.
“Several of those loans are guaranteed through Saint Claire Capital.”
Vanessa whispered.
“Preston?”
He ignored her.
Raymond looked at him.
“You’ve been calling this your hospital for years.”
He paused.
“I allowed it because your father was my friend.”
Preston stared at him.
“But you made one mistake.”
“What?”
“You confused my silence with your ownership.”
Before Preston could answer, Margaret’s phone vibrated.
She checked the message.
Then looked at Raymond.
“We found something else.”
Raymond frowned.
“What?”
Margaret looked toward Preston.
“Someone accessed Mrs. Whitmore’s medical file this morning.”
May you like
Emily had not authorized anyone.
And the login belonged to an executive account registered to Preston.
