Chapter 2 Out Of The Cage, Into Command
Leon nodded, his face serious. “We saved his life, but he’s barely hanging on, thanks to your CardioShield capsules.”
“Ms. Stone, those capsules are a game-changer,” he added, a hint of pride in his voice. “We’ve been selling them on the black market, and the billionaires can’t get enough.
“They’re going for 300 million bucks each now.”
Their car pulled up to Chestbee Hospital before he could say more.
Skylar followed Leon through a private VIP entrance, moving through clean, quiet hallways to the ICU.
There was Louis Xavier, connected to a web of tubes and monitors.
Back then, after the brutal surgery that took her baby’s life, Louis, the prison doctor, had brought her back from the edge.
Feeling sorry for her, he’d taught her everything he knew about medicine.
Skylar had learned fast, absorbing his knowledge like a sponge.
She’d always wondered why a doctor as skilled as him was stuck in a prison infirmary.
Louis had shrugged it off, mumbling something about hiding from old enemies.
Sure enough, trouble caught up with him soon after.
By then, Skylar had started building her organization.
She’d sent Leon to save Louis, making sure he was cared for here, in the best hospital money could buy.
Seeing him now, weak and tied to machines, Skylar’s heart sank.
“Sir…” she whispered, her voice breaking.
Leon stepped closer, his tone steady. “Ms. Stone, don’t worry. I’ve invested so much in this hospital, we practically own it. He’s in good hands, and he’ll make it.”
His words were interrupted by a commotion outside the ICU.
“How does the CEO of Lambert Group end up in a car crash?” a doctor’s voice rang out, full of shock. “Can they even save him?”
“Save him?” another scoffed, shaking his head. “The guy’s got a weak heart and he’s bleeding out. Not even a miracle could pull him through.”
“He’s the richest man in the country!” a third added, her voice tense. “If he dies, we’re all over X for the wrong reasons.”
“And his three sons? They’ll destroy us. Those guys are powerhouses—business tycoons, military leaders. Who’d mess with them?”
The doctors, unaware anyone was listening, kept talking as if they were alone.
The private wing and exclusive access Leon had arranged kept their visit hush-hush.
One doctor, a woman with a sharp tone, huffed. “Just hook him up to a ventilator and call it quits. He’s done for anyway.”
She lowered her voice, sneaky. “Besides, rich families like that? Total drama. I bet his sons are secretly hoping the old man kicks the bucket early—”
Her words were cut off by a sharp laugh.
“That’s a hot take, doc,” Skylar said, stepping out of the ICU, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Tell me, where are your parents?
“If they’re ever on their deathbed, should we just plug them into a machine and walk away?”
Skylar’s eyes scanned the group, cold and piercing, silencing them instantly.
The doctors froze, shrinking under her stare.
The doctor’s face turned red, then pale, her attitude flaring.
“Who do you think you are, spying on us?” she snapped, hands on her hips. “We’re professionals discussing a case. What are you, some patient’s nosy family member with no manners?”
She glanced at the ICU’s nameplate, her sneer growing.
“Don’t think being in the VIP wing gives you a free pass,” she said, “My dad’s the hospital director. Keep talking, and I’ll have your precious patient thrown out.”
“Cross a doctor?” she went on, her voice getting louder. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. Patients beg us with bribes just to stay on our good side.”
Skylar’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Before you spoke, I thought you were just a rookie doctor, still green and clueless,” she said, her tone sharp.
“But now? It’s obvious you’re not just coasting on your dad’s name—you didn’t even bother with med school, did you?” She tilted her head, her voice like ice. “So, you’re not just heartless. You’re incompetent.”
“And what?” Skylar pushed, stepping closer. “You think being heartless and incompetent gives you the right to decide who lives or dies?”
“You… you…” The doctor, Jade Lane, according to her name tag, stuttered, her face flushed, words escaping her.
A male doctor next to her frowned, looking uneasy. Jade might be a spoiled brat, but she was the director’s daughter.
If they let her get embarrassed, she’d make their lives miserable later.
The male doctor stepped up, his voice cold. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think? Dr. Lane said we’re just talking options. Nothing’s final. How do you turn that into us abandoning a patient?”
“Exactly!” Jade jumped on his support, her confidence spiking. She pointed at Skylar. “Where’d you come from, some nowhere town? You think you can question doctors?”
“You people have no clue, blind as bats!” Leon’s voice thundered from behind, slicing through the tension.
He marched forward, chest out, staring down the group. “This woman’s a medical genius!”
Leon stood tall next to Skylar, ready to back her up.
He said, “Your hospital director—yeah, your dad, Jaxon Lane—practically begs me for CardioShield capsules.”
“Guess who created them?” He pulled a small vial from his pocket, holding it up for everyone to see. “She did.”
The label “CardioShield” shone under the fluorescent lights, and a quiet gasp spread through the doctors.
CardioShield—the miracle drug, a once-in-a-lifetime breakthrough.
Rumor had it, one dose could pull someone back from the edge of death.
The doctors stared at Skylar, a woman in her mid-twenties, barely able to believe she could be behind it.
No way, their faces said, caught between shock and doubt.
Jade’s expression twisted, ready to blurt out something childish like, “Liar, you’re full of it!”
But before she could, the male doctor shot her a sharp look and stepped forward, shutting her up.
He gave a slight bow, his tone calm. “A medical prodigy, then. Sorry for the mix-up.”
His eyes flicked to Skylar, a challenge hidden in his polite words. “Since you’re here, why not take on Mr. Lambert’s surgery? It’s a tough one. Show us what a prodigy’s made of.”
He smirked just a bit. “Unless you’re all talk and no action. That’d be a little… awkward, right?”
Skylar glanced at his name tag—Hector—and her mocking smile stayed put.
“I don’t work for you,” she said smoothly. “Why should I bother?”
She leaned in, her voice cutting. “What’s in it for me?”
Hector’s smile grew, unbothered. “Name your price,” he said easily.
The Lambert family was the richest in the country—money was no issue.
Skylar let out a sharp laugh, her eyes slicing through the group like a knife. “Every single one of you,” she said, her voice firm and unwavering.
Then, with a snap of her fingers, she laid out her demand. “Bow and apologize to me.”
