Chapter 209
“All taken care of, Thomas sait pocketing his phone as he stepped to Adam’s office. “Anna’s gone completely silent.‘
Instead of looking pleased, Adam’s jaw tightened. “She won’t stay quiet. She’ll find someone else to do her dirty work,”
“Rose?”
“Exactly.” Adam’s voice cooled. “Get eyes on them. Now.”
As Thomas hurried out, he couldn’t help wondering what made Anna hate trene so much. Some people just can’t stand losing what was never really theirs.
Even as Hayen’s team scrambled, Anna was already slipping into Rose’s hospital room, her face a perfect mask of concern.
“Mom, you’re awake,” she said, making her voice breathless like she’d rushed over. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m dying,” Rose snapped, “which I am.”
Anna perched on the edge of the bed, eyes wide with calculated innocence. “Have you heard from Irene? About the surgery?”
Rose’s face hardened instantly. “That ungrateful brat? Not a word.”
“It’s awful,” Anna said, biting her lip. “I mean… she’s a doctor, you’re her mother…”
“Some daughter,” Rose spat.
“I know,” Anna soothed. “I’ve been thinking… maybe I could talk to her?”
Rose snorted. “She hates you even more than she hates me.”
Anna hung her head, pulling off the guilt act perfectly. “My fault, right? If I hadn’t been so threatened when she came back…” She
let her voice crack. “If I hadn’t competed with you for your attention…”
“Don’t be silly,” Rose patted her hand. “None of this is on you, sweetheart.”
“I just wish there was some way to make her help,” Anna whispered, planting the seed. “Something that would force her hand.”
Rose’s eyes narrowed, that cruel spark lighting up that Anna had counted on. “Force her hand…”
“She’s a famous doctor now,” Anna shrugged helplessly. “If people knew she was refusing to save her own mother…”
Rose
sat up straighter, suddenly full of energy. “Get me my phone. I have media contacts who’d love this story.” A nasty smile spread across her face. “Let’s see how her precious reputation holds up when everyone knows what kind of monster she really is.”
Anna blinked, pretending to be shocked. “Are you sure? That seems-
“Do it.” Rose’s glare could’ve melted steel. “Now.”
As Anna reached for the phone, she turned away to hide her smile. Too easy.
By afternoon, Rose’s story had caught fire. Irene’s phone buzzed non–stop with messages:
7
“DOCTOR DAUGHTER DENIES DYING MOTHER LIFE–SAVING SURGERY”
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Chapter 209
- DR. JOY REFUSES TO TREAT HER OWN MOTHER”
Colleagues gave her sideways glances in the hallways. Her inbox filled with messages–some supportive, others brutal. Online comments piled up by the thounds:
“If she won’t save her own mother, can she be trusted with anyone’s fe? #LicenseRevoked
Nathan was halfway through a client presentation when his phone up with notifications. One glance at the headlines and he bolted, leaving stunned clients staring after him.
He found Brandon already in Rose’s room, his injured leg propped awkwardly as he leaned forward, face flushed with anger.
“You seriously went public with this?” Nathan demanded
Rose looked more alive than she had in days. People deserve to know the truth.”
“The truth?” Brandon let out a harsh laugh. “Which truth? That you slapped a five–year–old? That you called your grandkids
bastards?”
“She’s letting me die!” Rose’s voice cracked. “Her own mother!”
“You stopped being her mother when you threw her out,” Brandon said, voice dangerously quiet. “You can’t treat someone like garbage for years then act shocked when they don’t rush to save you
Rose’s monitor beeped as her heart rate jumped. I’m sick! Show some respect!”
“Respect goes both ways,” Brandon shot back, struggling to his feet. Try earning it for once.”
From her spot by the window, Anna watched the family tear itself apart with quiet satisfaction. Every argument was just another win in her campaign against Irene.
Meanwhile, Irene stood in her living room, watching the TV turn her private life into public entertainment. Her face gave nothing away–the same calm mask she wore during surgeries. But inside, she was anything but calm.
Joseph watched her, seeing the tension in her stillness.
“You don’t deserve any of this,” he finally said.
Irene kept her eyes on the screen where some expert questioned her ethics. “As a doctor, I swore to help people.” She turned toward the window. “But as a mother…”
The memory hit her again–Rose’s hand striking Alex’s face, the ugly word “bastards” echoing in a hospital hallway, the cold. dismissal when she’d announced her pregnancy.
“Those kids are everything to me,” she said quietly. “Anyone who hurts them…” She shook her head, unable to finish.
Joseph watched her struggle, his heart breaking for his granddaughter who always tried to do right by everyone, only to be thrown under the bus by her own family.
“That’s it,” he muttered, grabbing his phone.
He punched in John’s number, his old fingers surprisingly steady. When his son picked up, Joseph didn’t waste time on hello.
“Fix this mess right now,” he ordered, voice like steel. “Get those stores off the internet. End this circus.
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Chapter 209.
“Dad, come on,” John tried to reason. “Rose is sick, and technically frene should
“One more word about what Irene should do, and you’re no longer my son.” The quiet in Joseph’s voice was more frightening than any shout. “Choose now, John. Our wife or your father.”
The silence stretched until John finally caved. “Fine. I’ll handle it.”
Across town, Thomas burst into Adam’s office, his normally cool demeanor cracked.
“Boss, it’s all over the news.” He handed over his tablet, screen filled with headlines about Irene.
Adam’s expression changed from controlled calm to cold/fury in a heartbeat. His fingers tightened around the tablet until his knuckles went white.
“Get me everything we have on Anna Claire,” he said, voice dangerously soft. “Every skeleton. Every scandal. By tonight, she’ll learn what happens when people mess with the wrong family.”
Thomas nodded and left quickly Adam wheeled to the window, his gaze finding Irene’s house across the garden. Even from this distance, he could see her silhouette by her own window, still as a statue.‘ Something twisted in his chest watching her stand there alone facing a storm she never asked for.
He’d seen Irene handle emergencies in the operating room without breaking a sweat, save lives when others had given up. But this was different. This was personal–and it was dirty. The public takedown of a woman who’d done nothing but try to protect her children from the very people who should have loved them most.
Adam’s fingers tightened on his armrest. Anna had just made the biggest mistake of her life. Nobody hurt Irene and walked away unscathed–not while he was around to do something about it.
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