Chapter 6 Picked a Fight
Kevin had assumed his threat would be
enough to intimidate Ginny.
To his surprise, she didn’t even acknowledge it. She simply turned and
walked away.
He was left fuming.
“Fine, fine! Ginny Jenkins, just wait-I’m going to talk to your Dean right now!”
Ginny rolled her eyes and headed straight to Professor Torry Beck’s office.
Professor Beck was one of the country’s top oncologists, recruited years ago with a generous salary. He’d also been her
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mentor ever since she joined the hospital, guiding her through her training.
Now that she’d offended Kevin, and
considering the Dean’s habit of catering to the powerful, she had no doubt there’d be consequences.
But before that happened, she needed backup.
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She knocked gently, and when she entered, Professor Beck was hunched over his desk, reading a medical journal through his reading glasses.
He looked up with a grin. “Hey you, already back to work?”
“Almost,” she said, hands in her pockets,
staring down at her shoes, rocking lightly on her heels.
He could tell right away that something was off. With a soft sigh, he set the journal down.
“Alright, what happened this time?”
She didn’t beat around the bush.
“Professor, did you know there’s a big client visiting the hospital today? That lawyer?”
He nodded. “Yes, what about him?”
“He’s clearly here to stir up trouble. He insisted I be the one to show him around.
First thing he says is that I don’t look like I know what I’m doing.
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“I know he’s some kind of VIP, so I swallowed it. I smiled, gave him the tour, and showed him every part of the hospital. The whole time, he kept throwing out the most deliberately tricky questions. I held back.
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“But by the time we got to the ‘Medical Team’ wall chart, he crossed the line. Started taking personal shots-mocking me, belittling me. Like I wasn’t even worth standing there.”
The more she spoke, the more her anger simmered.
Professor Beck chuckled. “And what did
you say?”
Chapter 6 Picked a Fight
“I told him off,” Ginny admitted
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without hesitation. “He got pissed. Said he’s reporting me to the Dean. If this investment falls through, he said it’ll be my fault.”
Professor Beck gave a warm,
grandfatherly smile, trying to calm her. “It’s not that big of a deal. If a client drops their investment because of one doctor,
then maybe we’re better off without that client.”
His deep, even voice settled something
restless in her chest.
“Don’t be afraid. If you’re being treated unfairly, just come to me. If Dean Hayes dares to give you trouble, I’ll teach him a lesson.”
Seeing the old man puff up with
indignation on her behalf made her chest go tight.
She hadn’t thought she’d been holding in that much.
But with just a few words from him, her eyes burned, and the pressure she’d buried for days rose to the surface.
She blinked hard and forced a smile. “Knew I could count on you. I’ll head out then.”
“Go on.”
That afternoon, Ginny returned home.
The moment she walked through the door, she spotted Chandler sitting on the couch. Two fruit baskets and a bouquet of lisianthus were neatly arranged on the coffee table.
A bad feeling crept up her spine.
Sure enough-
“Did Melody come to the hospital to apologize to you the other day?” he asked. “And instead of accepting it, you humiliated her with another man right there. Is that true?”
The barrage of questions caught Ginny off guard.
That had been over a week ago. Why bring it up now?
“She didn’t tell me any of it,” Chandler went on, his tone dark. “She kept it to herself. Bottled it up. And now she’s had a relapse. She was admitted to the hospital this morning.”
He looked at Ginny, his eyes deep and unreadable.
“So now, you’re coming with me. You’ll visit her, and you’ll apologize. In person.”
His voice was cool, decisive-like a general issuing orders.
Ginny stared at him, stunned. “You want
me to go see Melody?”
He didn’t think twice. “Yes. Her emotions are unstable. Just say a few kind things. Make her feel better, or-”
“No way!” she cut him off instantly. “She has nothing to do with me. If you want to visit her, go ahead. But don’t drag me into it.”
She kicked off her shoes and headed for the bedroom.
Chandler stood and blocked her path. His large hands clamped down on her shoulders. His voice, though still firm, softened slightly.
“Now’s not the time to be stubborn. Come
with me. I’ll make it up to you afterward -cash, jewelry, handbags. Whatever you want.”
Her eyes stung, her lips curled into a cold smile. “Anything I want?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
W
Her voice trembled. “What if I want baby back? Can you give me that? Can compensate that?”
my
you
His face fell. A shadow passed through his
eyes.
“Ginny, don’t push it.”
“Then don’t make empty promises,” she said, yanking herself out of his grip. She
us
took two steps toward the bedroom.
But suddenly, he grabbed her arm and
pulled-hard.
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The world spun. Before she could react, she was slung over his shoulder like a
sack of flour.
“Chandler! Put me down!” She kicked, twisted, punched at his back. “Did you hear me?! Put me down!”
He was built like a soldier-trained and powerful. Her fists didn’t slow him at all.
Even with one arm full of gifts, he strode forward without missing a beat.
She was stuffed into the car, screaming
the entire time.
He drove to the hospital like nothing had happened, ignoring every furious word out of her mouth.
When they arrived at the room, Melody was sitting up in bed in a hospital gown. Her complexion was actually better than Ginny’s. But her voice came out faint, frail.
“Ginny? Are you alright?”
She looked up at Ginny with wide,
innocent eyes.
“Is your head injury healing okay? I told Chandler not to bring you here…”
