The impossible offer
850 Words
The number kept echoing in Amelia’s head.
Fifty million naira.
It didn’t sound like money anymore.
It sounded like a lifeline wrapped in something dangerous.
She stood outside the hospital building long after the call ended, the night air brushing against her skin, but she barely felt it. Her mind was still trapped in that voice...calm, controlled, almost rehearsed.
A private client.
No name.
No identity.
Just a price that could save a life.
Amelia shook her head sharply. “No,” she whispered to herself. “I can’t do that.”
But even as she said it, her eyes drifted back toward the hospital window.
Her grandmother was still alive because machines were breathing for her.
Machines paid for by borrowed time.
Amelia clenched her fists.
“I’ll find another way,” she told herself firmly.
The next morning came too fast.
Amelia barely slept. Her eyes were heavy, her body weak, but she forced herself into the hospital again.
Her grandmother looked smaller in daylight.
More fragile.
More breakable.
“Grandma,” she said softly, sitting beside her. “I’m still working on it. I promise.”
Her grandmother smiled faintly. “You always try too hard… don’t break yourself for me.”
That almost shattered her.
Amelia swallowed hard and forced a smile.
“I won’t.”
But she was already breaking.
By afternoon, she had tried everything.
Loans.
Friends.
Even a small shop job she once worked part-time at.
All of them gave the same answer.
We can’t help you.
The world was suddenly very small.
And very cruel.
When she stepped out of the last place, the sky looked heavier than before.
That was when her phone rang again.
Unknown number.
Her heart dropped instantly.
She almost didn’t answer.
But her finger moved anyway.
“…Hello?”
The same calm voice.
“Miss Hart. This is Meridian Agency again.”
Amelia’s jaw tightened. “I told you I’m not interested.”
“You haven’t heard the full details,” the woman said.
“I don’t need them.”
A pause.
Then
“The surgery cost for your grandmother has been adjusted.”
Amelia froze. “What?”
“The hospital system has confirmed urgency. The payment deadline has been moved forward. If not paid soon, treatment will be paused.”
Her blood ran cold.
“That’s not possible,” she said quickly. “They didn’t tell me that.”
“They will soon,” the voice replied. “We’re simply informing you in advance.”
Amelia’s grip on the phone tightened. “Why are you doing this?”
Another pause.
This one longer.
More deliberate.
“Because we don’t like wasting time, Miss Hart.”
Click.
The call ended.
Amelia stood still in the middle of the street.
The world moved around her...cars, voices, footsteps, but she couldn’t hear anything clearly.
It felt like she was being pushed toward a cliff she couldn’t see.
Her phone buzzed again.
This time, it was the hospital.
Her hands shook as she answered.
“Miss Hart,” a nurse said urgently. “You need to come back immediately. Your grandmother’s condition has worsened.”
The phone slipped slightly in her hand.
“No…” she whispered.
“We’re stabilizing her, but we need immediate funding confirmation for surgery continuation.”
Amelia started running.
When she reached the hospital, everything felt worse.
The lights too bright.
The hallway too long.
Her heartbeat too loud.
Her grandmother was unconscious again.
Doctors moved quickly around her.
Amelia grabbed one of them. “What happened?! She was stable this morning!”
The doctor avoided her eyes. “Her blood pressure dropped suddenly. We’ve done what we can for now.”
“For now?” Amelia’s voice cracked. “What does that mean?”
Silence.
That same silence again.
The worst kind.
“We need the surgery deposit within 12 hours,” the doctor said quietly. “Or we may not be able to continue.”
Amelia stepped back slowly.
Her legs felt weak.
Twelve hours.
She turned toward her grandmother’s bed.
“Grandma…” she whispered.
No response.
Just machines.
Beeping.
Mocking her.
Her throat tightened painfully.
And for the first time
She didn’t say I’ll find another way.
Because there wasn’t one left.
That night, Amelia sat alone in the corridor again.
But this time, she wasn’t searching for options.
She was staring at her shaking hands.
Her phone lay on her lap.
The unknown number felt like it was watching her.
Waiting.
Her pride felt heavy.
Her fear felt heavier.
And underneath everything…
Was love.
The kind that destroys pride.
She slowly picked up her phone.
Her finger hovered over the call log.
Minutes passed.
Her breath trembled.
Then
She pressed call.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then the calm voice answered.
“Miss Hart.”
Amelia closed her eyes tightly.
“…I’ll do it.”
A pause.
Then
“Good. We will send the contract immediately.”
Her eyes snapped open. “Wait...”
But the line had already ended.
And this time…
She knew there was no turning back.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD