From Orphan to Billionaire: The Foster Girl's Secret

Chapter 3 The Rescue

At that critical moment, it felt as though an invisible force pulled Daisy's body, allowing her to dodge at a tricky angle. The bullet grazed her hair, stirring a slight breeze. Then it struck the wall behind her with a resounding bang, leaving a fist-sized hole in its wake.

Everyone's eyes went wide in shock. None of them had expected Daisy to pull off such a flawless dodge in a life-or-death situation. The bodyguards assigned to protect the woman in the wheelchair looked even more startled and awestruck.

Daisy steadied herself, her gaze turning razor-sharp as she found cover. Leopold wasn't around—she had sent him off beforehand—and she hadn't brought a g*n with her today, thinking she only needed a calm exit from the Brick Manor. It was a bit troublesome, but she'd manage.

Before Daisy could make a move, the woman in the wheelchair spoke in a frail voice, "Help them… Don't drag the innocent into this!"

One of the tall, black-suited guards sprang forward. After a few shots, he quickly took down all the enemies who had been chasing them. The smell of blood hung in the air, making people queasy. Once the threat was gone, the guard hovered protectively beside the wheelchair, anxious and on edge. "Hurry! We've got to get her to the elevator. The nearest hospital is about 19 miles away—there's no time! We'll have to use the medical equipment at Brightview Sanatorium."

Daisy was ready to walk away. But when she glanced at the woman in the wheelchair, her steps faltered. The words the woman had spoken just before losing consciousness—asking not to harm the innocent—stuck with Daisy, rooting her to the spot. She decided she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

A younger woman standing on the right side of the wheelchair shook her head. "That won't work. A sanatorium wouldn't have the proper facilities for surgery. Leonardo is on his way here. We need to wait until he arrives with the supplies. Then we can figure out—"

Daisy leaned against the wall calmly. "Keep talking," she said, "and your patient will die. Can't you tell she's already slipping into shock? She's got at most half an hour."

The black-suited guards were already panic-stricken. Hearing Daisy's warning, they all turned to look at the middle-aged woman in the wheelchair. Her complexion was ashen, and their hearts clenched with dread. They glanced back at Daisy, who stood quietly in the corner. Her features were striking, her bearing full of poise. She stood out so much that it baffled them how they had overlooked her before—a lapse no well-trained guard should make.

"You know medicine?" asked the lead guard, narrowing his eyes with a mix of caution and hope. "Are you saying you can save our lady?"

"I know a bit," Daisy replied casually, though there was a hint of confusion in her voice. "It's just rheumatic heart disease—nothing impossible to treat."

"Ha!" sneered Chris Stephens, the woman standing beside the wheelchair. She shot Daisy a contemptuous look. "You're so full of it. Our lady's condition was personally diagnosed by Layton Oliver, the world-renowned specialist. She has coronary heart disease—textbook case. She's been on medication and had multiple surgeries over the years and was doing much better until today's attack."

Chris waved toward the elevator. "Let's get her upstairs to rest. We don't need to listen to someone who might try harming her. Who knows what this person's intentions are." With that, Chris shot another disdainful glance at Daisy before wheeling the patient into the elevator. The guards hurried in after them.

That attitude would have pushed Daisy to walk away, but the wheelchair-bound woman's plea not to hurt bystanders kept echoing in her mind. She owed her for that, so Daisy decided to stay.

Just before the elevator doors closed, a slender hand reached in, stopping them. Everyone inside stared as Daisy calmly stepped in and let the doors slide shut. Her eyes were bright with a mesmerizing light. "Your lady does have rheumatic heart disease. If you don't start surgery in ten minutes, she's done for."

She spoke before anyone could process her words, then stood at the back of the elevator. Chris scowled in anger. "What nonsense! If that's really her condition, no surgeon in the world would dare operate on it! Besides, our lady already had bypass surgery, plus infusion therapy. According to you, operating again would be a death sentence."

At Chris's accusation, Daisy's gaze turned chilly. "Death is only guaranteed if you're too incompetent to handle it. Your limits don't define mine."

"You—" Chris was about to order the guards to throw Daisy out when Daisy continued. "Your lady underwent bypass surgery and infusion therapy, but you never used enough MN50 to clear the heart's bio-pathways. That made the surgery appear successful while it actually just delayed the inevitable. Today's attack isn't what caused her heart to fail—it was going to happen sooner or later."

Chris froze, her eyes brimming with shock. This stranger knew every detail of the lady's condition. Chris, as her personal doctor, had been there for the entire procedure. During that surgery, the patient's heart rate had dipped so low that none of the surgeons dared use enough MN50 to open the arteries. They were worried about the liability if something went wrong. True, the lady's life had been saved that day, but her illness was never truly resolved. Chris, hoping not to be blamed for negligence or to offend the lead surgeon, had kept quiet about all of it.

Just then, the elevator chimed and arrived at their floor. Daisy stepped out first, blocking the door. "Get her out here. We need to start operating right away."

Chris stared at Daisy's calm composure and felt a chill crawl up her spine. A moment later, she forced herself to regain a semblance of poise. Ignoring Daisy's instruction, she turned to Mond, the guard in charge, and said, "Don't listen to her. She's never even been in an operating room. It's safer to wait for Mr. Flegel and let him decide."

Mond nodded, torn. He trusted Chris more than this unknown woman named Daisy. "Yes, but I've already spoken with Mr. Flegel," he said, looking uneasy. "The soonest he can be here is half an hour from now, and she doesn't look like she'll make it that long. Chris, maybe you should operate first—at least get her through the crisis."

A wave of dread washed over Chris's face. She didn't dare operate. She had no confidence in curing this condition. If she lost the patient, she'd be as good as dead. Leonardo treated this woman with the greatest respect, and the last time her life had been in danger, Leonardo had gone nearly insane and immediately punished the negligent staff. If she actually died now, Chris was sure she wouldn't survive Leonardo's wrath. But doing nothing wasn't an option, or Leonardo would hold her accountable anyway. Either way, it might be the end.

Thinking fast, Chris came up with a plan. Glancing at the pallor of the unconscious woman, she said, "Call the director of Brightview Sanatorium. Have them bring over Alteplase and Urokinase to start thrombolytic therapy. We can wake her up a bit and hold out until Leonardo arrives."

It sounded like a perfect solution to Chris: if the medication came from the sanatorium and there were complications, the sanatorium would take the blame. All Chris wanted was for the lady to hang on until a top-tier specialist arrived. Surely no one would fault her for that.

"You don't have the skills," Daisy said icily, "so don't pretend to. If you just want her gone, say so. Thrombolysis uses an IV drip to open blocked blood vessels. It might temporarily bring her out of unconsciousness, but after that, her situation would be hopeless. You'd force her organs to shut down even faster, while doubling her suffering for her last half hour alive. Worse, you'd shift the blame to the sanatorium. What a vicious plan—and a stupid one."

Chris's face contorted in fury. "What are you talking about, you worthless pest? Don't act like you know everything. Mond, throw her out!"

But before the guards moved, Daisy's face darkened. She stepped forward and gave Chris a hard slap. The force sent Chris stumbling back, her cheek swelling instantly.

Daisy's voice was as sharp as a blade. "Nobody speaks to me like that."

"Filthy brat!" Chris screeched, rushing forward as though she meant to strike Daisy. Mond grabbed her arms just in time, holding her back.

"It's unfortunate for her to have a doctor as incompetent as you," Daisy said coolly, casting Chris a disdainful glance. Then she turned on her heel as if to leave.

"Wait!" Mond blocked Daisy's path. "Is what you said true? You really have a way to save her?"

Chris grit her teeth so hard her jaw trembled. "Mond, have you lost your mind? What if she's working for some enemy, trying to kill the lady and Leonardo?"

"That's enough, Chris!" Mond barked. "She's dying! We're out of options!"

Chris stood there, stunned. Then her expression shifted in a flash. If this haughty woman wanted so badly to operate, Chris could let her do it—and if she failed, Chris could place all the blame on her. Why stop her?

So Chris rolled her eyes and said in a tone thick with mockery, "Fine! Go on and save her, if you're so amazing. Let's see you keep her alive."

Daisy saw right through Chris's ploy but didn't care. Whether anyone would be held accountable would depend on the actual result. With a knowing glint in her eyes, Daisy arched a brow, ignoring Chris completely. "I can save her," Daisy said, "but I'm not happy with how you insulted me. I won't lift a finger unless I'm properly compensated. Right now, in front of everyone here, I want you on your knees, apologizing for what you said. If you do that, I might consider helping."