Entangled with the Cold Billionaire CEO

The piercing ring of her phone shattered the silence of the dimly lit office. Fiona pinched the bridge of her nose, her eyelids fluttering open as she dragged her exhausted body away from the door to answer it. “Fiona!” She moved the phone slightly away from her ear, using her other hand to toss her blood-stained surgical coat into the laundry basket. A four-hour cardiac bypass had left her completely drained. She slumped into her leather seat. “Mom—” “I’ve been trying to reach you for hours!” her mother snapped through the line. “He’s been waiting in your lobby for the past three hours!” Fiona's drowsy eyes snapped open. “Who? Which lobby?” “Your blind date! He was considerate of your schedule, so he offered to meet you at the hospital instead.” Fiona stood up instantly, running a hand roughly through her hair. A cold sweat broke out on her skin. If the gossip-loving nurses found out she was having a blind date in the lobby, she would never hear the end of it. “Why would you let a stranger come here, Mom? You know how fast rumors spread in this hospital.” Fiona hurried out of her office, but before she could cross the threshold, her mother’s sharp hiss cut through the speaker. “I hope you're not avoiding relationships because of your father. He—” That name froze the air in Fiona's lungs. Her foot missed a step, and her hand slapped against the stair handrail to catch herself. “Mom!” The word ripped from her throat, raw and breathless. She sank onto the cold steps, all energy draining from her body. A suffocating silence settled over the line, marked only by the running seconds and their heavy breathing. “Fiona, your father is gone,” her mother said quietly. “You can't keep hiding in the operating room forever.” Fiona bit her pale lip so hard she tasted copper. Before the silence could swallow her whole, the blaring red emergency lights flashed, and the PA system erupted across the floor. “Code Blue. Trauma Team to the ER. Code Blue.” “Mom, I have to go. Emergency,” Fiona said, cutting the call before her mother could reply. She wiped her face, forcing her trembling features into a cold, professional mask. As she hurried down the stairs, she noticed the hospital's executive board rushing toward the entrance. The incoming patient must be a major VIP. She glanced towards the lobby, but no one was there. Sigh, the poor guy must have left. Who else would have spent three solid hours waiting for a blind date that refused to appear? Fiona tried to slip past the crowd to return to her office, but a firm grip clamped down on her wrist from behind. She turned to find an elderly man out of breath, his white coat pristine. It was the Dean. “Dr. Fiona, thank God you're still here,” he panted, though his voice remained unyieldingly firm. “A VIP is en route. Your assistance is required in the OR immediately.” Fiona’s lip twitched coldly. Assistance? They both knew she was the only one capable of leading a high-risk thoracic surgery on short notice. She crossed her arms, refusing to back down. “You have an entire department of specialists down there, Dean. I’m off the clock.” The Dean’s expression turned icy. Passersby began to cast curious glances at the standoff in the middle of the stairwell. Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed as a gurney was rushed through the double doors into the elevator, surrounded by a frantic medical team. The Dean stepped closer, his eyes flashing with impatience. He leaned into her ear, his voice dropping to a malicious whisper. “You wouldn't want your dead father to be the top trending topic on the hospital forum tomorrow morning, would you?” Fiona’s face paled instantly. “You despicable scumbag...” Tears of pure rage pricked her eyes, but she forced them back. She knew the Dean was corrupt, but threatening her with her deceased father crossed every line. “So, if you want to protect his memory—and your precious career,” the Dean smiled, patronizingly patting her shoulder, “do exactly as I say.” He turned and stepped into the VIP elevator, leaving her trembling with burning anger. Her phone vibrated aggressively in her hand. It was a restricted hospital extension line. Swallowing her rage, she answered it. Saving a life had to come first. “Doctor!” a nurse's breathless, terrified voice echoed from the receiver. Fiona's heart dropped into her stomach. “What's wrong? What happened?” “The VIP patient...” the nurse gasped, panic bleeding through the line. “He stopped breathing!”