My Domination Begins With A Divorce

The Retaliation

The mechanical hum of the receipt printer shattered the silence in the hospital lobby. Chloe stared at the small slip of paper emerging from the machine. The color drained from her face and her manicured hands began to tremble.

"Write the letter," Ethan said. He did not raise his voice but the cold authority in his tone made the nurses behind the counter flinch. "Then take off your shoes and walk out those doors."

Chloe fell to her knees. She gripped the edge of the wooden desk and looked up at him with wide and terrified eyes.

"Sir, please forgive me," Chloe begged. "I was just making a stupid joke. I have rent to pay and a family to feed. You cannot make me quit."

"You laughed at a ten year old girl dying in a hospital bed," Ethan replied. "You gambled your job on her life. Leave the building before I have security drag you out by your hair."

Chloe sobbed loudly but Ethan looked past her. He fixed his gaze on the other receptionist.

Brenda jumped out of her chair and stood at perfect attention. She forced a wide and desperate smile onto her face.

"Mr. Sterling, please allow me to apologize for her behavior," Brenda said. Her voice shook as she quickly typed on her keyboard. "I am updating the system right now. Your balance is cleared. Would you like a private waiting room or a glass of water while we prepare the surgical theater?"

"Process the paperwork and call security for your coworker," Ethan said.

Doctor Aris picked up the receipt from the counter. He read the long string of approval codes and let out a heavy breath. The physician looked at Ethan's torn clothes and the dried blood on his suit jacket.

"I will handle the administration side," Doctor Aris said. He stepped around the desk and guided Ethan toward the main corridor. "How did you manage this? Aiden Taylor called the board of directors an hour ago and explicitly cut off all your funding."

"Aiden does not control my destiny anymore," Ethan said. "Money will never be an issue again. Just take me to Ada."

They walked down the sterile white hallways together. Doctor Aris kept his voice low as he explained the current medical situation.

"Her kidneys are failing and her heart is under massive strain," Doctor Aris explained. "The one million dollars cleared the backdated debt to unlock the room. We still need to secure another five hundred thousand to pay the specialized surgical team for the transplant."

"Set up the transplant," Ethan commanded. "I will pay whatever the hospital requires."

Doctor Aris stopped in front of room 402 and pushed the heavy wooden door open.

Ada lay in the center of the bed. Her skin held the pale color of old paper and dark circles bruised the skin under her closed eyes. Clear plastic tubes ran from her frail arms to a towering stack of humming medical monitors. The rhythmic beeping of her heart rate monitor filled the quiet room.

Ethan walked to the side of the bed. He reached out and gently held her cold hand. Tears spilled over his eyelids and dropped onto the crisp white sheets.

He had endured three years of beatings and insults just to keep that machine beeping. He had washed the Sterling family cars in the freezing rain and eaten their leftover food just to afford her daily medication.

"I am sorry it took so long," Ethan whispered. He squeezed her fingers gently. "I will never let them hurt you again. I am going to give you a brand new life."

He turned his head to face the physician standing by the door.

"I want the best care in the world for her," Ethan said. "I want every specialist in this building focused on her chart. If I need to buy this entire hospital to make that happen, I will do it today."

Doctor Aris placed a comforting hand on Ethan's shoulder. "We will do everything we can to save her."

"No you will not."

A sharp voice echoed from the doorway. Doctor Evans stepped into the room holding a metal clipboard. He wore a crisp white coat and a smug grin across his face. He was the chief of surgery and the man Aiden Taylor had bribed.

"What is this beggar doing in my patient's room?" Doctor Evans demanded. He pointed his pen at Ethan. "This bed is reserved for paying clients. Get this trash out of my ward."

"He paid the debt," Doctor Aris said. He stepped in front of Ethan to block his superior. "He just cleared the one million dollar balance at the front desk. Ada is prepped and ready for the transplant."

Doctor Evans frowned. He flipped a page on his clipboard and shook his head.

"That does not matter," Evans said. "Aiden Taylor gave me direct orders over the phone. This hospital will not provide a single bandage for Ada Sterling. I am the chief of surgery and my word is final."

"You are violating your medical oath," Doctor Aris argued. "You cannot deny care to a cleared patient just because a rich man bribed you to cancel the procedure."

"Watch your tone, Aris," Evans snapped. "Or I will have your medical license revoked before lunch."

Ethan let go of his sister's hand. He walked across the room and stood inches away from the corrupt doctor.

"Treat her right now," Ethan ordered. The temperature in the room seemed to drop. "Or I will buy this building and throw you onto the street."

Doctor Evans laughed. The cruel sound bounced off the walls.

"You are an i***t," Evans sneered. "This is a municipal city hospital. It belongs to the state government. It cannot be bought or sold. Your little lottery winnings mean nothing here."

Doctor Aris cleared his throat.

"He cannot buy the building, but the hospital bylaws are clear," Doctor Aris stated. He looked directly at his boss. "Section four grants priority VIP status to any individual who makes a tier one massive donation. The board of directors assumes direct control of their care and bypasses the chief of surgery."

Doctor Evans glared at his subordinate. He turned to Ethan and pointed out the window toward the hallway.

A large digital donation kiosk stood against the wall next to a brass plaque listing the wealthy benefactors of the city.

"A tier one donation starts at one hundred thousand dollars," Evans mocked. "Our biggest donor this month gave ten million dollars and got a wing named after him. Did you find that much spare change in the gutter?"

Ethan did not say a word. He walked past the chief of surgery and stepped into the hallway.

He approached the digital donation kiosk. The screen displayed a prompt for credit card inserts. Ethan pulled out his battered card and slid it into the reader. The screen flashed and prompted him to enter a custom donation amount.

Ethan tapped the screen. He typed a one followed by eight zeros.

One hundred million dollars.

He pressed the green confirmation button.

The kiosk screen froze for three seconds. Then a loud melodic chime rang out from every speaker in the hospital corridors. It was an emergency alert reserved only for historic financial contributions.

The digital display above the kiosk updated in bright gold letters.

New Donation Received: $100,000,000.

Doctor Evans walked out of the room and stared at the screen. The metal clipboard slipped out of his hand and crashed onto the floor tiles.

"That is impossible," Evans whispered. His smug grin vanished and his face turned the color of ash.

The sound of rapid footsteps echoed from the nearby stairwell. Five men in tailored suits sprinted down the hallway. Director Thomas led the group of executives while wiping sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief.

"Who did it?" Director Thomas panted. He looked between the doctors and the man in the torn suit. "The system just registered the largest single donation in the history of this city. Who is the benefactor?"

Doctor Aris pointed a shaking finger at Ethan.

Director Thomas gasped. He rushed forward and bowed deeply. The other four executives immediately followed his lead and bowed to Ethan.

"Mr. Sterling," the director said. His voice trembled with deep reverence. "Words cannot express our gratitude. You have secured the financial future of this entire institution. We are at your command."

"I want the entire surgical wing focused on my sister," Ethan said.

"It will be done immediately," Director Thomas promised. "We will move her to the presidential penthouse suite. I will assemble a team of the top ten surgeons in the country to fly here tonight."

Ethan pointed a finger at Doctor Evans. "And I want this man stripped of his title and fired. He denied my sister medical care because he accepted a bribe from Aiden Taylor ."

Director Thomas turned his head. His eyes narrowed with raw fury.

"Evans, you are terminated," the director barked. "Pack your desk and leave the premises before I call the police and have you arrested for medical malpractice."

Doctor Evans fell to his knees. The arrogance that defined his career shattered into a million pieces. Panic consumed his features as he looked up at the executives.

"Director, please wait," Evans begged. "I was just doing what Aiden Taylor told me to do. You know how powerful the Taylor family is. They will ruin our funding if we defy them."

"Aiden Taylor is a peasant compared to a man who donates a hundred million dollars in cash," Director Thomas spat. "Security is on the way. Get out of my hospital."

Evans crawled forward across the floor tiles. He reached out with trembling hands and tried to grab Ethan's shoes.

"Mr. Sterling, please forgive me," Evans cried. Tears streamed down his face. "I will perform the surgery myself. I will work for free. I have a family to support. They will ruin my career."

Ethan stepped back in disgust and looked down at the broken man.

"Run to Aiden Taylor ," Ethan commanded. The ice in his voice made the executives shiver. "Tell him what happened here tonight. Tell him and the entire Sterling family that their worst nightmare has just woken up."