"I'd rather crawl forward on my knees than stand still, seething and demanding answers."
Kate blinked.
"Besides, who would I be angry at? Who would I demand answers from?
"Him?
"If any of that could make him feel regret or guilt, he never would have hurt me in the first place."
I leaned in, holding up the bank card in front of her face.
"The point is—we got the money."
On my first day of hospital outreach, I put on a nice full face of makeup, hoping to make a good impression on the department head.
But the moment I pushed open her office door, a coffee mug smashed into my temple.
"Get out! You shameless tramps! Homewreckers! Who are you getting all dolled up for?
"I will never—never—use anything you sales reps are peddling! Get out!"
A nurse rushed over with gauze to stop the blood streaming down my forehead.
"Bad timing," she murmured. "Dr. Matthews found out this morning that her husband's been cheating. The other woman's some girl who wears a ton of makeup."
My vision went dark.
Off to a great start...
The commotion drew attention.
As I walked down the corridor pressing a hand to my forehead, I ran straight into Grayson, who was arriving for his shift.
He hadn't even graduated yet, but a technical breakthrough he'd spearheaded two years ago had already earned him a position as a visiting physician.
Beside him stood Michelle, curves accentuated by a perfectly fitted white coat.
"Heard you got into it with Dr. Matthews."
I didn't want to talk to him. I moved to walk around him.
He grabbed my arm.
"The money I gave you wasn't enough? You like being a homewrecker that much?"
Slap.
My palm connected hard with his face.
Michelle's first instinct was to cup his cheek.
Then she turned to me, eyes sharp with disapproval.
"Teresa!"
I stared Grayson down.
"Keep my name out of your filthy mouth."
"Teresa." Michelle looked at me with open contempt. "Remember whose territory you're standing on."
I didn't answer. I turned and walked away.
But before I even made it out of the hospital, I learned exactly what Michelle meant.
Several people cornered me in a storage room.
"Ms. Simmons sent us. Said we should teach you a lesson."
"Don't you know what she is to Dr. Henson? You think you own this place?"
"Pretty little face, though. No wonder Ms. Simmons said you're going after Dr. Matthews's husband."
"Ahh—!"
They forced me to the ground.
My phone skidded across the floor.
Grayson's call came through right at that moment.
I heard him say "Hello?" twice.
I bit down hard on the hand trying to cover my mouth.
"Grayson! I'm in the storage room! Someone's attacking me!"
A pause.
Then a cold laugh.
"Just tell me how much you want."
"I don't want money! Just come—mmph!"
"Teresa, can you stop with the act? If you want something, just say so. You really think I can't see right through you?"
He sighed.
"I'm calling to let you know—I wired the money back to your parents. If you need cash, come to me. They work too hard for you to be bleeding everyone dry."
My mouth was clamped shut.
By the time I could speak again, he'd already hung up.
When I finally made it back that day, one side of my face was swollen.
Kate sat by my hospital bed, crying nonstop.
"This is insane! Beating someone up inside a hospital just because she's the dean's daughter—she thinks she can do whatever she wants!
"And Grayson's absolute garbage! I'm so angry I could scream!"
I held up my newly signed contract with effort.
"It's fine. Look—another hospital's buying from me now.
"And I got my boss set up as a supplier there too."
"From now on, I want twenty percent of that boss's profits~"
Kate pouted. "Stop messing around! You're in this condition—how are you supposed to negotiate a partnership?"
I pointed at my bandage-wrapped head. "That's exactly why the hospital director took pity on me and gave me a chance."
"You..."
Kate started laughing through her tears.
On graduation day, Grayson couldn't get through to my phone.
He'd invited me to attend his graduation ceremony at Peking University.
Left with no other choice, he came to my school.
Only to learn I'd already graduated early and left.
"Teresa got hurt pretty badly—she was in the hospital for almost half a month. Once she recovered, she picked up her diploma early and left. She only left this behind."
My roommate handed him the box I'd left.
Grayson opened it.
The dense stack of red bills made his breath catch.
A full forty thousand dollars.
On the note beside it, neat handwriting read:
Teresa Swanson borrowed $20,000 from Grayson Henson. Academic paper co-authorship fee: $20,000. Total: $40,000.
Clatter!
The box hit the floor.
