Nica watched as Leon furiously berated Leah. As he frowned, he pulled out his phone and made a call.
Leah was quickly wheeled into the operating room without undergoing any preliminary tests. Several doctors in surgical scrubs entered and before she could react, a syringe of anesthesia was injected into her arm. Her consciousness faded almost instantly.
In her hazy state, she seemed to catch fragments of conversation. "I've never seen a family like this. The girl is perfectly healthy, yet they're insisting on a kidney transplant and even faking surgery."
"Haven't you heard? The two sisters are fighting over the same man. The older one obviously wants to punish the younger."
"What? Are they really sisters? I heard she’s an illegitimate daughter. So, which is it?"
"Shush, don’t talk too much. We can't talk about rich family's issues. We’re just here to do our job and take the money."
The cold touch of the scalpel against her skin sent a chilling realization through her.
It turned out her sister was truly healthy and all of these were just a test to determine Leon's true feelings for Ella, she deliberately wanted to take Leah's kidney.
Was she not her parents’ biological daughter? Whose illegitimate daughter was she?
Despair swallowed her whole. She was going to die on this operating table because everyone wanted her to die.
***
Leah thought she had died. How else could she explain the vast expanse of white before her eyes?
"Is this heaven?" she murmured weakly.
As soon as she finished talking, Nico who had just finished reading a medical report, set the paper down and strode over to her bedside. "Are you awake? Do you feel any discomfort?"
It took Leah several seconds to register who was speaking.
Seeing him up close for the first time, she realized Nico was far more striking than Leon. His sharp, well-defined features exuded an air of authority and strength. He had an intense presence that was almost suffocating.
"Uncle... you saved me?" she asked hesitantly, instinctively shrinking back and avoiding his gaze.
Nico chuckled. "Your body is in terrible shape. You’ll need at least a month to recover. Even if you wanted to donate a kidney to save your sister, there was no need to rush into it so recklessly."
Leah didn’t know how to respond to his statement. She also did not have any idea how she had ended up here instead of on the operating table.
However, it seemed Nico had saved me. Still, he was a man constantly occupied with business. How many times could she expect him to intervene in her life? She had relied on herself.
"Thank you," she said simply. After that, she remained silent.
Nico vaguely recalled seeing Leah years ago when Leon was still a student. He had picked his nephew up from school a few times and noticed that Leon always walked alongside a lively, talkative girl.
How had she become like this?
"Rest well. I have work to do. Nico will take you home," he said.
Leah wanted to refuse. She did not want to have anything to do with Leon. However, compared to him, she was even less familiar to anyone in Diakos's family.
"Is ‘thank you’ all you can say?" Nico asked, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
For some reason, he found himself unusually invested in this frail, battered young woman. When he saw the scars on her body, a rare flicker of anger stirred within him.
Leah averted her gaze. Nico didn’t press further. He set the report down and left the room.
Leon stormed in not long after and pointed his finger at Leah's face. "What the hell did you do to my uncle? How did you get him to take you off the operating table?"
Leah jerked her head up and looked at Leon incredulously, “He carried me away?”
She had only met Nico once before. He didn’t seem like the type to meddle in others' affairs.
Leon couldn’t stand Leah's feigned innocence. To him, she was manipulative and always acted like she was the victim. Fury surged through him as he stepped forward and raised his hand. He was ready to slap her across the face.
