The sterile lights of St. Catherine's Hospital flickered as Jayden stood by the nurse's station, his eyes narrowed at a clipboard. As a doctor, he was trained to notice patterns, and lately, the patterns surrounding Vienna didn't make medical sense.
The "Staff Safety Initiative" was a ghost. He had checked with the hospital administration; there was no record of a corporate account for silver taxis. There were no new scholarships for staff siblings. And yet, he had seen the way the "Big Boys"—specifically Jackson, whom he recognized from the news—lingered in a black sedan near the ambulance bay every time Vienna's shift ended.
Jayden found Vienna in the breakroom, staring at the invitation to the Medical Gala. The expensive surgical headset Newton had sent was resting on the table next to her.
"That's a $5,000 piece of equipment, Vienna," Jayden said quietly, startling her. He sat across from her, his expression uncharacteristically grim. "The hospital didn't buy that for you."
Vienna looked up, a defensive flicker in her eyes. "It was a well-wisher, Jayden. Probably a grateful patient's family. And the 'Safety Initiative'... it's just a pilot program. Why are you acting like this is a surgery gone wrong?"
Jayden leaned forward, his voice dropping. "Because I did some digging. That taxi company? It's a subsidiary of Washington Holdings. The 'Safety Initiative'? It doesn't exist on the hospital's books. Someone is paying for your life to be perfect, Vienna. And I think you know exactly who has that kind of reach."
Vienna felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine, but she pushed it down. Admitting it meant admitting she was being manipulated. "Newton wouldn't do that. He's... he's in his own world, Jayden. He has a nightclub to run and a family empire to manage. He doesn't have time to track my taxi rides."
"He's not just tracking them, he's controlling them," Jayden countered, his frustration bubbling over. "I saw Jackson—Newton's right-hand man—following your cab last night. I saw the donation records for the scholarship. It's him, Vienna. Newton Washington is the 'well-wisher.' He's turned this city into a stage, and he's the one pulling your strings."
Vienna stood up abruptly, the chair scraping harshly against the floor. "You're being paranoid. You've always been... wary of him because of what happened at LIBS. But people change, Jayden. Or maybe they don't, and you're just looking for a villain because you don't like that things are finally going right for my family."
"I'm looking for the truth because you deserve to know when you're being bought," Jayden said, his eyes filled with a mixture of hurt and warning.
"I'm not being 'bought'!" Vienna snapped, her voice echoing in the small room. She grabbed her bag, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. "I have surgeries to prep for. Please, stay out of my personal business."
She walked out, her pace brisk, her head held high. But as she moved through the corridors, the "controlled" air of the hospital suddenly felt heavy. Every polite nod from a security guard, every "lucky" break in her schedule, every smile from a board member now felt like a hidden camera.
She reached into her pocket and gripped her phone. She wanted to call Newton and scream. She wanted to tell him to stay away. But a darker, more practical thought held her back: If I admit Jayden is right, I lose the scholarship. I lose the safety. I lose the one time in my life where I didn't have to fight for every breath.
Vienna looked at her reflection in the glass of the OR doors. "It's just a coincidence," she whispered to herself, though her hands, for the first time in years, were not entirely steady. "Jayden is wrong. He has to be."