Chapter 3 - THE THREAT AGAINST LILY
I read the message three times before the elevator reached the lobby.
The words were short.
Simple.
Terrifying.
Someone knew about Lily.
Someone knew about the surgery.
And whoever had sent the message knew exactly how desperate I was.
I immediately took a screenshot.
Then forwarded it to my personal email.
Evidence first.
Fear later.
That was what my father used to say whenever things went wrong.
Dad had been a mechanic.
He believed most problems could be fixed if you stopped panicking long enough to find the broken part.
I wished he were still alive.
I drove to Charlotte Memorial with both hands locked around the steering wheel.
When I reached the hospital, I ran toward the surgical wing.
Lily was sitting in a wheelchair outside the consultation room.
She looked exhausted.
But alive.
“Maya.”
I dropped my bag beside her.
“What happened?”
She stared at me.
“Nothing happened.”
I looked at the surgeon.
“Then why did you call me?”
Dr. Patel motioned toward the room.
“Let's talk privately.”
Lily grabbed my hand.
“Don't leave me.”
“I won't.”
We entered the room.
Dr. Patel closed the door.
“There is no emergency.”
I exhaled.
“Then what is this?”
He sat down.
“The hospital received a request to review Lily's financial assistance application.”
I frowned.
“From whom?”
“A third-party organization.”
“What organization?”
He slid a document toward me.
Arden Crest Foundation.
I stared at the logo.
“What?”
Dr. Patel continued.
“They asked whether your sister's surgery could be postponed.”
My stomach turned.
“Who asked that?”
“We don't know.”
I looked at Lily.
She looked frightened.
I picked up the paper.
The request was unsigned.
But attached was a reference number.
I recognized it.
It matched the unknown message.
I photographed everything.
Dr. Patel watched me.
“Maya, is there something going on?”
“Yes.”
I told him.
Not everything.
But enough.
Someone was threatening Lily because of the Bellweather investigation.
Dr. Patel's expression hardened.
“Then we need security involved.”
“No.”
Lily looked at me.
“Why not?”
“Because if whoever sent this knows we're scared, they win.”
Dr. Patel nodded slowly.
“But you should understand something.”
“What?”
“Lily's surgery cannot safely be delayed indefinitely.”
“I know.”
“We can move forward with the current date.”
“How much do we still owe?”
He looked at the paperwork.
“Approximately sixty-eight thousand dollars.”
I closed my eyes.
Sixty-eight thousand.
That number had haunted me for weeks.
But now it had become a weapon.
Someone knew exactly how to use it.
I called Ethan.
He answered immediately.
“Maya?”
“Did you know someone from Arden Crest Foundation contacted my sister's hospital?”
Silence.
“No.”
“Someone threatened her.”
“What?”
I explained.
His voice became very controlled.
“Where are you?”
“At the hospital.”
“Stay there.”
“I can handle this.”
“I didn't ask whether you could.”
His voice softened.
“Please stay there.”
I hated how much that concerned me.
But I agreed.
Twenty minutes later, Ethan walked into the hospital.
He wasn't wearing his usual suit.
He had removed his tie.
His expression was different.
More human.
He looked at Lily.
Then at me.
“I’m Ethan Caldwell.”
Lily smiled weakly.
“I know.”
He looked surprised.
“My sister follows business news,” I said.
Lily shrugged.
“You're hard to miss.”
He almost smiled.
Then his attention returned to me.
“Show me the message.”
I handed him my phone.
He read it.
His jaw tightened.
“This wasn't sent by the foundation.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the foundation doesn't have access to the hospital's internal assistance system.”
He called someone.
“Mark, I need every communication involving the Bellweather transaction and Arden Crest Foundation.”
He paused.
“Today.”
He ended the call.
Lily looked at him.
“Are you helping my sister?”
Ethan answered without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Lily looked at me.
I shook my head slightly.
She smiled.
“Good.”
Ethan looked amused.
“She seems to have more confidence in me than you do.”
“That's because she hasn't worked with you for four years.”
Lily laughed.
It was the first time she'd laughed that day.
Then a hospital administrator entered.
“Ms. Bennett?”
“Yes?”
“There is another issue.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Someone attempted to access your sister's medical file this morning.”
Ethan's expression changed.
“Who?”
“We're investigating.”
“Was the attempt successful?”
“No.”
I exhaled.
Then the administrator handed me a printed access log.
One username appeared.
VREED.
Vanessa Reed.
I stared at it.
Lily looked at me.
Ethan took the paper.
“This could be forged.”
“Yes.”
He looked at the administrator.
“Preserve the server logs.”
“Of course.”
When he turned back toward me, his expression was serious.
“This is bigger than Bellweather.”
I nodded.
“I know.”
He looked at Lily.
“Your sister needs protection.”
Lily frowned.
“From who?”
I couldn't answer.
Ethan did.
“Someone who wants your sister to stop asking questions.”
Lily looked at me.
“What did you find?”
I hesitated.
Then told her.
She closed her eyes.
“You should have told me.”
“You were preparing for surgery.”
“And you're preparing to fight people who can hurt us.”
“I can handle it.”
Lily shook her head.
“No, Maya.”
Her voice was weak but firm.
“You've been handling everything alone for years.”
I looked away.
She continued.
“You don't have to anymore.”
Those words hit me harder than I expected.
Ethan stood quietly.
Then his phone vibrated.
He checked the screen.
His expression became unreadable.
“What?”
He showed me the message.
A photograph.
It showed Lily leaving the hospital two days earlier.
Someone had taken it from across the street.
Below it was a sentence.
Next picture won't be from this far away.
My blood went cold.
Ethan immediately contacted security.
“We're moving Lily to a private entrance.”
I nodded.
Within minutes, hospital security escorted us through a restricted corridor.
But as we reached the parking garage, I noticed a black sedan parked across the street.
The driver wasn't visible.
The car pulled away the moment Ethan saw it.
He stared after it.
Then looked at me.
“Do you trust me?”
I hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Then let me protect your sister.”
I nodded.
That night, Ethan arranged private security for Lily.
He also instructed Arden Crest's legal department to preserve every record connected to Bellweather.
Then he called me.
“Maya.”
“Yes?”
“I found something.”
“What?”
“The person who accessed your sister's file wasn't Vanessa.”
I sat up.
“Who was it?”
“An employee in my office.”
“Who?”
He paused.
Then said a name.
“Daniel Cross.”
I knew him.
Ethan's chief of staff.
One of the most trusted people in the company.
I felt sick.
“Why would he do this?”
“I don't know.”
“Then find out.”
Ethan was silent.
Then he said,
“There is one more thing.”
“What?”
“The eighty-four-million-dollar discrepancy is not the only money missing.”
“How much?”
“Approximately three hundred and twelve million.”
I couldn't breathe.
“From Arden Crest?”
“Yes.”
“Where did it go?”
“We don't know.”
He paused.
“But someone has been moving it through shell companies for years.”
My heart began pounding.
“Are they connected to Bellweather?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
Ethan's voice became quiet.
“The shell companies all lead back to one person.”
“Who?”
May you like
He answered.
“Vanessa Reed.”
