Chapter 59

No.1

The Medevac helicopter lifted off the grass, the massive downdraft whipping the trees into a frenzy as it rushed Arthur Vance to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

Devon Browning sprinted across the lawn, his face pale and slick with panicked sweat. He had been at the clubhouse when he got the call. Vance's firm was a cornerstone investor in several of Devon's riskiest ventures; currying favor with the family was a top priority.

He crashed through the VIP ropes, grabbing the lead bodyguard by the lapels of his suit.

"Who did it?!" Devon screamed, his voice cracking with hysteria. "The paramedics said someone stabilized him before they got here! Who saved Arthur Vance?!"

The bodyguard, still in shock, pointed a shaking finger toward the empty folding chair.

"It was a woman," the bodyguard stammered."Young. She was wearing one of those red volunteer vests. She wore a black baseball cap, pulled down low. I couldn't get a good look at her face, she was so focused on his chest. But the red vest was unmistakable. Sir, I've never seen anything like it. She didn't even use an IV. She didn't even look for a vein.She took a huge, terrifyingly long needle and stabbed it directly down through his chest wall,straight into his actual heart! I've never seen anything so brutal... or so effective. She was a genius."

Devon's eyes widened. His mind instantly translated the bodyguard's frantic, graphic description. An intracardiac injection was an extreme, highly specialized trauma maneuver. Whoever did that wasn't just a volunteer; she was a top-tier medical professional.

No.2

"Find her!" Devon roared at the security team. "Lock down the estate! Find the woman in the red vest!"

Fifty yards away, near the edge of the medical tents,Allena was walking gingerly in her medical boot.

She had dragged a private photographer down from

the penthouse. She needed some "candid" shots of herself looking concerned near the charity event to post on Instagram and repair her damaged public image.

She scowled at the messy grass. "Make sure you get my good side," she snapped at the photographer.

As she posed near the tents, she noticed a bright red volunteer vest draped over afolding chair.

Allena's eyes lit up. A prop.

No.3

She picked up the vest. It was slightly damp with sweat, which disgusted her, but she slipped it on over her expensive silk dress anyway. She put her hands on her hips, putting on a face of deep, tragic concern for the camera.

"Take the shot now," Allena commanded.

Suddenly, the sound of heavy boots pounding against the grass made her turn.

Devon Browning, flanked by three massive security guards, was sprinting directly toward her. His eyes were locked onto the bright red vest she was wearing.

Devon's brain, clouded by panic and desperation,instantly connected the dots.

A young woman. A red vest. And Allena was a dloctor.

Devon crashed to a halt in front of her. He reached out and grabbed Allena by the shoulders. His eyes were red, filling with tears of absolute gratitude.

No.4

"Allena!" Devon gasped, his voice trembling. "It was you.You saved him."

Allena was completely caught off guard. She blinked,looking at Devon's manic face.

"Devon, you're hurting me," Allena said, trying to pull away. "I just got down here to-"

"The guards told me everything!" Devon gasped,his voice trembling. "They told me what you did! The chest compressions, the AED... the direct injection into his heart! You brought Arthur Vance back from the dead!"

The description of a direct injection into the heart hit Allena's brain.

She knew exactly what an intracardiac injection was from medical school, even though she had never

successfully performed one. She realized instantly that some actual doctor had saved the billionaire,and Devon was completely mistaking her for the savior.

No.5

Allena opened her mouth to correct him. She was about to say she just put the vest on for a photo.

But then she looked at Devon. She saw the absolute worship in his eyes. The Vance family controiled a financial empire. If she was the savior of their patriarch,she would be untouchable. She would have infinite power, infinite funding, and August would look at her like a god.

The sheer, intoxicating greed swallowed her morality whole.

Allena closed her mouth. She lowered her eyes,forcing her face into a mask of humble exhaustion.

"Devon," Allena whispered, her voice trembling with fake emotion. "I... I just did what any doctor would do. I couldn't let him die."

Devon let out a choked sob. He dropped to one knee right there on the grass, taking Allena's hand and pressing it to his forehead.

"The Browning family owes you, the Vance family owes you, we all owe you everything," Devon swore loudly. "From this day forward, you ask for anything,and it is yours. You are a hero, Allena."

No.6

Allena looked down at him. A slow, sickeningly triumphant smile spread across her face. She slipped the sweaty red vest off her shoulders and handed it to the bodyguard, treating it like a sacred relic.

She had just stolen the greatest medical victory of the decade.

An hour later, August burst into the VIP lounge.Devon had called him.

August looked at Allena sitting on the leather sofa,surrounded by fawning staff. His eyes were wide with shock and a deep, obsessive pride. He walked over,pulled her up, and kissed her fiercely. He felt completely vindicated. His mistress wasn't a liability;she was a genius savior.

Miles away, on the highway heading back to Manhattan, Elisa was driving the Porsche.⑤

Her phone buzzed on the passenger seat. It was a text from Jewel.

Elisa. You are not going to believe this. Devon just posted on Instagram. Allena is claiming she saved Arthur Vance. She stole your credit.

No.7

Elisa read the text at a stoplight.

She didn't grip the steering wheel in anger. She didn't scream.

Elisa threw her head back against the carbon-fiber headrest and laughed. It was a bright, genuinely amused sound.

Allena was a medical illiterate. By claiming she performed an advanced intracardiac injection, she had just painted a massive, glowing target on her own back for the entire medical community to scrutinize.

Elisa picked up the phone and typed back to Jewel.

Don't say a word. Let her wear the crown. Let her climb as high as she wants. When the pedestal breaks, I want her to fall far enough to shatter every bone in her body.