Evercrest Hospital.
Jenny Adams stood beside the bed as she glanced nervously toward the door.
"Are you sure this will work?" Jenny asked in a low, uneasy voice.
"What if Sienna refuses?" she added, her voice dropping even further.
Jacob Adams lay propped against two pillows, the thin hospital blanket pulled carelessly over his legs.
For a man who was supposedly on the verge of death, he looked remarkably comfortable.
His expression held none of the worry that filled Jenny's face. Instead, he gave a short, dismissive laugh, the sound rough from years of drinking.
"Refuse?" he chuckled. "That silly girl has been fixing my problems since she was nineteen. You don't have to worry, she's soft... Easy to deal with."
"Still, this feels risky," Jenny quietly sighed before continuing, "Brother, you must remember that the Black Scorpion boss isn't someone we can afford to offend."
Jacob waved a hand impatiently.
"You're overthinking. I told Sienna I was dying, didn't I?" His lips curl into a slight smile before he adds, "Of course, she'd return to Evercrest. That girl has always been sentimental about me..."
Jenny hesitated, clearly uncomfortable hearing his brother's words.
"But Brother, selling your daughter to pay off a gambling debt…" She hesitates, her voice failing her with shame.
Jacob glared at Jenny.
"Don't make me sound like an evil father. I'm not selling my daughter. I'm only introducing her to someone important who could bring happiness into her life."
He shifted slightly against the pillows and ran his fingers over the stubble along his jaw.
"Besides," he added lazily, "...once boss Juan meets her, my debt will be erased. A beautiful young woman like Sienna is worth much more than what I owe."
Outside the half-open door, Sienna Adams stood perfectly still. Her face appeared calm, but her mind was growing increasingly restless.
At first, she believed she had misunderstood something. Maybe she arrived at the wrong time, overheard a sentence out of context, or imagined the harsh tone in her father's voice.
But as the conversation continued, the truth became impossible to ignore.
Her father wasn't dying.
This hospital stay was nothing more than a carefully prepared lie.
The realization settled heavily into her chest, like a stone sinking to the bottom of deep water.
'Father! How could you lie to me?!'
Sienna tightened her grip on the strap of her bag as the meaning of every word she had heard began to rearrange itself into something painfully clear.
Her aunt hadn't called her back to Evercrest because her father was on his deathbed. But she had called because her father was planning to sell her.
A strange, bitter laugh almost escaped Sienna's throat. She swallowed it quickly, afraid the sound might betray her presence outside the door.
She shouldn't be surprised.
After all, this was not the first time her own father had used her to clean up the consequences of his reckless life. Gambling debts, unpaid loans, endless apologies followed by empty promises, she had lived through all of them.
Since she was nineteen, she had done anything to pay off the debts her father had accumulated.
Every time, she told herself the same thing. 'Sienna, hang in there. Help him, because he's your only parent.'
The thought felt hollow now.
Inside the room, Jenny let out a small sigh.
"Brother, I still feel uneasy about this," she admitted. "What if Sienna is angry and runs away after she hears the truth?"
Jacob chuckled quietly.
"Run where? That spoiled girl has nowhere to go. She always comes back eventually." His tone held a confidence that made Sienna's stomach twist. "Just call her and make sure she's already here."
Jenny nodded reluctantly and reached for her phone.
A second later, Sienna felt the familiar vibration of her own phone inside her bag.
She slowly pulled it out.
The screen lit up with the caller ID.
Aunt Jenny
Sienna stared at the glowing screen for a moment, her thumb hovering over the answer button.
She always answers every call from her family without hesitation, regardless of where she is or how upset she is with her father.
However, this time, she pressed the side button instead.
The phone fell silent.
Inside the hospital room, Jenny frowned at her screen. "Brother, Sienna is not answering."
Jacob sighs impatiently. "Then stop wasting time and call boss Juan."
"Call him already?" Jenny asked, hesitated.
"Of course." Jacob's voice carried the same casual indifference as before. "Tell him to send a few men to wait outside the hospital."
"Wait outside?" Jenny asked anxiously.
"If Sienna tries to leave before we talk to her," he replied calmly. "If she runs, they can just grab her and drag her here."
Sienna gasped in shock, and for a moment, the hallway seemed to tilt slightly beneath her feet. Her hand clenched tightly into a fist, and anger flashed in her gaze.
'Jacob Adams! You are so cruel... You even thought of everything. Even my escape!?'
Inside the room, Jacob continued speaking in an almost amused tone. "Don't worry about her. Once she understands the situation, she'll calm down. She always does."
Something inside Sienna finally broke.
For years, she had believed that her father still cared about her, and he would change. She had told herself that his mistakes came from weakness rather than cruelty.
But listening to him now, hearing the way he discussed her fate as casually as one might discuss selling an old car, destroyed that illusion completely.
A dull ache spread through her chest.
Maybe some people truly never change.
And maybe the man lying in that hospital bed had never really been her father at all.
Sienna stepped quietly away from the door.
'Alright,' she thought, forcing her mind to move past the shock. 'I need to leave this damn place!'
She began walking down the hallway, her steps measured and steady despite the storm of emotions swirling inside her.
Behind her, the ward door suddenly opened.
"Sienna?"
Sienna's entire body froze as she saw Jenny standing in the doorway, her eyes widening as soon as she recognized the figure in the corridor.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
Then Jenny's expression shifted from surprise to panic.
"You! You... heard that, didn't you?"
Sienna didn't answer. Instead, she turned and ran.
"Sienna! Stop!"
Jenny's voice rang sharply through the hallway.
"Catch Sienna... I already sent her picture to you," she shouted into her phone. "She's trying to run!"
Sienna dashed toward the stairwell, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She pushed the door open and hurried down the steps two at a time before emerging into another corridor on the lower floor.
Unfortunately, she was no longer alone.
Two large men in dark jackets, with bald heads, had just stepped out of the elevator.
Their eyes locked onto her instantly.
"Hey! Stop!"
Sienna's stomach dropped. 'Well,' she thought grimly, 'that was fast.'
She spun around and sprinted down the hallway, nearly colliding with a nurse pushing a cart filled with medical supplies.
"Watch where you're going!" the nurse snapped as bandage boxes rattled loudly.
"Sorry, sorry..." Sienna gasped while darting past her.
The two gangsters charged after Sienna, their heavy footsteps echoing through the hallway, only to be abruptly blocked by a furious nurse.
"Gentlemen! This is a hospital!" she snapped, standing in front of them. "You can't run like that!"
"Move!" one of the men barked, clearly losing patience.
"Move yourself!" the nurse shot back without hesitation, shoving a cart right into their path. "And how dare you talk to me like that? Are you gangsters or what?"
The two bald men froze.
They exchanged a slow, uneasy glance before leaning closer to each other.
"How does she know?" one whispered.
"I have no idea," the other muttered. "We dressed normally today."
"I even visited the barber to get my head shaved."
"Same! And I covered my tattoo—"
They both paused, suddenly realizing something was very wrong.
"Wait!" one snapped, straightening up as his expression hardened. "We have an important task!"
His eyes turned sharp again as he looked back at the nurse, who stood firm, arms crossed, completely unimpressed.
For a brief second, the hallway fell silent.
Then the nurse raised a brow. "Well? Are you going to keep chatting, or finally learn how to behave?"
One of the gangsters deliberately kicked the cart.
Instantly, the wheels caught awkwardly against the floor, sending several boxes tumbling onto the tiles. One of the men slipped slightly while trying to step over them.
Sienna didn't look back again. She burst through the main entrance and ran into the hospital's front yard. The cool air hit her face as she crossed the hospital main entrance.
Her lungs burned from the sudden sprint.
The gangsters had already caught up with her behind.
She could hear their footsteps again.
Just as panic started to take over her, she saw a black SUV parked nearby, the only car closest to her, and a tall man was stepping into the driver's seat.
Sienna didn't hesitate. She ran straight toward the car, yanked open the passenger door, slid inside, and closed it almost without a noise.
The man behind the wheel turned his head in surprise.
His sharp gray eyes met hers.
For a brief moment, they only looked at each other, and neither of them spoke.
Then Sienna glanced through the side mirror and saw the two gangsters running across the main entrance.
She quickly locked the door.
Turning back to the stranger, she forced a strained smile.
"I'm sorry, sir..." she said breathlessly. "I know this is sudden, but could you please drive?"
Outside, the gangsters were still searching for her.
"If you don't," she added hurriedly, "I'm pretty sure those people are about to kidnap me."
The man started the engine quietly, gazing at her silently.
"And perhaps kill me," she added, the tension rising.
Without hesitation, he shifted the car into drive, and the vehicle began to move.