Chapter 2 - The Name on the Building
Vanessa stared at Emily.
Then she laughed.
It sounded forced.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Raymond did not respond.
He guided Emily toward a wheelchair one of the nurses had brought.
Emily shook her head.
“I can walk.”
“You can argue with me after a doctor checks the baby.”
“Uncle Raymond—”
“Emily.”
His voice softened.
“Please.”
That one word almost broke her.
Emily sat.
Preston moved forward.
“I’m coming.”
Raymond blocked him with one hand.
“No.”
“I’m her husband.”
“You were also standing beside the woman who assaulted her.”
“That was an accident.”
Emily looked up sharply.
Vanessa’s mouth opened.
Preston kept talking.
“She lost her balance.”
Vanessa stared at him.
Emily almost laughed.
“You’re blaming her balance now?”
“Emily, you’re upset.”
“Yes, Preston.”
She touched her stomach.
“I wonder why.”
The chief medical officer, Dr. Laura Bennett, knelt beside the wheelchair.
“We’re taking you directly to maternal assessment.”
Raymond nodded.
Then he turned to hospital security.
“Preserve every camera recording from this floor.”
Preston’s head snapped around.
“Raymond.”
“Every angle.”
Vanessa stepped back.
“Wait.”
Raymond ignored her.
“Get statements from every employee and visitor who witnessed the incident.”
The nurse behind the desk raised her hand slightly.
“I saw it.”
Vanessa’s face changed.
The older man holding the newspaper stood.
“So did I.”
His wife nodded.
“Me too.”
Preston looked around as if strangers had suddenly betrayed him.
Vanessa whispered, “Preston.”
He grabbed her elbow.
“Don’t say anything.”
Raymond heard.
“Excellent advice.”
Security escorted Emily toward the private maternity wing.
As the elevator doors closed, she saw Preston arguing with Raymond.
She saw Vanessa wiping at her eyes.
Then she saw Raymond point toward security.
The doors shut.
Twenty minutes later, Emily lay beneath a warm blanket while monitors tracked her son’s heartbeat.
The steady rhythm filled the room.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Emily closed her eyes.
Dr. Bennett studied the screen.
“Baby looks good right now.”
Emily released a breath she had not realized she was holding.
“Right now?”
“We’re monitoring for contractions, bleeding, and signs of placental complications.”
Emily nodded.
“Okay.”
Dr. Bennett touched her arm.
“You did the right thing by calling someone.”
Emily stared at the ceiling.
“I waited too long.”
The doctor did not ask what she meant.
Emily was grateful.
Her phone buzzed on the table.
PRESTON.
Then again.
PRESTON.
Again.
PRESTON.
Emily turned the phone facedown.
Ten minutes later, Raymond entered.
He had removed his jacket.
His tie was loose.
He looked less like the billionaire chairman of Saint Claire Health and more like the man who had taught Emily how to ride a bicycle after her mother died.
“How is he?”
“Strong heartbeat.”
Raymond closed his eyes briefly.
“Thank God.”
Emily studied him.
“What did you mean?”
He knew immediately.
“The ownership.”
“Yes.”
Raymond sat beside her bed.
“Your mother created a trust.”
Emily frowned.
“I know about the trust.”
“You know about one part of it.”
“What other part?”
Raymond hesitated.
That frightened her more than anything.
“After your mother died, her shares in Saint Claire Medical Holdings transferred into a protected trust.”
“For me?”
“For you and any children you had.”
Emily’s hand automatically moved to her belly.
Raymond continued.
“When Saint Claire Medical Holdings rescued Whitmore Health from bankruptcy eleven years ago, your trust financed most of the acquisition.”
Emily stared at him.
“Preston always said his father saved the company.”
“His father almost destroyed it.”
Her pulse quickened.
“Does Preston know?”
“Yes.”
The answer hit harder than Vanessa’s kick.
“He knows I own part of the hospital?”
Raymond’s expression tightened.
“Emily, you don’t own part of it.”
He leaned closer.
“Through the trust, you control fifty-one percent.”
Emily stared at him.
Her husband had brought his mistress into a hospital she controlled.
He had threatened to have security remove her from it.
And he had known.
“For how long?”
“Since before your wedding.”
Emily’s stomach dropped.
“Before?”
Raymond nodded.
“Preston knew exactly who you were when he proposed.”
The door opened.
A security officer entered carrying a sealed evidence bag.
Inside was Vanessa’s white designer shoe.
There was a dark streak along the heel.
The officer looked uncomfortable.
“Mr. Saint Claire, we reviewed the hallway footage.”
Raymond stood.
“And?”
The officer glanced at Emily.
“It wasn’t one kick.”
Emily stopped breathing.
“What?”
The officer swallowed.
“There’s a second camera angle.”
May you like
He placed a tablet on the bedside table.
“And it shows what happened thirty seconds before the part everyone saw.”
