Chapter 4

Hospital.

Jessica sat outside the ICU, watching the sky grow dark through the window at the end of the hall.

After three hours of emergency treatment, Damian was out of danger.

Lavern Almanza, Damian's executive assistant, had been watching from the shadows. He walked up to Jessica, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny. "Thank you for saving Mr. Sterling, Ms. Whitmore."

The Jessica standing before him had kept her cool under pressure, and showed no sign of surprise after learning who Damian was.

Calm, sharp, and composed — nothing like the timid adopted daughter he'd found in his background check.

"Don't mention it. I couldn't just stand by and watch." Jessica hadn't missed the flash of suspicion on Lavern's face, and gave him an answer he couldn't find fault with.

Her words had barely landed when her phone buzzed.

Two messages from her advisor — one telling her to stay safe, the other letting her know he'd submitted her recommendation for the domestic qualifier of the International Youth Physics Competition.

In the interest of fairness, all contestant information was made public. Her bare-faced ID photo had somehow attracted a small following, and her popularity sat at the top among all the competitors.

With that kind of attention on her, it wouldn't be so easy for the Whitmore family to pull strings behind the scenes.

"Mr. Almanza, we've caught two suspicious individuals."

Damian was staying in a VIP room on the top floor. To avoid any complications, Lavern had kept the news under wraps and blocked all visitors.

But the private hospital had a tangled ownership structure — the Whitmore family held a small stake — and word of Damian's accident had leaked from the inside anyway.

Hearing the bodyguard's report, Lavern's expression darkened. He signaled for them to bring the two in.

Jessica had no interest in getting involved. She was about to make an excuse to leave when two familiar figures appeared down the hall, and she couldn't help but frown.

"Let go of me! Do you know who I am? I'm Joseph! I'm here to see Mr. Sterling!" Joseph shook off the bodyguard and pulled Anna behind him. When he spotted Jessica, he visibly froze. "What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Whitmore and Ms. Whitmore." Lavern's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Mr. Sterling isn't taking visitors right now."

The Whitmore family barely ranked as middle class next to the Sterlings. He had no idea how these two had managed to get in.

"We were just worried about Mr. Sterling." Anna noticed how deferentially the bodyguards treated Lavern and realized he wasn't someone to cross. She put on a sweet, docile act, but her feet quietly drifted toward the ICU.

"Ms. Whitmore." Lavern stepped in front of her, his smile fading. "No visitors today."

Anna had clearly dressed up carefully for this visit. The wave of perfume hit Jessica hard enough that she took a small step back.

Whether it was embarrassment over being seen in a rough state earlier, or irritation at Jessica's reaction, Anna's face colored with humiliation — and her eyes burned with something she couldn't quite hide.

"Jessica, they already said no visitors, so why are you still hanging around? You suddenly broke up with Miguel — don't tell me it's because of Mr. Sterling? He's way out of our league. You can see for yourself, this place is locked down tight. Don't get any ideas, or you'll get caught and embarrass the whole family."

Anna stopped just short of outright accusing Jessica of having ulterior motives.

Jessica raised an eyebrow. Word traveled fast.

"Look at yourself first — you think Mr. Sterling is someone you can go after? Have you no shame!" Before Jessica could say anything, Joseph's face darkened, his eyes full of contempt.

"Which eye of yours saw me going after Damian?" Jessica was used to Anna's constant underhanded jabs, but she hadn't expected her talent for making things up to have reached this level.

Joseph's anger boiled over. "Still playing dumb! What's a woman doing alone in a strange man's hospital room at this hour? If you're not chasing Mr. Sterling, what are you here for? Don't tell me you actually saved him?"

"You're not wrong. I did save Damian." Jessica nodded.

"Jessica, watch what you say." The shamelessness of it made Anna laugh out loud. She couldn't help herself.

This was practically a death wish — lying to the Sterling family, of all people.

"You? Really? You've got a lot of nerve." Joseph thought she'd lost her mind. He grabbed her arm and tried to force her head down to make her apologize to Lavern. "Stop embarrassing the Whitmore family. Apologize right now!"

"Mr. Whitmore." Lavern, who had been watching in silence the whole time, spoke up in a firm voice and stopped Joseph. He set the record straight for Jessica. "Jessica did save Mr. Sterling. You've misunderstood her."

"I wonder what Jessica gave you to make you stick up for her like that." Anna was enjoying the show and had no intention of letting Jessica off the hook.

"Is Ms. Whitmore questioning my professional judgment?" Lavern's expression went cold. The chill in his eyes made Anna flinch. She realized she'd spoken out of turn and dropped her gaze.

Joseph opened his mouth, then hesitated. "Jessica really saved Mr. Sterling?" When he got a confirmation, he was left completely speechless.

"Sometimes I genuinely can't tell if you're actually that oblivious or just pretending to be. You can't even tell right from wrong." Jessica finished with Joseph, then shifted her gaze to Anna, who had shrunken behind him. "Anna, just because your own mind is somewhere in the gutter doesn't mean everyone else's is."

With Lavern standing right there, neither Joseph nor Anna dared to fire back. They stood there red-faced.

"Lavern, curfew's coming up at school. I should head out." Jessica glanced at the time.

"I'll have someone drive you back." Lavern looked at Jessica with a newfound respect. Growing up in that family and turning out like this — that was no small thing.

"Thanks."

Watching Jessica's back as she left, Anna clenched her fists. Spoiled rotten by the Whitmore family her whole life, she had never been put down like this. She ground her teeth in fury, swearing she would make Jessica pay.

The next morning, the first light of day came through the window and spread across the dorm room floor. For once, Jessica didn't have to get up early to cook breakfast for the Whitmores, so she let herself sleep in.

After getting up, she got herself together and headed downstairs — only to find someone blocking her path the moment she stepped outside.

Miguel had heavy bags under his eyes, like he hadn't slept. The second he saw her, he started in on her. "Why did you humiliate Anna in front of everyone yesterday?"

"Are you serious right now?"

Jessica meant that genuinely. Miguel had been waiting outside her dorm first thing in the morning just to ask why she'd humiliated Anna?

"Alright, come with me to apologize to Anna, and then go tell your advisor you're withdrawing from the competition."

Miguel didn't know she'd already submitted her materials. He pinched the bridge of his nose and moved to drag her along without so much as asking.

"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to make decisions for me?" Jessica couldn't believe what she was hearing. She shook off his arm, her eyes filled with disgust.