Chapter 7 How Much?
Jennifer stood silently beside her.
Michael glanced at her and said, “We don’t have a policy of evicting patients once they’ve checked in. I’ll arrange other beds for you.”
He was clear: they needed to leave.
Amanda couldn’t believe what she heard.
“Are you serious?! You’re kicking out your future mother-in-law for two nobodies?”
Michael remained utterly composed.
“If you don’t like my decision, feel free to find another hospital.”
Amanda — aggressive moments ago — fell silent.
Maria’s mother felt resentful, but she didn’t dare defy Michael.
Angering him could destroy her daughter’s marriage.
The elderly woman stayed quiet, her gaze drifting toward Chloe and Jennifer clinging to each other.
Chloe looked anxious, tears streaming down her face.
Jennifer, her head bowed, showed little emotion.
Suddenly, Michael noticed the infrared dot flashing from Jennifer’s phone camera inside her breast pocket.
Frowning, he moved to take the recording device.
But Jennifer stepped forward.
“We’re not strangers.”
Her words drew everyone’s attention — including Michael’s.
His gaze carried an unfathomable, dangerous heat.
Jennifer lifted her head, her face swollen and red.
She met his eyes and spoke deliberately:
“I was your student’s girlfriend.
I was your good friend’s daughter’s best friend.
I borrowed a book from you —
and you still owe me something you haven’t returned.”
Her tone was calm — almost casual.
To outsiders, it sounded meaningless.
Amanda, furious, didn’t care about Jennifer’s words.
She didn’t catch the meaning hidden beneath.
Only Michael and Jennifer understood.
This was blatant provocation.
Unapologetic temptation.
See? It was your student’s girlfriend who kissed you.
Your step-daughter’s best friend who wrapped her legs around you.
And the thing you haven’t returned?
It’s the collar for your beloved cat.
Mr. Kowalski… you could put it around my neck.
Tighten it.
Make me kiss you.
Jennifer and Michael locked eyes in a silent duel.
Suddenly, from an unseen angle, Jennifer flashed him a wicked grin — revealing a sharp canine.
She was defiant, like a rose with thorns that never bowed.
Ever since the night she knocked over the bedpan, she had staked everything.
Her dad was dead.
This time, she would risk her life to protect her mom.
Whether Michael feared she’d expose their ambiguous past,
or dreaded the scandal tarnishing the Kowalski name or the hospital,
was unclear.
Ultimately, Michael summoned security to escort Amanda and her group out —
leaving Amanda and Maria completely disgraced.
The doctors and nurses felt vindicated.
But Jennifer was far from satisfied.
After the crowd dispersed, she had the doctor take Chloe to rest.
Jennifer herself remained fixed on Michael’s striking face with that same defiant, aggressive stare.
Waiting for him to speak.
Finally, Michael said,
“Come with me.”
They arrived at the deserted fire escape of the hospital.
Michael stood with his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, wearing expensive leather shoes.
His tall frame cast a shadow that swallowed Jennifer’s slender body.
“How much?”
Jennifer had anticipated he’d try to buy silence.
She smiled.
Her face was swollen from the beating — no longer doll-like —
but her eyes, her aura, remained aloof and sharp, still carrying that youthful coolness.
“Are you paying for my silence about what happened here… or what happened that night at the hotel?”
Michael’s expression stayed icy.
His deep blue eyes looked down on her with disdain.
“The video.”
“You saw it already.”
Jennifer pulled out her phone and played back the recording of Amanda striking her, followed by Amanda’s tirade.
“This hospital belongs to my brother-in-law!
I decide who gets kicked out!
Who do you think you are?!”
“So what if she had surgery? Being blind makes her special?!
You think you can fight me?!”
…
Jennifer pressed pause.
Silence.
“How much do you think this is worth?”
“Name the price.”
“If it’s only for the hospital’s reputation? One million.”
“But if it’s to protect Miss Rossi and Miss Amanda… it’ll cost more.”
Michael looked at her, tone cold.
“What difference does that make?”
“A big difference.”
Jennifer lifted her eyes to his.
“Didn’t I say I like you?”
“If you protect other women… I’ll be furious.”
He showed no sign of retreating as she stepped closer.
There was not a flicker of emotion in his eyes.
“So?”
In that moment, Jennifer felt he was like a god —
untouchable, unmoved.
Whether she stood naked or screaming, his expression would never change.
But that wasn’t true.
It wasn’t.
She held onto that conviction as she inched closer, lifting her head bit by bit to look up at him.
“I’ll tell everyone you reacted to me.”
Michael narrowed his eyes.
His right hand slipped from his pocket.
This was the second time Jennifer had been this close to him.
He seemed even more unfeeling — eyes empty, a deep impenetrable blue.
Suddenly, he lunged forward and pinned her to the wall in one swift motion.
“And then?”
“You think anyone would believe a little girl like you?”
He was too close.
Jennifer tried to step back, but his knee brushed the hem of her skirt.
She frowned slightly as his arm slammed against the wall behind her.
“Even if I took you right here… do you think anyone would believe you? Hmm?”
Out of sight, Jennifer’s fingers clenched so tightly her nails dug into her skin.
He must have assumed she wasn’t recording —
that was why he dared to be so brazen.
Jennifer’s face drained of color; she felt breathless.
Michael didn’t leave.
He lowered his voice.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this… but Sarah says you’re a top student.”
“Throwing away your future over something you’re not even sure of?
Doesn’t sound like something a smart girl would do.”
Michael wasn’t a fool.
He saw Jennifer targeting him and Maria.
He saw the hostility beneath her brazen flirting.
He just couldn’t recall ever offending such a young girl.
“So tell me, Ms. Jennifer… what exactly do you want?”
