Chapter 3

Vanessa pointed at me without hesitation.

“Who else?”

“Her.”

“She seduced my husband, then came into the bank flaunting the matching charm he gave her.”

My mother stared at her for a moment.

“You must be mistaken.”

“She couldn't possibly—”

“Why couldn't she?”

Vanessa suddenly raised her hand.

“She just tried to barge into my husband's office!”

Her hand came flying straight toward my face.

My mother's expression changed and she threw herself in front of me.

“Don't touch my daughter!”

Smack!

The slap landed squarely across my mother's face.

Her head snapped to the side.

Her body swayed with it.

Before I could catch her, she clutched her chest and started gasping for air.

“Mom!”

Vanessa took a step back.

“She jumped in front of me herself.”

“That has nothing to do with me.”

She watched my mother's face turn paler and paler. Instead of fear, disgust crossed her face.

“So you're in on this together.”

“I'm warning you, don't try to fake an illness in the bank to extort money.”

“One word from my husband, and neither of you will ever be allowed in here again.”

The people around us immediately joined in.

“We all saw it. She threw herself in the way.”

“The daughter breaks up someone else's relationship, then the mother comes in and fakes being sick to extort money. That's disgusting.”

“Don't lie there and disrupt business.”

I couldn't hear them anymore.

My mother's lips were turning blue.

Cold sweat beaded at her temples and rolled down her face.

She had a serious arrhythmia.

Any severe shock could kill her.

I called 911 immediately and gave them the address and her symptoms.

The dispatcher told me to stay on the line and avoid moving the patient if possible.

I looked up and saw the public first-aid cabinet and AED on the wall.

“Open the emergency cabinet.”

I rushed toward it.

Vanessa stepped directly into my path.

“What are you doing?”

“My mother is having trouble breathing. She needs emergency equipment.”

“Move!”

She glanced at my mother, the corner of her mouth curling up.

“No.”

“That equipment belongs to the bank. It's only for bank customers.”

“You don't even have an account here. What right do you have to touch it?”

I could barely believe what I was hearing.

“An AED is public emergency equipment.”

“It doesn't belong to some VIP client.”

“Move. Every second matters right now.”

Vanessa put a hand on the cabinet door.

“I said no, so the answer is no.”

“What if she uses it, dies here anyway, and then you turn around and sue the bank?”

“Take her outside if you want to put on a show.”

Emily finally couldn't keep quiet anymore.

“Vanessa, her lips are already turning blue.”

“We've all had basic first-aid training. At the very least, we should get the equipment and follow the 911 dispatcher's instructions.”

Another employee said quietly, “The ambulance isn't here yet. We can't just do nothing.”

Vanessa whipped around.

“Anyone who touches that cabinet can pack up their things and leave today!”

“Julian said it himself. My decision is his decision.”

The lobby fell silent again.

No one dared move.

I kept updating the 911 dispatcher while helping my mother sit in a stable position.

She could no longer form complete sentences.

My free hand started shaking.

While the dispatcher coordinated the ambulance, I took pictures of the emergency cabinet and the scene, then sent my location and the photos to the family's encrypted security channel.

The message had barely gone through when Vanessa snatched my phone out of my hand.

“What did you take pictures of?”

“Who gave you permission to photograph the inside of the bank?”

She raised her arm and hurled my phone to the floor.

The screen shattered instantly.

But the photos had already gone through.

She couldn't delete them.

At that moment, her own phone rang.

Julian's name lit up the screen.

The anger vanished from her face instantly.

When she answered, her voice turned syrupy sweet.

“Baby, when are you coming back?”

Julian's cautious voice came through the phone.

“Nothing's gone wrong at the branch, has it?”

“Did Diane finish her transaction?”

Vanessa immediately sounded aggrieved.

“Everything was fine.”

“But some woman refuses to follow the rules and keeps insulting me.”

“Come back. She's making me furious.”

Julian visibly relaxed on the other end.

“Don't bother with people who don't matter.”

“When I get back, I'll take you to the Bahamas for a week.”

“And I'll buy you that bag you wanted last time.”

Diane smiled enviously beside her.

“He's already planned a vacation for you. Julian really spoils you.”

I looked down at my mother's bloodless face.

Then I raised my head.

I spoke into Vanessa's phone, one word at a time.

“Julian Reed.”

“You have ten minutes.”

“Get back here. Now.”