As Maya stabilized in recovery, her small chest rising and falling rhythmically, Chloe Bennett found Julian in the administrative hall. The emergency lights still cast long shadows, but a sense of calm had begun to settle over the hospital. Chloe held a revised set of accounting files, her expression serious.
“Julian,” she began, her voice quiet. “I’ve been working on this. There’s a way out of your debt, a legitimate one, without liquidating the clinic.”
She opened the folder, revealing meticulously organized spreadsheets.
“You can restructure your private debt through equity loans secured against your personal stock options. It will take time, and it will mean making sacrifices, but it keeps the clinic entirely untouched.”
Julian looked at the documents, then at Chloe, a flicker of something akin to hope in his eyes.
“It’s messy,” Chloe continued, “but it’s legal. And it keeps your father’s life’s work safe.”
Just then, Marcus DeWitt appeared, his face flushed with anger.
“Bennett!” he snapped, glaring at Julian. “Don’t you dare interfere with my deal! This man signed a binding agreement—”
Chloe turned, her posture straightening. She pulled a smaller, thinner file from her briefcase.
“Mr. DeWitt,” she interrupted, her voice clear and steady. “I have here a detailed audit of your private ledger. It outlines every instance of fraudulent policy cancellation you’ve authorized over the past five years, including Dr. Pendelton’s.”
DeWitt’s face went slack, his bluster evaporating. He stared at the folder in Chloe’s hand, then at Julian, then back at the evidence. The silence stretched, heavy with implications.
“This is not a negotiation, Mr. DeWitt,” Chloe said, her voice devoid of emotion. “It’s a choice. You can quietly resign and walk away, or I can forward this evidence to the State Insurance Commissioner. The choice is yours.”
DeWitt’s shoulders slumped. Without another word, he turned and stalked away, his footsteps echoing into the dimness, leaving behind the shattered remnants of his illicit deals.
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