Chapter 2

Before long, a car screeched to a halt in front of the hospital doors.

Richard and Mary scrambled out almost at the same time, their faces pale with panic.

Mary held her phone, still desperately trying to call Chloe.

Every call went straight to voicemail.

Her face darkened by the second.

"What is going on?"

"Why is Chloe's phone dead?"

I walked up to them, deliberately putting on an exhausted, distraught look.

"Take it easy."

"The doctors are still dealing with it inside. I only got here a little while ago myself."

Mary grabbed my arm tightly.

"How is Chloe?"

"Is she badly hurt?"

I didn't answer right away, only shaking my head slowly.

"I don't know the exact details."

"The doctor just told us... to prepare for the worst."

Mary's face turned completely white.

"What?"

"How could it be that bad?!"

Richard's expression instantly darkened with fury.

"Brandon, what kind of fiancé are you?!"

"The wedding is literally tomorrow, and you can't even keep your own woman safe!"

"I never approved of this marriage in the first place!"

"If it weren't for your decent job and honest face, I never would've let Chloe marry someone of your class!"

Mary jumped right in, her voice shrill enough to shatter glass.

"Exactly! Look at your pathetic background! If Chloe hadn't taken pity on you, you'd never step foot in our social circle in this lifetime!"

"Chloe grew up like a princess! She had to be blind to settle for you!"

"We aren't even at the altar yet, and she's already in the hospital!"

"Let me tell you, Brandon, if anything happens to my daughter, you couldn't pay us back even if you sold everything you owned!"

I kept my head down, remaining completely silent.

Listening to them tear into me, I wondered if they'd keep this same haughty attitude once they saw their precious daughter.

Richard cleared his throat.

"Whatever treatment Chloe needs today, you're paying for every dime."

"Medical bills, private room fees, future recovery costs. Not a single cent short."

I nodded.

"Of course. I will."

Seeing my obedient stance, Richard's scowl softened slightly.

Then, he added without missing a beat:

"And another seventy thousand dollars."

I looked up.

"What?"

"Wire seventy thousand to my account right now."

Richard said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"We'll have to take care of Chloe around the clock. Meals, hotels, gas, our time. Everything costs money."

"Consider it your way of compensating us."

I stared at him for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Alright."

"I'll transfer it shortly."

Richard clearly didn't expect me to agree so smoothly, and the anger on his face melted away into smug satisfaction.

"One more thing. At the ceremony tomorrow, cut your parents' speech."

"Having those two up on stage will only embarrass both of our families."

He raised his chin slightly, dripping with undisguised contempt.

"Our guest list is full of high-society figures. Your parents' blue-collar look will drag our entire family's reputation down into the dirt."

A chill ran down my spine.

These were the people I had genuinely treated like my future in-laws.

I took a deep breath, keeping my tone as meek and compliant as possible.

"You're right. I failed to protect Chloe."

"You don't even need to ask. I will cover every single expense."

"As for my parents, I'll tell them to stay off the stage."

There wasn't going to be a wedding anyway. My parents had no reason to show up.

Ignoring them, I pulled out my phone.

Chloe had taken time off work for so long.

Now that she had suffered such a "terrible accident," her colleagues deserved to know.

I opened the company's WhatsApp work group chat.

Quickly typing out a message, I hit send.

"Hi everyone, this is Brandon, Chloe's fiancé. Chloe had a sudden emergency today and is in critical condition."

"She won't be able to return to the studio for a while. My sincere apologies."

The chat went silent for a few seconds before blowing up completely.

Concerned messages poured in by the dozen.

"Oh my god! What happened?!"

"Is Chloe okay? Which hospital is she at?"

"We should go visit her right now!"

People immediately started organizing groups to rush over.

Looking at the screen, I added one more line:

"I'm at the hospital right now."

"If anyone is free, please feel free to drop by and show her some support. It might help her pull through."

Watching the screen flood with "On our way" and "Leaving now," I clicked the phone shut.

The more spectators there were, the better the show would be.