Chapter 5

The security team, though hesitant, couldn't argue with the master of the house. They retreated to their posts, leaving a thick cloud of tension behind. Isadora stood guard by the door to the sickroom, her arms crossed, her eyes shooting daggers at Arely.

Arely sat on a plush sofa, a world away from the chaos. Elsworth sat opposite her, the space between them charged with a silent, heavy energy.

"How did you know?" Elsworth finally asked, his voice low. "That seizure... the flatline. You weren't scared."

Arely picked up a cup of coffee that had long gone cold. She took a sip. "Do you believe in miracles, Mr. Hall?"

Before he could answer, a commotion came from upstairs. It was Alfred's voice, filled with a joy that cracked his usual composure.

"Sir! Her fingers! Mrs. Hall moved her fingers!"

Elsworth shot up from his chair and took the stairs two at a time. Arely remained seated, a small, knowing smile playing on her lips.

In the bedroom, Eleanor Hall's eyes were open. They were cloudy and weak, but they were open. She looked at her grandson, and her lips moved, forming his name. "Elsworth..."

Isadora stared, her jaw slack. She performed a quick neurological check, testing pupil response, reflex. The recovery was medically impossible.

Elsworth gripped his grandmother's hand, his own eyes misty. He turned and saw Arely leaning against the doorframe.

"Day one," she said quietly. "She's awake. But she's not cured."

"It's post-mortem reflex! A temporary surge!" Isadora insisted, her voice shrill with denial. "Your methods are barbaric!"

Arely walked to the bedside table and placed a handwritten sheet of paper on it. It was a detailed post-op care plan, including a list of oral medications.

She looked at Elsworth, her gaze hard. "If you want her to live, get this woman out of your medical team. Now."

Isadora lunged for the paper, but Arely's stare stopped her cold.

Elsworth looked from his recovering grandmother to his hysterical cousin. He made his choice. "Alfred, please escort Ms. Hall from the premises."

"Elsworth, you can't!" Isadora cried, tears of rage and humiliation streaming down her face. "I was only trying to protect her!"

He turned his back on her. Security guards gently but firmly took her by the arms and led her, sobbing and screaming, out of the room.

The room was finally quiet.

"What's your fee for the next stage of treatment?" Elsworth asked, his voice rough with emotion.

Arely held out her hand. "Fifteen million. Now. The rest when she's fully recovered."

He didn't even blink. He made a call, and minutes later, Alfred returned with a cashier's check from a Swiss bank.

Arely took it, glanced at the number of zeros, and folded it into the pocket of her trench coat as if it were a grocery receipt.

She turned to leave.

"Wait," Elsworth called out. "Your name. Not your call sign. Your real name."

She paused at the door and looked back over her shoulder, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

"Arely Wallace," she said. "That actress from Hollywood. The one with the terrible reputation."

The color drained from Elsworth's face. He stared, utterly speechless. The legendary surgeon who had just performed a medical miracle... was the tabloid fodder he'd seen plastered all over the internet?

Arely didn't give him time to process. She walked out of the mansion, into the bright, unforgiving sunlight.

She took a deep breath. Money in hand. Now, the real work could begin.

As she reached the grand entrance, Alfred was waiting. "Mr. Hall has arranged a car for you, miss. It will take you wherever you need to go." She gave the driver a new address, one for a high-end real estate agency in Malibu.

On the ride, she took out a burner phone. She composed an anonymous email to a notorious gossip blogger. Attached was the first file. A small taste of Kole Bowman's dirty secrets.

She hit send.

Looking out the window at the passing scenery, she whispered to herself, "Kole. Brittny. Showtime."