Chapter 2 - The Gag Order
Dr. Evans stared at the billionaire, utterly bewildered. "Mr. Sterling, you are the subject of a massive federal manhunt. Your family is grieving. It is illegal and unethical for me to withhold this information."
"I don't care about your ethics," Arthur replied coldly. "I care about my survival. The brakes on my car were cut. The people searching for me are the same people who put me in this bed."
The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. The nurses exchanged fearful glances.
"I will buy this entire hospital by midnight if I have to," Arthur continued, his eyes locking onto the doctor's. "I will triple the salary of every person standing in this room. You will sign non-disclosure agreements that will strip you of your medical licenses and your life savings if you utter a word of this. But for now, you will document that John Doe has shown zero improvement."
Dr. Evans swallowed hard, looking at the sheer intensity radiating from the crippled man. "And what exactly is your plan, Mr. Sterling?"
"My plan is to vanish," Arthur stated.
Just then, the door pushed open. A young woman in faded blue scrubs rushed in, her face pale. She was beautiful in a tired, worn-down way, her dark hair pulled back into a messy bun.
"I heard shouting—" she started, freezing when she saw Arthur awake and glaring at her.
"Who is she?" Arthur demanded.
"That's Sarah," one of the nurses whispered. "She's an orderly. She's the one who found your ID tags were missing when you were brought in. And she's... she's Toby's mother."
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Arthur’s gaze softened just a fraction as he looked at the woman. Toby. The boy who had drawn the pictures. The boy who was the only reason Arthur hadn't lost his mind in the dark.
"Sarah," Arthur said, his voice smoothing out into something resembling politeness. "Shut the door. We need to have a conversation about your son, and how much money it will take to secure his future."
