Chapter 10 - The Extended Policy
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Alexander stood frozen in the park, the truth sitting right behind his teeth. I am Alexander Bennett. I own the hospital. I own the ground you work on.
But the fear of the look that would cross her face—the inevitable betrayal—strangled the words in his throat. He swallowed hard. “I’m someone trying to become better than I used to be.”
Emily’s eyes searched his face. “That sounds beautiful, Jack. But it wasn’t an answer.” She dropped her hand from his chest. “One day, I’m going to ask again. And you better have a real answer.”
On Monday morning, Emily received a strange email from the hospital’s HR department. Crownridge Medical Center had quietly rolled out a brand-new, retroactive policy. The hospital was now offering fully funded, independent legal representation to any employee who had been the victim of physical assault on hospital property, to protect them from further harassment.
It was a loophole explicitly designed for one person.
Emily accepted the lawyer. She didn't view it as charity; she viewed it as her right as an employee. When Alexander found her later that afternoon taking her break on the hospital roof, she was staring out at the Charlotte skyline, holding a thick legal folder.
“Got a lawyer,” she said without looking at him. “A corporate bulldog. Paid for by the hospital.”
“Good,” Alexander said, leaning against the railing beside her.
“I brought them all the records. School reports, medical bills, unhinged voicemails from Margaret. The lawyer said Margaret’s petition is a joke. We are going to bury her.”
“Very good,” Alexander said, a genuine, dark satisfaction in his voice.
Emily turned her head and smiled faintly. “Stop sounding so proud of yourself, Jack.”
“I’m not allowed to be happy for you?”
“Not yet.” She sighed, looking down at her battered shoes. “But... thank you. For listening to me practice my testimony last night.”
For a while, they stood in comfortable silence above the bustling city. The space between them felt electric, charged with a heavy, unspoken gravity. Alexander wanted to pull her in. He wanted to kiss her until she forgot the name Ryan Carter entirely.
May you like
But as he watched the wind blow a stray strand of hair across her face, he knew time was running out. He had deployed his corporate power to save her, and in doing so, he had left a paper trail.
Two days later, the truth didn't ask for his permission. It hunted Emily down.
