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Chapter 6 The Price of Defiance

The morning sun peeked through the curtains, lighting up Emily's bedroom.

Emily woke up to her phone buzzing. She grabbed it and saw a message from James's physician assistant: [The follow-up scheduled for Tuesday is canceled.]

Her heart dropped. That follow-up was crucial for James's recovery, and any delay could mess things up.

She knew this had John's fingerprints all over it. This was payback for turning him down last night.

Emily jumped out of bed and called the hospital to figure out what was going on and reschedule the appointment.

She dialed the assistant's number, but all she got was a robotic voice saying, "The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable."

Yep, definitely John. He was using James's health to mess with her.

Emily felt a mix of anger and helplessness, but she couldn't let her emotions take over. She had to stay cool and fix this.

She decided to go to the hospital to talk to the doctor in personand ensure James's treatment stayed on track.

She got ready in a hurry, skipped breakfast, and texted her boss to take the day off as she headed straight to the hospital.

At the hospital, she found James's doctor, Andrew Anderson, who looked stressed. "Ms. Johnson, I know you're worried about James, but some things are out of my hands."

"Andrew, please, I'll do whatever it takes. How can we reschedule the follow-up?" Emily's voice shook a bit, but her eyes were determined.

Andrew didn't answer right away. He just looked at her and finally sighed. "Ms. Johnson, sometimes things aren't as simple as they seem."

Emily got the hint. After thanking him, she left the hospital, knowing they couldn't solve her problem.

Sitting in her car on the way home, Emily felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. She knew John's influence was everywhere, and canceling James's follow-up was his way of punishing her for standing up to him.

She felt powerless; she couldn't go up against someone like John.

She opened her phone and saw the cold message again: [The follow-up scheduled for Tuesday is canceled.]

This was John's way of punishing her for not giving in yesterday.

Emily knew she had no leverage; John's power left her with almost no options.

She had to give in, at least for now. She couldn't let James's health suffer because of her pride.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone and dialed John's number.

After a few rings, John answered.

"John, we need to talk." Emily's voice was steady and calm.

John wasn't surprised she called, but he didn't make it hard for her over the phone. "Tomorrow, come to my office."

And with that, he hung up.

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