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“But…” Xander hesitated, “The man blamed her for stabbing him. And she... she stuck her finger in his wound to stop the bleeding, then stitched him up before the police arrived. Now people are accusing her of acting on her own—performing a medical procedure without a license.”

Lorenzo’s fury flared. “Why the hell is she being blamed? That’s not on her!”

He slammed a hand on the desk and growled, “That damn boyfriend of hers—he’s the owner there, isn’t he? Why did he even put her in that position if she doesn’t have medical qualifications? He should be the one taking responsibility. She was just trying to help!”

He stormed out from behind the desk, barking orders. “Block the news. I don’t want a single headline or her picture out there. Shut down the press.”

“But sir… the funds—”

“Take the money from the company account. There should be a few million in there. Use it all if you have to. I don’t care how much it costs—just keep her name out of this mess.”

Xander blinked in disbelief. “Sir? That’s nearly a billion. All of it?”

Lorenzo stared him down coldly. “If money can fix it, then it’s not a problem. Spend every last damn cent to protect her.”

***

“I want to press charges! I want her in jail right now!”

The injured man yelled from his hospital bed, his face pale, voice trembling with rage. The emergency surgery had just ended. His side was stitched up, but he was still fuming.

Two officers stood beside the bed, with Krystal and Damion present.

“That was an attempted murder!” the man bellowed. “I want her in jail!”

“I have proof I didn’t touch you,” Krystal said calmly.

He blinked, startled. “W-what proof? You did it! Everyone saw you!”

“CCTV footage,” Damion cut in, eyes cold.

“Bullshit! I know those cameras weren’t working. I made sure—I mean—this hospital’s a mess. Everyone knows the CCTV’s down!”

The man’s voice cracked as panic crept into his words. He’d made sure to disable the cameras himself.

Without a word, Damion pulled out his phone and handed it to one of the officers. A shaky but clear phone video played—someone had captured the whole thing. The footage showed the man pulling a knife from his pocket, grabbing Krystal’s hands, and stabbing himself.

The color drained from the man’s face.

He tried to leap off the bed, but pain shot through him, and he collapsed with a scream. Staff rushed to lift him back onto the bed.

“It was a mistake,” he pleaded. “Please—I lost my mind for a second. I didn’t mean to do it!”

Krystal stared down at him coldly. “Tell us why you did it, or who sent you, and your sentence might be lighter.”

He broke almost instantly. “Someone called me… offered me five hundred thousand dollars. I already got half of it—I can show you the transaction.”

The police began filing charges immediately.

Damion and Krystal walked out of the room side by side.

“Any idea who’d want to frame you?” Damion asked quietly.

Krystal shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Before he could speak again, Damion’s gaze flicked past her—toward the hallway. His lips twitched into a knowing smile. “I’ll see you later.”

Surprised, she watched him go, and when she turned back, Lorenzo was standing right in front of her.