Chapter 4 - The Diagnosis Written in Advance

The evaluation described Khloe as paranoid, aggressive, emotionally unstable, and potentially dangerous to herself and her unborn child.

It claimed she had attacked a female guest during the charity gala.

It recommended immediate psychiatric observation.

It also recommended that Marcus Thorne temporarily control all medical and financial decisions.

The document had been prepared before Isabella ever entered the suite.

Khloe read every sentence twice.

Then she reached the signature line.

Dr. Owen Mercer.

Richard’s chief of psychiatric medicine.

“He signed this without examining me,” Khloe said.

Richard’s face became rigid.

“He may not have signed it.”

Elaine pointed toward the bottom of the page.

“The signature looks real.”

“So does Khloe’s signature on the medical authority form.”

Richard called hospital security.

“Bring Dr. Mercer to the executive conference room.”

He ended the call and faced Elaine.

“Where exactly did you find the folder?”

“Behind the marble waste cabinet.”

“Was it hidden?”

“It looked as though someone had pushed it there quickly.”

Khloe remembered the moment Marcus had entered the suite.

Isabella had been standing near the counter.

Her right hand had moved behind her dress.

Perhaps she had tried to hide the folder before anyone noticed.

“Isabella brought it,” Khloe said.

Elaine nodded.

“That would make sense.”

Richard looked at the pages again.

“No.”

Khloe studied him.

“What?”

“This folder contains internal hospital forms that are not available to foundation guests.”

“Isabella worked with the foundation.”

“She had donor access.”

Richard tapped the identification code printed in the corner.

“She did not have access to psychiatric commitment documents.”

The implications were immediate.

Someone inside the hospital had helped her.

A doctor.

A senior administrator.

Or Richard’s own security team.

The door opened.

The security director entered alone.

“Dr. Mercer is not in the building.”

Richard frowned.

“He attended the gala.”

“He left twenty minutes ago.”

“Find him.”

“We have been trying.”

The security director hesitated.

“His phone is turned off.”

Richard moved closer.

“Then send security to his home.”

The man glanced toward Khloe.

“There is another problem.”

“What problem?”

“The original suite recording has disappeared from the hospital server.”

Elaine stared at him.

“You copied it.”

“We copied part of it.”

Richard’s voice became dangerously quiet.

“Explain.”

“The system was still processing the file when someone accessed the central server remotely.”

“Was the recording deleted?”

“Yes.”

Khloe looked at the tablet.

“We watched the beginning.”

“That section was temporarily stored on the device.”

“How much survived?”

“Four minutes and eighteen seconds.”

The attack had happened later.

The video proving Isabella’s violence was gone.

What remained showed Marcus discussing the trust, but not the shove or the second strike.

Isabella could still claim the conversation had been misunderstood.

She could still deny the attack.

Richard picked up the red folder.

“Who had authority to delete the recording?”

“Five people.”

“Names.”

The security director swallowed.

“Dr. Mercer.”

He paused.

“Myself.”

Then he looked toward the hallway.

“Marcus Thorne, because his company installed the system.”

Khloe tightened her grip on the blanket.

“And the other two?”

“Isabella Rossi.”

Elaine frowned.

“You said she only had donor access.”

“She received temporary executive access tonight.”

“From whom?”

The security director looked at Richard.

“Your deputy chairman.”

Richard’s expression darkened.

“And the fifth person?”

May you like

The housekeeper was supposed to be invisible. Instead, Sophia Hale becam...

Victoria: You will never get a single cent of this family inheritance! M...

The billionaire father was told his son had died. Then the maid smashed...

The man hesitated again.

“You.”