Chapter 2
Everything went black as my mind slipped away.
I had no idea how long I drifted in that emptiness, but eventually, I felt myself floating up, light as air, like a wisp of smoke.
I "saw" the doors to the operating room open up.
The lead surgeon took off his mask, looking tired and regretful.
He said, "I'm sorry. We did everything we could. After the surgery, the patient had a sudden rejection. Her organs started shutting down. We lost her."
Frank and Helen just stood there, stunned for a second.
There was no grief, no tears.
Helen grabbed the doctor's sleeve, urgency in her voice. "What about my son? How's Spencer? Was the surgery a success?"
There was a flash of surprise and a trace of contempt in the doctor's eyes, but he still answered professionally, "Mr. Sterling's surgery was a success. The kidney was in great condition, and he's recovering well."
"Oh, thank goodness!" Helen cried out.
Frank and Helen couldn't contain their excitement. They hugged each other, absolutely thrilled.
They hurried off to Spencer's ICU room, never once looking back at the operating room, where my lifeless body lay hidden beneath a white sheet.
I drifted after them, watching with icy indifference.
So these were the people I called my parents.
To them, my death was just a forgettable footnote in their precious son's road to recovery.
Spencer was lying in bed, pale but clearly in good spirits, scrolling through his phone.
He didn't bother to look up when they came in. "So, how'd it go?" he asked.
"It's a success, Spencer!" Helen rushed over, cupping his face, her eyes brimming with worry. "You've been through so much. Once you're feeling better, I will make you your favorite soup."
Frank grinned. "When you're discharged, I will buy you the newest game console."
They looked every bit the perfect family.
It was like I'd never even existed.
Spencer finally looked up and asked casually, "Where's Stella?"
"She's dead," Helen said, her tone as casual as if she were commenting on the weather. "Complications after the surgery. Guess raising her wasn't a total waste.
"She traded her life for your health. At least her death wasn't in vain."
"Good," Spencer replied with a cold smirk on his lips. "Now no one's gonna compete with me for Mom and Dad anymore."
If I still had a heart, it would've turned to ash right then and there.
It hit me that he wasn't just cold to me. He actually wished I were dead.
The nurse walked in with the death certificate and a stack of documents, her voice flat and mechanical. "Please sign here, and then go take care of the paperwork."
Frank snatched the pen, not even bothering to read the documents, and scrawled his signature across the page.
"Alright, alright, just get rid of it already. Don't let it linger here. It's bad luck," he said.
Just as he handed the death certificate back, the door was flung open with a force that shook the room.
A group of men in black suits stormed in, their faces grim and their presence so intense that the air in the room seemed to freeze.
Leading the group was a middle-aged man in gold-rimmed glasses, holding a folder. His sharp gaze swept over everyone in the room.
Frank was startled by the sudden intrusion, but tried to act tough as he barked, "Who are you? What do you want? This is a private room!"
The middle-aged man ignored him and strode straight to the nurse, his voice commanding and absolute. "You can't sign this death certificate."
He turned to Frank and Helen, shooting them a frosty glare.
"I'm Charles Grant, chief lawyer for Global Group," he announced.
Hearing the name of Global Group, Frank and Helen exchanged a confused look.
It was the kind of business empire they only ever heard about on the financial news. They had no clue what these people were doing here.
Charles didn't give them a moment to think. He snapped open the folder, his voice grave and cutting through the air, every word landing like a bombshell in the cramped hospital room.
He said, "It is with great regret that I must inform you all that Ms. Stella Cooper, who just died during the surgery, was the long-lost granddaughter of Arthur Cooper, the founder and chairman of Global Group.
"She was also the sole rightful heir to the entire Global Group empire."
"What?" Frank, Helen, and Spencer were so shocked that they froze in place.
Helen's jaw dropped wide. "M-Mr. Grant, are you sure you're not mistaken? That brat... was just some orphan."
"We're not mistaken," Charles said, pulling out a copy of the paternity test results and tossing it onto Spencer's bed.
He said, "Eighteen years ago, Mr. Cooper's son and daughter-in-law died in an accident, leaving only their daughter behind. Heartbroken, Mr. Cooper handed his granddaughter over to someone he thought he could trust.
"Who knew that guy would turn out to be a snake? He dumped the baby at an orphanage and ran off with the money. For eighteen years, we never gave up looking for her, not for a single day.
"It was only a week ago, thanks to a DNA database match, that we finally found Ms. Cooper."
Charles looked in my lifeless body's direction, and for a moment, real, heartfelt sorrow showed on his face.
He said, "We were supposed to take Ms. Cooper home today. Never thought... we'd be a step too late."