Chapter 3

Jessica shoved the door open. It hit the wall and rattled the lid off the teacup on the desk.

A man in his fifties sat behind it, with gold-rimmed glasses, hair perfectly combed, a file open in front of him.

He was Richard Lynn, the director of Riverdale General Hospital, and Jessica's father.

"Dad!" Jessica let go of me and went straight to the desk.

Richard glanced up and frowned. "What is this? You're making a scene during work hours."

"Look at her!" Jessica turned and pointed at me. "This new girl snuck off to seduce my boyfriend at the cafeteria! You tell me if someone like that belongs here."

Richard looked at me. I was still standing by the door, left cheek faintly red, expression composed.

"Which department?" Richard asked, but I didn't answer.

"Dad, she doesn't even work here. She walked in off the street. Call the police."

Richard held up a hand to quiet her, then looked back at me. "I'll ask again. What department, and what's your name?"

Chris pushed through from behind. "Richard—"

"It's Dr. Lynn." Richard glared at him.

Chris swallowed. "Dr. Lynn. This is a misunderstanding. She's my sister. My actual sister."

"Really?" Jessica turned on him. "You told me you were the only one from your family in this city. Now you have a sister? You think I'm an idiot?"

"I-I never brought it up, but it's real!"

"Enough." One word from Richard was enough to silence Chris.

Richard stood up and came around the desk. He looked down at me. "I don't care who you are. You came into my hospital, made a scene, and stepped into my girl's life. That's not something I can ignore."

I looked up at him. "Your daughter slapped me in front of everyone. Who exactly is making a scene here?"

Richard's eyelid twitched. "Jessica, did you hit her?"

"She seduced my boyfriend." Jessica didn't flinch. "So what?"

Richard sighed, but he wasn't about to push it.

He turned back to me. "Whatever happened. If you're an intern, show me your paperwork and your supervisor's contact. If you came from nowhere, I'm calling security right now."

"I'm not an intern," I said.

"No?" Richard adjusted his glasses. "Then what are you?"

Jessica jumped in. "She followed Chris here from outside. Dad, just call security."

"Hold on." Richard stopped her.

He looked me over again. I was wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and a canvas bag. Nothing about me reads as a threat.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I have a question first," I said.

"You're not in a position to ask questions."

"Your daughter works in the hospital you run. Did she go through proper hiring?"

The room went still. The color drained from Richard's face.

Jessica snapped back first. "What's that supposed to mean? You have nothing to do with where I work."

"The paperwork, the qualifications, the hiring process," I said. "All above board, Dr. Lynn?"

Richard stared at me. His throat moved. "Who are you?"

"You wanted my supervisor's number."

"Right, give it to me. Actually, answer my question first."

"Let's just call," I said.

I took out my phone and pulled up a contact. "Dial this. You'll know who I am."

I turned the screen toward him.

A hard glint entered his eyes when Richard looked at the name.

"Dad, just call!" Jessica said.

Richard didn't move. His hand was shaking.