Chapter 176 Are you really planning to marry him?
Chapter 176 Are you really planning to marry him?
A few minutes earlier, after leaving Love’s room, Cornelia, the nurse who was helping Love had headed straight for the doctor’s office.
Her heart hammered violently against her ribs with every step, but she forced herself to appear calm and professional. If anyone sensed how nervous she truly was, the entire plan could crumble in an instant.
She knocked lightly on the door before stepping inside. “The patient in Room Twelve has a visitor,” she informed the medical team, keeping her voice as steady as she could manage. “We will need to delay the procedure.”
The head surgeon looked up sharply from the file in his hands. “A visitor?” His expression stiffened with immediate alarm. Without wasting another second, he grabbed his phone and called Danny. The call connected almost at once.
“Were you aware the girl you brought here was expecting a family member?” His voice was low but heavy with concern. “If we continue with the surgery now, things could get very messy.”
Danny leaned back in his chair, his brows drawing together. “What happened?”
“The visitor is already with her.” The surgeon rubbed his forehead, irritation and worry clear on his face. “You know how risky this is.”
Although Love had signed every document they pushed in front of her, they all understood the truth. She had never actually read a single page.
In her mind, she was only donating one kidney and nothing more. If she never woke up and her corpse was donated to science, the relative would dig into the matter.
The signed consent forms might offer the hospital some initial protection, but they would not stop the flood of difficult questions that would follow.
Once the police began investigating, any inconsistency between the paperwork and the actual medical records could bring their entire carefully built operation crashing down.
This was not the kind of attention they could afford. Their whole scheme had always relied on victims who had no one nearby. Most of the people they targeted were lonely, isolated souls.
Some had traveled alone. Others had no close family at all. Many never even told anyone where they were going before arriving at the hospital.
When they disappeared, the police usually treated them as routine missing persons cases. Without witnesses or relatives demanding answers, the cases eventually grew cold.
That was precisely why Love’s situation felt so dangerously different. Someone had already come looking for her. If more people arrived after him, hiding the truth would become nearly impossible.
Danny stayed quiet for a few moments, his fingers tapping lightly against the desk. Then a small, confident smile appeared on his lips. “Do not worry,” he said, his voice calm and almost amused. “I will handle it.”
The surgeon released a slow breath. “I trust you.”
The call ended. Danny slipped his phone into his pocket and made his way toward Love’s room. Even before he reached the door, he spotted the young man standing protectively beside her bed. Asher.
Danny studied him for only a few seconds before understanding everything. The deep concern in his eyes, the protective way he stood close to Love, the unmistakable warmth in his voice whenever he looked at her, none of it belonged to an ordinary friend. This man cared for her deeply.
Danny almost smiled. Good. That actually made things easier. If he could create a painful misunderstanding between them, Asher would leave on his own.
Heartbroken people rarely stayed where they felt unwanted. As long as Asher walked away, no one would remain to interfere with the surgery.
It seemed like a simple plan. Unfortunately for Danny, he knew almost nothing about the true bond between Love and Asher.
Yes, Asher loved her, he had loved her for years. But his feelings were only one part of their deep connection. Their families had known each other for decades.
They had practically grown up together, sharing birthday parties, family vacations, holiday dinners, and countless school events.
Even if Love rejected him a hundred times, Asher would never abandon her when she needed him most. Not while she lay in a hospital bed surrounded by strangers.
He would stay right there until someone from her family personally came to take her home.
Across the room, Asher stood quietly, his thoughts in complete chaos. Ever since they were children, there had only been one girl in his heart, Love. She had always been brighter, smarter, kinder, and more determined than anyone around her.
Whenever she achieved something remarkable, he pushed himself even harder. If she took first place, he wanted first place too. If she learned something new, he stayed up late until he had mastered it.
It was never about competing against her. He simply wanted to become someone worthy of standing beside her.
Their families were both wealthy, so money had never been an obstacle. Still, that did not stop him from working harder than everyone else.
Both of them had entered advanced academic programs at a young age, and the pressure had been overwhelming. Many students eventually gave up, but Asher never did.
Every late night, every difficult exam, every hard-won achievement carried the same thought deep in his heart: one day, Love would finally see him as a man instead of the little boy who had followed her everywhere.
She always laughed whenever he confessed his feelings. She would pat his head and call him her kid brother every single time. Still, he refused to give up. He truly believed she would eventually return his feelings.
But now everything suddenly felt terrifyingly uncertain.
His eyes searched hers intently. “Love…” His voice came out quieter and heavier than before. “Are you really planning to marry him?”
“No!” Love answered immediately, shaking her head so hard that a few strands of hair fell across her face. “I am not.” Her response came without the slightest hesitation.
Danny had been waiting for exactly that. A faint smile crossed his lips. “Then why are you lying?” He calmly pulled out his phone. Before anyone could stop him, he tapped the screen, and Love’s own voice filled the room, replaying every word of her earlier agreement.
Her face turned deathly pale. Embarrassment and panic crashed over her like a crushing wave. She wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
“Asher…” She looked toward him, her eyes wide with desperation. “Please…” She reached for his arm, her voice shaking badly. “Believe me. It is not what you think.” She searched his face frantically. “I will explain everything once we get home.”
Danny was not about to let her repair the damage. “Home?” His smile looked gentle, almost convincing. “Baby, the nurse is waiting to prepare you for surgery.”
That single word shattered the last of Asher’s control. His eyes turned ice cold. “Shut the fuck up,” he commanded sharply, the words cutting through the room.
He stepped in front of Love, instinctively positioning himself between her and Danny. His tall frame completely blocked the other man’s view of her.
“If she agreed to donate a kidney,” he continued, his voice dangerously calm yet filled with warning, “then her parents should already know about it.”
His hand moved to his pocket as he pulled out his phone. “I am calling them right now.”
For the first time since entering the room, Danny felt a surge of genuine panic. A bead of cold sweat rolled down the side of his face, and his heartbeat quickened. This man was proving far more difficult to handle than he had ever expected.