Chapter 6 The First Act of Favoritism
“Well… I’m not entirely sure, but I heard they might be related to the director.
If you talk to them, stay calm. Don’t do anything rash.”
“Thank you. I understand.”
Jennifer clutched her backpack strap and returned to the ward.
Mom couldn’t be kicked out.
If we were evicted now, things would get much worse.
Jennifer’s shoulders tensed as she racked her brain for solutions.
Just then, a commotion erupted in the hallway — a crowd had arrived.
“Just stay here to recover. This hospital belongs to Michael. If you’re unwell, Maria won’t be in the mood to host an engagement party anyway!”
“Beds are rare these days. Maria must’ve pulled strings for this one — probably kicked someone else out. Don’t worry about it.”
The moment Jennifer heard those words, she snapped.
Michael?
Maria?
Did they kick my mother out of her bed?
Jennifer’s mother also heard the commotion.
She gently squeezed Jennifer’s hand.
“Is the doctor here to ask us to leave?”
“Then let’s go quickly. Come on, Mom. It’s okay.”
Jennifer hurriedly supported her mother, Chloe Williams.
Ever since her father died three years ago, she had cried so much she went blind.
She was hospitalized now because the eye disease had progressed, affecting her nerves — early symptoms of ocular cancer.
Post-operative care was crucial.
Kicking her out now was beyond irresponsible.
The mother and daughter were still hesitating when the ward door burst open.
The woman leading the group bore a slight resemblance to Maria.
Seeing Chloe still lying in bed, she frowned and bellowed:
“What is going on? Where are the doctors and nurses?
Why hasn’t the patient in Bed 3 been discharged?”
Chloe whispered,
“Ma’am, I’m terribly sorry. I can’t see.
My daughter is packing by herself and moving slowly.
We’ll leave as soon as we can.”
Only then did Amanda Murphy turn to look at Chloe.
Looking down on them, she deliberately waved her hand in front of Chloe’s face — right in Jennifer’s view.
“So she really is blind.”
Then, to the two bodyguards: “You two, bring my aunt’s things in. Then tell them to hurry up and leave.”
Jennifer watched Amanda’s arrogant demeanor, her knuckles digging into her sleeves, leaving white marks on her palms.
She forced back her anger and pretended to pack.
Amanda caught Jennifer’s profile and felt a flicker of recognition.
“Hey… have we met? Three years ago, weren’t you—”
Three years ago, Jennifer had stood alone beneath a skyscraper in a blizzard, holding a banner demanding justice for her murdered father.
That night, Amanda had led guards who shoved Jennifer face-first into the snow.
Jennifer never received justice.
The compensation money never arrived.
She missed the critical window for her mother’s treatment.
She could only watch her mother go blind.
Jennifer would never forget Amanda’s face.
But she didn’t want Amanda to recognize her yet.
Jennifer had planned for Amanda to spend the rest of her life in prison — disgraced.
Jennifer said, “Ma’am, I’m packing. I’ll finish soon.”
Suddenly, Amanda remembered her aunt waiting to check into the ward and stopped paying attention to Jennifer, returning to directing the assistants.
Just then, Jennifer picked up the bedpan tucked under the hospital bed.
Pretending it was accidental, she spilled its contents over the luggage Maria’s mother had brought in.
“Aaah!”
The brownish-yellow liquid flowed across the floor and reached Amanda’s goatskin Chanel high heels.
Amanda recognized the substance and screamed.
“What is wrong with you?!”
“I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to, I—”
Jennifer had already begun recording everything on her phone.
She knew Amanda’s bullying nature well.
Three years ago, Amanda had slapped her, pinned her in the snow, and beaten her mercilessly.
Jennifer had been in middle school then and didn’t think to record it — otherwise, Amanda would’ve been ruined online.
Sure enough, Amanda lunged forward and slapped Jennifer twice, hard.
Red fingerprints bloomed immediately.
Jennifer’s mother, hearing the commotion, pleaded for Amanda to stop.
But Amanda showed no mercy — she swung her foot toward Chloe.
Terrified for her mother, Jennifer instinctively stepped in front and was kicked brutally.
The blow to her stomach sent Jennifer reeling.
Her face drained of color as she clutched her abdomen and crouched.
Jennifer could have dodged — but she chose not to.
This time, she intended to record everything and expose Amanda to the world.
⸻
When the incident occurred, Michael was in his luxury Maybach.
His assistant briefed him on appointments for the day.
By evening, traffic in City A thickened.
Seeing there was time, the assistant cautiously asked:
“Mr. Kowalski, Miss Rossi’s mother arrived in City A this evening.
When has the engagement party been rescheduled?”
Tonight was supposed to be Michael and Maria’s engagement dinner with business associates and the media.
But Maria’s mother had a heart attack last night, and everything was postponed.
Michael gazed out the window, still pondering issues from the earlier meeting.
Regarding the engagement party, he only said,
“We’ll see.”
After checking his phone, he suddenly remembered something.
“Which hospital is Maria’s mother staying at?”
“H Hospital.”
The Kowalski family owned several hospitals, including H Hospital — one of the better ones.
After thinking a moment, Michael asked:
“H Hospital is always short on beds. How did she get one?”
The assistant replied carefully:
“Miss Rossi may have… pulled strings.”
Hearing this, Michael frowned.
Maria hadn’t mentioned using connections.
Michael disapproved of that completely.
Clearly displeased, he murmured:
“Go to H Hospital. Now.”
⸻
Upon arrival, he witnessed Amanda furiously berating a group of doctors.
The staff remained silent — intimidated by her being related to the director.
Even the senior director in his fifties was being humiliated publicly.
Michael’s expression darkened.
He stepped forward and spotted Jennifer — her face swollen, her head bowed, standing alone.
Michael merely glanced at her before asking coldly:
“What is going on here?”
“Mr. Kowalski…”
The chief physician quickly recounted the events.
Michael listened, his expression unchanged.
Only when he heard that Maria had forced a post-surgery patient out for her mother did his face harden.
“Dismiss everyone involved.”
His decision was absolute.
The doctors felt relieved — and respected him even more.
Although Michael wasn’t a doctor, the Kowalski family owned many elite hospitals.
As the heir to the Kowalski fortune, he was known to most only by reputation.
Seeing him in person — calm, controlled, decisive — deepened their respect.
Amanda grew impatient.
“Michael, fine — maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at the doctors.
But why is your hospital admitting low-class people like her?
Do you know what she threw at us?!”
