Chapter 2 - The Serpent in the Marble Tower
The 12th floor was a sharp contrast to the crowded public ward Elijah had striven to support. Mahogany walls, crystal chandeliers, and floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the city skyline.
When Elijah entered the executive suite, he found the Board of Directors already assembled. At the head of the long conference table sat Arthur Vance—the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer and Julian’s father.
Arthur was a man of expensive suits and sharp eyes. He didn't look like a healer; he looked like a hedge-fund manager.
"Elijah," Arthur said smoothly, standing up with an outstretched hand that Elijah completely ignored. "I heard about the unpleasant incident downstairs. Julian is young. A bit overzealous with administrative costs. I’ll make sure he receives a formal reprimand."
"A reprimand?" Elijah sat at the head of the table, placing Margaret's worn leather folder right on top of Arthur’s polished iPad. "He left a dying child in the lobby because his mother couldn't produce a credit card. That isn't zeal, Arthur. That is murder by negligence."
Arthur’s smile faltered, replaced by a cold, calculating mask. "This hospital runs on a forty-million-dollar annual budget, Elijah. Philanthropy buys the bricks, but cold, hard cash keeps the lights on. If we treat every pauper who wanders in from the gutter, Carter Memorial will be bankrupt in six months."
"Then let it burn," Elijah snapped, his eyes flashing with a terrifying fire. "It was never meant to be a business! It was meant to be a sanctuary!"
Elijah opened the folder and pulled out a stack of financial printouts he had compiled quietly over the past three months. He threw them onto the center of the glass table.
"I’ve been reading the quarterly filings, Arthur," Elijah said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Over twelve million dollars meant for the Indigent Care Fund has been funneled into a shell corporation registered in the Cayman Islands called Aegis Health Holdings. Care to explain why my wife's charity fund is paying for private yachts?"
The room went dead silent. The board members exchanged terrified looks.
Arthur didn't flinch. Instead, he leaned back in his leather chair and folded his hands.
"You're an old man, Elijah. You wear dead people's clothes and live in the past," Arthur said softly. "You haven't checked the board bylaws in fifteen years, have you?"
Elijah frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Arthur pulled a legal document from his drawer and slid it across the table. "Five years ago, when you were recovering from your heart bypass, you signed a proxy authorization giving the executive committee voting power during trustee absences. We held a vote last month. The board voted unanimously to convert Carter Memorial into a private, for-profit medical facility."
May you like
Elijah’s breath hitched. "That’s illegal. The land deed is tied to the non-profit charter!"
"Not anymore," Arthur smirked. "And as of nine o'clock this morning, you are officially removed as Chairman Emeritus due to mental incapacity. Security is on their way up to remove you from the premises."
