Dad's Murderer Begged Me to Save Him

On the day my uncle, Steve Chapman, showed signs of heart failure, my mother, Irina Cress, drugged my father, Sean Chapman, and placed him on the surgery table. His heart was taken by force and transplanted into Steve, which extended Steve’s life for an additional 10 years. I left home after that incident and studied hard. I eventually earned admission to a medical research university because I ranked first in my class. After 10 years, I developed an artificial heart and became a sought‑after expert in the medical field. Many people came to me and hoped to be placed on the list for an artificial heart. My assistant, Lewis Henderson, handed me the latest list of applicants. Steve’s name appeared at the top. I raised my pen and drew a line across his name. “This person is not approved. Put him on the blacklist.” Chapter 1 The application forms were arranged according to the highest sum of money paid, and Steve Chapman’s name appeared at the top because my biological mother, Irina Cress, paid a large amount of money to place him there. However, I struck his name off without hesitation. That man had stolen my father’s heart and used it for years. It was time for him to return it. My assistant, Lewis Henderson, took the list from me and looked shocked. “Leo, Cress Industries pledged 1 billion dollars in total to our research. That would be 100 million dollars every year for 10 years. If we take this job, we do not need to worry about our budget, and we can save double the lives for free every year…” I stared at Lewis, and his voice faded. It had been 10 years since my father passed. I glanced at the picture on my table. It used to be a happy portrait of a family of three, but I had torn it in half. Only the picture of a man remained, smiling happily with a baby in his arms. “I had my own plans for getting funding, but this was a job we would never accept.” Lewis looked puzzled. When artificial hearts were introduced into the medical field, I set a rule. A portion of the funding would be used to treat heart diseases in young people every year for free. We could save many lives if we accepted the job from Cress Industries, but I rejected it. When Lewis noticed how determined I was, he asked, “So, do you want me to reject the offer from Cress Industries?” “Yes.” Lewis kept looking back at me hopefully as he walked out of my office. After that, the number on my blacklist changed from zero to one. Lewis had worked with me since the start of this research, but he had no idea that the rule I set was my way of honoring my father. I started my research on artificial hearts because I never wanted the same tragedy that befell my father to happen to anyone else. When my father passed, he was only 38. That day, I had just received my SAT results and discussed my university options with him while he rested in bed. After I went to sleep, my mother offered him a glass of milk that had been drugged. The next day, I woke up and learned that my uncle, who was my father’s younger brother, had undergone successful surgery. My father had turned into an urn of ashes. I did not even get to see him one last time. All I saw was my uncle, Steve. When he woke up, my mother rushed to his bed and grabbed his hand, crying with relief and happiness. Steve promised to take care of me on behalf of my parents, but he was not my father. I would never have a father again. When I learned the truth, I left home and changed my original ambition. I chose to study medicine instead. I buried myself in books as thick as bricks and read them diligently, one after another. I researched and observed the hearts of numerous cadavers repeatedly. I studied at dawn or headed to the library after waking up, and this continued for eight years. When I graduated, I had already developed the artificial heart. It took another two years of research and development before it became safe for use. It had been 10 years since then, and I had never seen them again until now. I returned to my seat and sat in front of my computer. I reorganized my new patients’ information and emailed it to my inbox. For some reason, I clicked into my old list. The page displayed the face of a man who looked similar to my father, and tears streamed down my cheeks. My phone buzzed. Lewis knocked on my door and entered anxiously. “Leo, Cress Industries wants to talk to you. I had no idea where they got your number, and I was not able to stop them…” I stared at my buzzing phone and wiped my tears with my finger. “It is fine.” It had been 10 years. “It is time to have a talk with them.” Chapter 2 After that, I picked up the call, and a familiar yet distant voice came through the phone. “Are you the one in charge of the artificial hearts? My name is Irina Cress, and I believe you have heard of me.” “Yes, I was the person in charge.” “What do you want? Money? Power? Fame? Do you want 1.5 billion dollars? Or 2 billion dollars? I can donate the money as a good deed in my husband’s name. He was seriously ill right now. I know your hospital director, and if you take this job, I can make you deputy director. You might want to consider this.” I remained silent, and she continued to add incentives. “Besides all these, I can offer you lucrative shares…” I smiled and stopped her. “I do not want any of these, Madam Cress.” There were several seconds of silence. “What do you want? Name me a price.” I laughed. “It was not about money. It was this person. I could not operate on this man.” Irina laughed in anger. “You could not operate on him? I heard that no one but you could conduct the artificial heart surgery, and you were telling me that you could not operate on him? Were you playing games with me?” She seemed to realize she was asking for help, and her tone softened. “How about this offer? If you save my husband, I will give you 5% of Cress Industries’ shares. That amount of money will last you an entire lifetime and more.” I repeated myself. “It was not about the money, Madam Cress.” “If this was not about the money, what was it about?” Irina almost yelled. “You were a doctor, and you were responsible for saving lives. If you do not save him, it will be equivalent to murder.” She took a moment to catch her breath before continuing. “My assistant mentioned you to me. I heard that you poured a lot of hard work into this research, but you lacked the funds. You signed a VAM agreement to get the money, and you were not done paying back what you owed. “You even implanted the materials into your own body for the research, and you almost died from anaphylactic shock. “I believe that agreement ends this year, and you must be aware that Cress Industries was one of the top companies in the world. No one would invest in your research if I put out the word. You should know that if I pull out funding, you will face financial restraints very soon. “If that happens, it will be the end of you and your research.” “Is that so?” I laughed. “I do not think Madam Cress should worry about me. If it was the end of me, it would mean the end of the person you want to save too. Feel free to do whatever you want, Irina Cress.” Irina went silent. All I heard was her angry breathing. “What do you want? What should I do to convince you to save my husband?” “I told you that I would not save him.” A thought seemed to cross Irina’s mind. “Who are you? Do we know each other? Have I ever offended you before?” She confirmed her guess when I did not reply. “I do not care who you are, but you will save him. Prep your surgery room in 3 hours, or you will pay a heavy price for this.” “Do your worst.” I hung up, and everything I left unsaid was replaced by the sound of the call ending. I was not afraid of Irina trying to uncover my identity because it was classified, and I was protected by the country. She would not be able to find any information about me. I clicked on a classified file on my computer. It contained everything I compiled over the past 10 years to piece together the truth. Irina believed she destroyed all the evidence, but the file could destroy Cress Industries and drag Irina and Steve into ruin. If I sent it out, their reputations would collapse. I muttered to myself as I stared at the torn picture in front of me. “I know, Dad. Your heart must be tired of beating inside Steve Chapman, but please wait a little longer. I need to continue with this act. “The higher they are, the harder they fall, and I want Irina Cress to feel the same pain I did to get what she deserves.” Chapter 3 Three hours passed, and Irina did not see me in the surgery room. Her revenge arrived swiftly. Law enforcement officers barged into my office with unfriendly expressions. “Someone in your office reported you for embezzling and withholding funds. Please come with us to assist with the investigation.” Lewis spoke before I could say anything. “That’s impossible!” His eyes widened in disbelief, and he tried to stop them. “You must have made a mistake. Anyone but Leo would do something like that.” He was almost crying from panic. “Leo was the one who sold his house to fund the research a few years ago when we lacked funds. You have no idea how he managed to sign that VAM agreement. He had to mortgage his dad’s inheritance…” “That is enough, Lewis,” I said in a low voice. Lewis stopped talking, but his body trembled with anger. I looked around and saw several of my team members lower their heads, afraid to meet my eyes. I had picked them myself, and they had worked with me since the beginning of the research. My conscience was clear with them because I had never treated them badly. “All of you did this. I will remember this.” My access card was taken along with all of my work. To stop me from leaving the country, they confiscated my passport as well. Irina called me and asked, “Do you admit defeat now?” “No.” The next day, Irina posted a video on her social media accounts. She cried while begging me to save the man she loved. “I have no idea if there is any bad blood between us, but my husband is innocent. He has been confined to his sick bed for 10 years and could only see the world through a window. “His greatest wish is to enjoy the breeze by the beach and see snow. I’m begging you to please give him this chance. If you agree to save him, Cress Industries will donate 3 billion dollars for your artificial heart research and focus on using it to save lives.” The video attracted huge attention online, and with the help of comments that added heat to the topic, I was instantly ostracized. “Who is this person refusing her request? It must be someone horrible who is extremely jealous.” “That person is human garbage for ignoring someone dying and refusing to save his life.” “Do you need help, Cress Industries? If he refuses to do that surgery, I’ll kidnap him for you. My dad is sick. Can I put him on the waiting list to be saved?” “Isn’t it a doctor’s responsibility to save lives? This must be a doctor without a conscience.” “A person without sympathy like that doctor should just die.” My information was quickly exposed online by these all‑powerful netizens. My name, license plate, and my department in the research center appeared everywhere. Even news of my suspension to assist with an investigation was revealed. Some extreme patients’ families gathered near my underground garage, waiting for me to appear so they could throw rotten eggs at me. “Kill him! Kill him!” “Unethical doctors should not exist!” In that instant, I became the most hated person in the world. Chapter 4 It was not easy for me to finally get into my car, and that was when Irina called me. “It must feel horrible to be hated by everyone. Do you admit defeat now, Son?” I stopped her right away. “Shut up. It was disgusting to hear you call me that.” “It hurts to know you feel that way. Unfortunately, I’m still your mother whether you admit it or not.” Irina laughed, then sighed. “You should agree to the surgery as soon as possible. You need to understand that I have other ways to save him besides using the artificial heart.” “If that is true, go ahead.” I hung up without hesitation and drove home. I saw cars surrounding mine through the rearview mirror. It took less than a minute before I was stopped. A black Mercedes‑Benz blocked my path, and someone stepped out. It was Irina. She leaned against the car. “If you refuse to do this the easy way, I will have to do it the hard way.” Her bodyguards held me down on both sides and forced me into her car. Irina sat next to me and said, “I can’t believe it’s you, Leo, and I really want you to stay alive. If only you agreed to the surgery, but you didn’t. “Without an artificial heart, I’ll need to use your heart to replace your father’s.” As I was held down, I could only glare at her. “This was the same way Dad died 10 years ago, wasn’t it?” Irina lit a cigarette and took a drag, blowing smoke into the air. “You’re a smart boy, but just as stubborn as your father.” She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “I wanted to discuss things with him, but he refused. “He said he promised to travel with you after your graduation and wanted to keep his promise before giving his heart to Steve. Did he think I was stupid? I could tell he was trying to stall for time. “Your father wanted to stall until Steve died so he could live. How could I let him do that?” I could hardly control my emotions. “So, you kidnapped him that day and forcefully took his heart to extend Steve’s life.” “That’s right. I didn’t expect his heart to be as useless as he was. It lasted only 10 years before it started to fail.” Irina looked at me coldly, as if I was already dead. “Fortunately, I begged him for a child when I learned I could use his heart. “If his heart failed, I would still have yours. If you hadn’t left home 10 years ago, and I lost my source of a heart, I wouldn’t have thought about the artificial heart.” I glared at Irina. “So, you framed me for embezzling funds and orchestrated the smear campaign to encourage everyone to dig up my information.” Irina laughed. “Didn’t you already know that?” The car drove toward a private hospital where Steve was admitted. Irina escorted me out and looked sincerely into my eyes. “Don’t worry. You’ll sign the agreement to voluntarily donate your heart just like your father did, and you’ll help Steve extend his life. “When people talk about you in the future, they will say you did it to redeem your sins.” I clenched my teeth and roared my last words. “You’ll regret this, Irina Cress. You’ll pay for everything you did.” Irina did not give me a second glance and pushed me toward the doctors. “Sure. I’ll be waiting.” When I turned my back on Irina, I finally smiled. The phone in my pocket blinked with a signal that showed everything was being livestreamed. Everything Irina said and did became evidence in that moment, including the truth about my father’s death 10 years ago. When I entered the surgery room, I saw Steve lying in bed. He cried as he said to Irina, “This is wonderful. You found him. We can be together again.” Steve was never innocent. He had been part of this from beginning to end, and I looked at him with deep hate. I was tied to the operating table and was about to be injected with anesthesia through the back of my hand. When the liquid was about to enter my skin, I heard commotion outside, and I knew the people I had been waiting for had arrived. The surgery room door was kicked open, and it crashed against the wall. “Don’t move. Nobody move.”