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Chapter_219
Parker lingered in the restroom a moment longer, staring at the door Tiana had just disappeared through. His expression was unreadable, but behind his cool exterior, his mind was in motion.
She wasn’t just a nurse.
The way she had slipped from his grasp—not with panic, but precision—confirmed it. She moved like someone trained, someone with a purpose. Her cover was too neat, her answers too rehearsed. She knew exactly what she was doing.
“Interesting,” Parker muttered, narrowing his eyes.
He pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over a number. But before he could dial, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence.
“Mr. Doonan?”
Lyra appeared in the doorway, breath short, tension bleeding into her voice. Her eyes darted nervously around the room before settling on him.
“There’s a situation,” she said, keeping her voice low. “Elaine needs you. Now.”
Parker slipped the phone back into his pocket. “What kind of situation?”
“She’s asking too many questions. About the nurse. The doctors tried to calm her down, but it didn’t work. She’s not buying it—she thinks something’s off with the hospital files.”
His expression didn’t change, but a flicker of irritation crossed his eyes. “I’ll take care of it. Make sure no one else pokes around where they shouldn’t.”
Lyra nodded, retreating just as quickly as she had arrived.
Parker followed her out with measured strides, but his thoughts remained on Tiana. Who are you really? She wasn’t investigating for a dying relative, not with that kind of nerve. And somehow, he couldn’t shake the feeling this was all tangled up with Whitney. Maybe even Ludwik.
The idea annoyed him—and intrigued him.
When he reached Elaine’s office, she was seated behind her desk, composed but taut like a piano wire. Her eyes lifted at the sound of the door opening.
“Mr. Doonan,” she greeted smoothly. “Right on time.”
Parker stepped in, his presence filling the room with quiet command. “I hear you’re losing sleep over a nurse.”
Elaine smiled thinly. “Every detail matters, Parker. You know that. And something about this one doesn’t sit right with me.”
He didn’t sit. “You think she’s digging?”
“I know she is,” Elaine replied coldly. “She wasn’t just passing through the records room. She was looking for something specific. Something about the transplant files.”
Parker folded his arms. “The records are sealed. Locked. No one’s getting in without a key—physical or otherwise.”
Elaine tilted her head, unconvinced. “You underestimate desperation. And I don’t trust the staff. They’ve grown complacent. If she got in once, she can do it again. We can’t afford that.”
Parker considered her words. “Then we tighten the net. I’ll find out who she really is. If she’s a problem, I’ll eliminate it.”
Elaine’s eyes flickered. “And what about the doctors? They’ve grown too comfortable. If one of them talks…”
“They won’t,” Parker said flatly. “Not if they value their careers.”
Elaine studied him, her eyes sharp with something unspoken. “And Ludwik? He’s been asking questions too. About the hospital. About the surgery. I don’t like it.”
Parker’s smirk returned, slow and confident. “He’s not the problem. He’s too wrapped up in guilt and ego to see what’s right in front of him. I’ll keep him where we want him.”
Elaine exhaled, some tension releasing from her posture. “Good. I want everything airtight, Parker. We’re too close now. If this crumbles—”
“It won’t,” he cut in, voice low and certain. “Not on my watch.”
She nodded, the steel in her eyes softening just enough to show trust—or at least, calculated faith. “That’s why I keep you close.”
Parker turned to leave, but her voice stopped him.
“And the nurse?”
“I’ll handle her.”
He left without another word.
As he strode down the corridor, the hospital lights flickering above like interrogators, Parker’s mind circled back to Tiana. There was a fire behind her calm—something personal, something dangerous.
He wasn’t sure what game she was playing, but one thing was certain: he was playing it too.
And he never played to lose.
