Chapter 4

Samantha, witnessing the scene, subtly dropped the retrieved medicine bottle back into the deep pool. Then, she "accidentally" slipped and fell into the deep end. "Ah! Help..." she flailed in the water, feigning distress. "Sammy!" Leo instantly lost control. He didn't hesitate, diving straight into the deep end. The fear he'd felt nearly drowning at sea vanished completely. Seeing this, Angelina's heart felt as if an invisible hand had seized it, then violently ripped it apart! A cold, bitter laugh welled in her throat, choked back by deeper agony. So he could panic like this for someone else. Leo quickly pulled Samantha out. He held her tightly, oblivious to his own dripping wet, expensive suit clinging to him. "Thank you, Leo... if it weren't for you, I might have drowned..." Samantha nestled in his arms, her face pale, lips trembling slightly. "Sammy, how did you fall in?" Leo's voice was thick with concern. "I'm sorry, Leo, your medicine bottle accidentally fell in. I rushed to get it... the edge was just so slippery..." Leo hugged her even tighter, heartache overwhelming him. "Silly, it's just a bottle of pills. Was it worth risking yourself?" Yet, as Leo spoke, Samantha in his arms suddenly went limp. "Sammy! Sammy?!" Leo's pupils dilated, his voice cracking. Samantha's lips turned white, her complexion deathly pale. She was completely unconscious. "Doctor! Get over here! What's wrong with Sammy?! Save her!!" He roared at the surrounding staff and the on-site medical team. Chaos erupted instantly. Medical personnel surrounded Samantha with the best emergency equipment. Leo, frantic and nearly out of control, demanded, "Samantha was fine! Why did she faint suddenly? "If anything happens to her! You know the consequences!" The lead doctor, after a quick examination, looked extremely grave. He removed his stethoscope, his tone heavy: "Mr. Hayes, it's critical! Miss Samantha... her kidney function is suddenly deteriorating rapidly! It's very dangerous! "She must be rushed to the hospital immediately! And... we need to find a compatible kidney donor for a transplant as soon as possible! Otherwise... the outcome is unthinkable!" Meanwhile, with staff assistance, Angelina managed to get the thugs dispersed. Gritting her teeth against the humiliation, she trembled as she slowly pushed herself up along the wall. Deliberately turning her face away, she refused to look in that direction—needing only to escape this hell that turned her stomach. Suddenly, her arm was seized in a vice-like grip. The force was bone-crushing. She turned and met Leo's eyes, cold as the deepest abyss. "Come with me to the hospital." His voice was icy, absolute, leaving no room for refusal. Angelina was stunned. Did he suddenly care about her? "I'm fine. I don't need to." "You don't have a choice! Your kidney is compatible with Samantha's. You're finally useful for something." His words struck her like a physical blow, shattering her consciousness. Compatible... useful... Each word was like a red-hot blade plunged into her heart, utterly destroying her. So... her final value to him was her organ? To save the woman who had repeatedly trampled her, who had orchestrated her humiliation? Leo wanted her kidney for another woman! Blood seemed to rush to her head. The world spun violently. "Why... me?" Rage threatened to drown her. The suffocation from drowning, the tearing shame of public exposure, and now this agony worse than being flayed alive... Countless hands seemed to seize her consciousness. Her vision went black. She fainted.