While Alex was working, he heard a car horn honking furiously and a screeching of tires. Moments later, a luxury car pulled up outside the clinic.
Six more cars followed and parked beside the first one.
It was almost the end of his shift, and Alex had been about to finish up for the day, so he handed his patient over to another doctor and headed out.
Several women got out of the cars, including Alyssa.
It took Alex a minute to recognize her. They had only met once on the train, and if it hadn't been for the conflict between them, he wouldn't have remembered her.
Alyssa looked thinner than before, but she seemed every bit as arrogant. She was dressed head to toe in denim and wore heavy gold necklaces and earrings. The women behind her looked a little older.
She looked the clinic up and down and sniffed dismissively. Her friends also seemed less than impressed, and Alex assumed they hadn't come to see a doctor.
He remembered that he had told Alyssa she would be in a critical condition within three months, and he wondered if she recalled that.
The women approached. They were followed by bodyguards, who each carried a box, their expressions grim.
Alex felt a little nervous. The day he had arrived in Philadelphia, Alyssa had wanted her boyfriend to teach Alex a lesson. If it hadn't been for Jesse, they would have ended up in a fight.
Alex narrowed his eyes and said, "The clinic is about to close. Unless it's an emergency, you'll need to come back tomorrow."
"Don't talk nonsense, Alex," Alyssa said. "I'm not here to see a doctor." She still regarded him as being beneath her notice, but she took a deep breath and said, "I came to get you to go to the hospital and treat Haley. If you go, then all our past troubles will be forgotten. My influence in Baltimore is beyond your imagination. Remember, the last time we met, you said that I was ill. Well, look at me now. I'm fine. And I heard that you fired my aunt. You loser."
"Your aunt?" Alex said. "Oh, you mean Susan Ware?"
"Yes!" Alyssa snapped. "But if you treat Haley, I can let bygones be bygones and forget everything. How about it?" She paused, and then she added, "If not, I'm afraid there may be consequences."
"What does Haley have to do with you?" Alex asked, shaking his head. He had to admit that Alyssa had guts.
"Her father is a close friend of my family," she explained. "And I heard that you're refusing to treat her. I know you, so I asked some friends to come with me and convince you. Will you come now?"
"Sorry, you have to go," Alex said. "I can't help you."
This was not the first time that Alex had seen Alyssa try to flex her power, but now he knew why she was so arrogant. She was surrounded by people who flattered her and reinforced her sense of entitlement.
"What do you mean you can't help?" she said. "If I tell you to go, then you go. How dare you talk to me like that!"
She scowled. "I wouldn't be too sure of yourself, Alex," she said. "I didn't have any disease, so you misdiagnosed me. Clearly, your medical skills are fake. It's all an act. Yet I'm giving you a chance to build your reputation. You shouldn't be so ungrateful."
Alyssa and her friends were all from rich and powerful families, so it was a sign of respect for them to come and speak to Alex on Brian's behalf.
"So, you say I'm not a good doctor, and that I misdiagnosed you," Alex said, raising an eyebrow. "Well, if that's true, then there is no way that I can save Haley, so you're obviously wasting your time."
Alyssa lost her temper. "I get it!" she shouted at him. "You want money, don't you? Well, I'll negotiate with you! How much do you want? What will it take to get you to save Haley?"
Alex had always wanted to save her, but Alyssa didn't understand that.
"Anything that can be done will be done," she said. "Any conditions will be met without argument." She just couldn't understand why Alex would refuse to help someone as important as Brian.
"I can't help you," Alex said again. "Please leave."
"Alex, that's enough!" Alyssa said. She couldn't help herself. She took a box and threw it at Alex, and piles of money fell out.
Then she picked up the rest of the boxes and threw them one by one. They all hit the door of the clinic, sending banknotes flying everywhere.
"Cure Haley and all the money is yours," she said.
She picked up a pile of banknotes and threw them at Alex. "Is that enough? Not enough? Fine. We'll write you another check. Take the money."
The other women grew upset, and they began to speak for Alyssa. They had always been fawned over, and they had never been refused anything in their lives.
"There's a lot of money here," one of them said. "How can you possibly refuse?"
Alyssa took a step closer to Alex and asked, "Will you do it for Kayla?"
Alex laughed. "Kayla? I hardly know her?"
Obviously, even if Kayla arrived, Alex would not change his mind.
Alyssa had thought that, although she had fought with Alex, he must still secretly like her. She was confident in her appearance, and she hadn't expected to be rejected, so now she was extremely frustrated.
She and her friends were very angry at Alex's reaction to them.
"Well, tell me what you want," Alyssa said, crossing her arms. "For Haley's sake, we'll give it to you."
Alex kept refusing because he knew Brian didn't trust him at all. If Brian and Hillary abandoned their attitude and sincerely asked Alex for help, then he would be happy to do so.
"Money isn't a problem for me," Alex said jokingly. "But if you say you'll do anything to get me to treat Haley, then let's see if you mean that."
He turned around, grabbed a scalpel, and held it out to Alyssa. "Cut your hand, and I'll go to the hospital to help you save Haley."
He lowered his voice menacingly. "You said you'd do anything, right? Well, I don't want money. I want you to slice your palm. It doesn't have to be deep."
There was a dead silence.
Alyssa turned white. Looking at the scalpel, she took an involuntary step back. "You're crazy," she said. "Do you know who I am? I'm the heiress to the Hart fortune! You want me to cut myself just so you will treat Haley? You are crazy, aren't you?"
Alex's expression didn't change at all. He picked up the scalpel and offered it to her. "I thought your friends were important to you," he said mockingly. "Haley has a life-threatening condition, and you won't even spill a tiny amount of blood? Well, that's the deal. Take it or leave it. No one is forcing you."
Alyssa looked miserable. "You've teased me enough," she said. "Do you think one of the Lamberts will come and save you again?"
Alex was making her very uncomfortable, so she decided to force the issue.
She turned to the woman behind her. "Call the fire department," she said. "And tell them to come and inspect the building to see if it's up to code. Then, call the medical board to check whether Alex's qualifications are valid."
She narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure we'll be able to find something on you," she said accusingly. "There's something fishy about all of this."