Annika Price kept her cool, standing shoulder to shoulder with Everest Kennedy’s ever-vigilant bodyguard, facing the nurse who held a tray stacked with blood bags. One bag caught her eye immediately—it was a 34-ounce jug, way bigger than any of the others. Instinctively, Annika pressed a protective hand to her still-flat stomach.

Losing all 34 ounces wouldn’t kill her, but there was no way her pregnancy would survive it. She hesitated for half a heartbeat, then schooled her face into compliance and stepped toward the nurse.

"I’m here to donate blood," she said softly.

"Have a seat," the nurse ordered, already getting supplies ready. "Roll up your sleeve."

Annika did as she was told, sitting down and extending her arm. Seeing how cooperative she was, the bodyguard relaxed and took up his usual post by the door, standing guard outside the room.

Annika snuck a glance at him—his back was turned, his attention focused elsewhere. She let out a quiet, relieved breath. As long as she wasn’t under his constant surveillance, the risk of something going wrong dropped a lot.

The cool swipe of an alcohol pad on her arm made her fingertips tremble. Her eyes flicked to the nurse, who prepped the site and readied the needle with practiced, cold efficiency. That 34-ounce bag stared right back at her, the size printed clear as day.

A cold dread washed over Annika. Selena Kennedy had definitely ordered the nurse to drain the full 34 ounces. She was trying to kill both her and the baby.

Right as the needle was about to pierce her skin, Annika quietly triggered the alarm on her phone, letting it ring like an incoming call.

"Wait a second. I need to take this," she said, yanking her arm back like it was an urgent call from Everest himself.

"Hello, Mr. Kennedy," she purred, putting on her best reverent act. "Yes, I’m at the hospital now, all ready to donate. The nurse is here with me. I’m happy to help you any way I can—donating blood’s good for red cell production anyway, right?"

She kept up the charade, selling both the nurse and the bodyguard on her total loyalty to Mr. Kennedy. She still didn’t know exactly why they needed the blood, but from what she’d picked up from Selena and her stuck-up friend group, this was all just some messed up revenge game.

She kept faking it, pretending to wrap up the call, then tilted her head like Everest was still talking. "Mr. Kennedy, how much blood do you need this time?"

"Exactly seven ounces? Not a drop more, not a drop less? Too much messes with the whole energy thing? Alright, should I have the nurse talk to you directly to confirm? I’ll pass it along if anything changes."

Still pretending to be on the line, Annika sat back down in her chair across from the nurse.

"Go ahead," she said. "Mr. Kennedy was very clear on the amount. Not a drop extra, or there’s hell to pay."

Convinced Selena’s 34-ounce order had just been a mistake, the nurse swapped it out for a much smaller blood bag.

As Annika’s blood slowly filled the bag, a hot spark of defiance surged up through her chest.

Everest, they’re wasting your precious seven ounces like it’s a bad joke. Do you even have any idea this is my blood? That it’s for our baby? she thought bitterly.

Once the draw was done, Annika stood up and headed straight for the exit. When the bodyguard didn’t stop her, her strung-tight nerves finally started to loosen. Even so, her palms were still slick with cold sweat.

Just when she thought she’d made it out of danger, she ran straight into Selena Kennedy.

Annika kept her eyes down, trying to slip past unnoticed, but Selena stepped right into her path.

Selena wore that same innocent little smile she always did, but Annika knew exactly what was hiding under it.

"Annika, you really did show up to donate blood to help my brother?"

"Yes," Annika answered, her fingers curling into a tight fist at her side.

Selena was the mastermind behind all this revenge crap, always stirring up drama with her rich kid friends. But now she was acting all sweet, trying to pin the whole thing on Everest.

All those spoiled brats were always gushing about what a "sweet, kind Selena" they thought she was. None of them saw how two-faced she really was. Annika just wanted to get the hell out of there, so she kept her answer casual: "Selena, I donated the blood. I hope you’re happy now."

But Selena dropped the innocent act right there, and sneered at Annika.

"Annika, you can quit the act. Didn’t you know this was all my brother’s revenge plan from the start?"

Annika’s lips tugged up into a cold, mocking smile.

Damn right it was Selena. She was the one who pulled that million-dollar stunt making Annika fish a necklace out of an alligator pit. She was the one who set Annika up to deliver drinks to Everest’s suite, so she’d overhear the truth about that stupid fake poverty revenge game.

Annika had seen through Selena’s little games a long time ago. Selena wanted her to find out the truth, so Annika would be completely disillusioned with Everest and leave him for good. If Selena hadn’t been subtly manipulating every little thing for the past four years, Annika would have stopped playing this stupid game ages ago.

With that thought, Annika straightened her back and flashed Selena a sharp, empty smile full of defiance.

"Selena, you got what you wanted. I hate Everest enough now, and soon I’m getting the hell out of this city for good. That leaves you and your brother free to be as close as you want."

Her voice turned sharp as a knife: "Selena, every action has consequences. Don’t think I forgot what you did. I might not leave half as nice as you think I will."

"Annika, stop acting all high and mighty. You’re not leaving. You’re lying."

Selena didn’t buy a word of it. How could Annika give up Everest, her ticket straight to the top of high society? Selena wasn’t going to rest until Annika’s reputation was completely ruined, so Everest would have no reason to keep chasing after her.

"Annika, I know you can’t let go of my brother—golden, handsome Mr. Kennedy. You’re just playing hard to get. Don’t get any stupid ideas; this was all just a game to him. He never actually cared about you."

"What’s there to let go of?" Annika narrowed her eyes, her face hard with resolve.

"To you, Mr. Kennedy is the ultimate prize. To me? He’s just trash. Do us both a favor and do your job as the trash collector—go pick him up, because I couldn’t care less about him."

With that, Annika turned her back on Selena, not willing to waste another second talking, and hurried for the hospital’s front doors. She wasn’t about to give Selena room to stir up more trouble, not after she’d just lost seven ounces of blood.

But of course, the thing Annika wanted most to avoid was exactly what happened. Maybe she walked too fast, maybe she was too eager to get out—but that gave Selena all the proof she needed something was off.

"Stop right there," Selena called, her voice thick with suspicion.

Someone who’d just lost 34 ounces of blood could barely stand, let alone power-walk out of here like that. From what Selena knew, even losing 14 ounces left you dizzy, sick as a dog, pale as a sheet.

Annika was supposed to have lost 34 ounces. So why wasn’t she passing out? Something was definitely wrong.

Selena’s gaze raked over Annika’s face, picking her apart.

Other than a slight paleness, Annika looked completely fine. Nothing like someone who’d just lost that much blood.

Seeing Annika was still dead set on leaving, Selena stepped in front of her again, her voice sharp and accusatory.

"Annika. How much blood did they actually take?"

A cold chill of anxiety washed over Annika the second it clicked—she’d accidentally shown her hand to Selena. She fought to school her face, forcing every muscle in her body to stay calm.

"Selena, didn’t you have the nurse do the blood draw? Why are you grilling me?" Annika asked, letting her legs go wobbly on purpose. She swayed a little, clutching her head like she was about to pass out. "I don’t feel right. I can’t breathe, everything’s spinning. I need to lie down."

But Selena wasn’t about to let this slide. She clamped a hard hand around Annika’s arm, not letting her move an inch. "Annika, you’re not going anywhere. I need to double-check with the nurse that we got enough for the ceremony. My brother takes this ritual deadly seriously, and he made it very clear how important the right amount is."

Annika clenched her fist until her nails dug into her palm, frustration boiling under her skin. Everest and Selena were both rotten to the core. If she got pulled deeper into this, it would only put her in danger. A direct fight with Selena wasn’t the move—she needed a new angle.

"Selena, if you don’t let go of me right now, I’ll go tell Everest the whole truth about your little revenge plan," Annika warned.

"What the hell are you rambling about? What revenge plan?" Selena scoffed, her smile oozing with so much sarcasm it stung. "My brother trusts me, his own sister, way more than he trusts some gold-digger who bailed on him when he was broke. You really think he’s gonna believe your little story?"

"A gold-digger?" Annika bit her lip so hard she tasted copper, her eyes burning with unshed tears. "Have you ever met a gold-digger who stayed with a man drowning in debt for three whole years? Lived in a tiny rented closet of an apartment, split a single cup of instant noodles for dinner? Have you ever seen a gold-digger work her fingers to the bone to pay his bills, and wouldn’t even splurge on a four-dollar cup of coffee for herself?"

Selena sneered. "And if my brother was just playing you this whole time? You enjoyed the game, didn’t you?"

"Annika, even if my brother took your side, do you really think anyone would believe you left him because you found out he’s actually a billionaire?"

"Believe it or don’t," Annika swallowed back her tears and shoved Selena away hard, her jaw set with determination. "I don’t owe any explanation to trash like you."

"Trash?" A deep, sharp voice cut through their shouting.

Selena froze, panic lurching in her chest. Why the hell was Grandma Murphy here? How much had she heard? What if she’d seen how ruthless Selena really was?

Panicked, she crumpled to the floor, clutching her side like she’d been mortally wounded. "Ow! Annika, why’d you push me? That hurts so bad!"

Murphy Kennedy, leaning heavily on her cane, immediately called for help to lift Selena up. "Selena, honey, are you okay? Did you hurt yourself bad?"

Selena breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Grandma Murphy must not have heard much, only that Annika called someone trash. That could work for her, actually.

She quickly pulled on a sorrowful face, tears pooling in her eyes as she spoke. "Grandma, it hurts so bad. I think I might have broken something. I heard Annika call my brother a lowlife. I just tried to stand up for him, and she pushed me. Don’t blame me, okay? I was just trying to protect his honor."

"What? She called my Everest a lowlife?" Murphy went pale with shock, then started trembling with rage. "My Everest is brilliant, he’s done so much! How dare anyone call him that?"

Murphy yelled for the bodyguards immediately and pointed straight at Annika. "Lock her in one of the guest rooms. I’m gonna get to the bottom of why she dares insult my Everest like that."

Annika’s brow furrowed, frustration coiling tight in her chest. Things were already messy enough, and now Murphy had been dragged into the middle of Selena’s mess. With Selena twisting every word to her advantage, getting anyone to believe her was gonna be next to impossible.

Two bodyguards were there in seconds, stepping to either side of Annika, ready to drag her off if she resisted.

"There’s no need for force. I’ll go on my own," Annika said, one hand curling protectively around her stomach over her dress, shielding her unborn baby as she walked toward the room they’d indicated.

Just then, a nurse rushed in with a message from the doctor for Grandma Murphy. "Ma’am, the doctor sent me to remind you to bring the blood donor to the ceremony right away, or you’ll miss the auspicious time."

"Oh good heavens, I completely forgot. The ritual is the most important thing today. If Peter doesn’t wake up, nothing else matters," Grandma Murphy said urgently, then ordered, "Quick, help Selena get ready for the ceremony."

The nurse blinked in confusion, not knowing what was going on. "But… this young lady is the one who had her blood drawn. The doctor needs the actual donor to be present for the ceremony."

Selena’s face burned bright red with rage. What was this idiot nurse talking about? All the credit for the "sacrificial donation" was supposed to go to her—she’d just bailed because she was scared and talked Annika into taking her place.

Grandma Murphy turned to Selena, her brow furrowed with question. "Selena, what is going on here?"

Selena shoved her rage down, swallowing the bitter resentment clawing at her throat, and curled her hand around Grandma Murphy’s arm, softening her voice into a hurt, whimpering tone. "Grandma, I was gonna donate, honestly. But I suddenly got so dizzy. The nurse said I wasn’t well enough to give blood, that the ritual needed healthy blood to work. So I asked Annika to help me out. And then she pushed me and insulted my brother…"

Tears glinted fake-bright in Selena’s eyes as she pointed at Annika, her voice soft and pitiful. "Annika, even if you didn’t want to donate, you didn’t have to insult my brother. What did he ever do to you? He just wants to help his dad wake up after ten years in a coma. Is asking for a little blood really too much?"

Annika stood off to the side, watching Selena’s whole performance with cold, blank detachment. A sardonic little smile tugged at her lips. She was all out of sympathy for this act.

"Selena, I never refused to donate. I already did it—nurse and the bodyguards can both confirm that. And as for pushing you, we can just check the security cameras to see what really happened."

Panic flashed across Selena’s face, and she scrambled to change the subject immediately. "This isn’t the time to check footage! My dad’s waiting for this to save him!"

Grandma Murphy cut in sharply, her mind made up. "Enough bickering. This is not the time for fighting. The auspicious time is almost here. Young lady, if you donated the blood, come with me to the ceremony."

"If my son Peter wakes up, no matter what grievances you two have, I will personally remember your kindness and stand by you through anything."

"I'll do the ceremony," Annika Price said, agreeing after Murphy Kennedy shared her belief that the old ritual could somehow wake Everest Kennedy's comatose father. Annika couldn't brush off the desperate, burning hope shining in the older woman's eyes—the kind only a mother holding out for her child's recovery could carry. Annika didn't believe in all that ritual nonsense herself, but she couldn't bring herself to crush the old woman's last shred of hope.

"Alright. I'll work with the minister and get this done," Annika agreed.

"Thank you, dear! Come on, follow me to his room," Murphy Kennedy said, her step suddenly light as she led Annika inside. Behind them, Selena Kennedy trailed after, a doubtful shadow clouding her eyes.

Could Annika actually trust a fake ritual to wake a ten-year coma patient? Was she just using this to suck up to the Kennedys, clawing her way out of obscurity into the big leagues? Selena didn't buy it for a second. The whole minister story was just a scam to comfort the old lady—there was no way it'd actually pull off a miracle.

The hospital room was set up exactly how the minister demanded: candles flickered everywhere, offerings stacked neatly on the side table. Peter Kennedy lay still on the bed, his face still deathly pale. Thanks to top-tier medical care and cutting-edge medication, he still looked like a man in his early forties.

The minister, robed head to toe in ceremonial garb and clutching a gnarled wooden staff, instructed, "The blood donor stands to the left of the bed. Place your palm on the patient's wrist, and stay perfectly still."

Even though Annika didn't believe a word of it, she followed every instruction patiently, just to ease the old woman's mind. The ceremony dragged on, long and tedious, feeling like it would never end. By the time the candles burned down to nubs and Annika's legs ached, she could barely stay on her feet.

Right when she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she felt it—a faint, subtle shift under her palm, right at his wrist.

"Mrs. Kennedy, I think he's moving!" Annika blurted, lifting her head just in time to see Peter's eyelids flutter.

His fingers twitched, and a thin, ragged sound slipped past his lips.

"He's awake! Peter's really awake! The ritual worked!" Murphy Kennedy shrieked, scrambling to the bedside. "Quick—call the doctor! My son's awake, he's actually awake!"

Doctors poured in seconds later, running a battery of tests on Peter, and confirmed it: he'd miraculously regained consciousness. The first face he saw was Annika's, leaning over him pale and tired, and he tugged up a small, genuine smile. The warm thud of her heart skipped a beat, and the fog in his mind cleared for just a moment.

The doctors marveled, "This is truly a miracle. Not only did Mr. Kennedy wake up, his vitals are completely stable, and his consciousness is clearing faster than we ever expected."

"He's been in a coma for a full ten years—no sign of waking at all, and now he's not just conscious, he's in this good of shape? This is unheard of! This case is going to change everything in neurology," one doctor added.

Murphy Kennedy broke down, weeping happy tears, "We've truly been blessed."

The doctors' amazement only reinforced Murphy's faith in the ritual. To her, Peter's awakening wasn't just a medical fluke—it was a gift from Annika, who she already considered the family's good luck charm.

Selena and the minister swapped a confused, shocked glance. Could their dumb fake ritual actually have woken up a coma patient?

Dark frustration clouded Selena's eyes. Had she fumbled her one shot to earn favor with the family, just for Annika to stroll in and grab it without even trying?

Annika knew it the second it happened: Peter waking up was just a random accident. The stupid ceremony meant nothing.

Regret coiled tight in Selena's chest. If she'd known this would happen, she never would've bribed the minister to pull this stupid farce—she never would've accidentally handed Annika the spotlight, and all of Murphy Kennedy's gratitude on a silver platter.

Just like Selena expected, Murphy pulled Annika aside, showering her with praise.

"Annika, you truly are my savior, my lucky star. Peter was asleep for ten years, I prayed every single day for him to open his eyes. Even when the doctors gave up hope, you showed up—and today he woke up because of you!"

"Mrs. Kennedy, you're too kind. I really didn't do much at all," Annika replied humbly.

Murphy was just about to ask if Annika had any requests, promising the entire Kennedy family would pull every string to give her whatever she wanted. But Annika cut in politely, "Mrs. Kennedy, now that he's awake, I should head out."

Murphy froze for a second, shocked—she never expected Annika to walk away asking for nothing. Everyone knew how powerful the Kennedys were; this was the perfect chance to lock in a connection with the family.

Genuinely grateful, Murphy pressed her directly, "Annika, if there's anything at all you want—even just a small favor—you just have to say the word."

"No, thank you. I already gave 200cc of blood for this—that's enough for one day," Annika answered casually, already turning to leave.

Selena's head snapped up. 200cc? She leaned in for a closer look, and sure enough, the empty blood bag was labeled with exactly that amount. The minister had only drawn a tiny amount—not the full 1000cc the nurse had written down for the ritual.

Selena's glare burned into Annika's back, sharp enough to cut glass. Why did Annika always walk away from every single mess totally unscathed?

Seeing Annika was genuinely eager to leave and rest, Murphy ordered her bodyguards to escort Annika home safe, already planning to find a proper occasion later to thank her properly.

"Make sure Annika gets home safe, and keep her protected the whole way," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," the bodyguards answered in unison.

"Wait one second," Murphy suddenly remembered, "Annika, during the ritual you called my grandson Everest 'trash.' What was that about? Did he do something to upset you?"

"Actually…" Annika hesitated, staring at the warm, genuine kindness on Murphy's face. Today was such a special day for the family, she didn't want to upset the older woman any more than necessary.

So she dodged the question. "Mrs. Kennedy, it was just a misunderstanding. I was calling my boyfriend a jerk. His name's really similar to Mr. Kennedy's. Everest Kennedy is powerful, way out of my league—an ordinary girl like me would never even cross paths with him."

"Oh? Did you break up with your boyfriend? What happened?" Murphy asked, leaning in with genuine concern for the young woman.

"He…" Just mentioning Everest Kennedy made Annika's fingers curl into her palm involuntarily. Even though they'd split clean, the wound was still raw and aching.

After a beat of silence, Annika said simply, "He lied to me for three years. When I found out, I ended it right then and there."

"Ah, I see. It's terrible how many dishonest people are out there these days—liars and grifters everywhere. Especially for a sweet young thing like you, you've got to stay so careful."

"Yeah, I learned my lesson. I won't trust anyone that easily again."

"That's right, dear, you're such a sensible young woman," Murphy said, her fondness for Annika growing by the second as they talked.

"Someday, if my grandson Everest ends up with someone like you? He'd be the luckiest man alive. By the way, Everest's on his way to the hospital right now. Would you wait just a little bit to meet him?"