Finally, I pulled up to the hospital's emergency entrance and grabbed a passing nurse by the arm. "I'm Ms. Jaclyn Prescott's husband! Her parents need medical attention immediately! One was beaten unconscious, and the other is having a severe allergic reaction. Get someone to take them to the ER now!"

However, the young nurse just rolled her eyes at me. "Sir, you've got to be kidding me. Everyone at this hospital knows Ms. Prescott's boyfriend is Mr. Rupert Williams. If you want to skip the line, at least come up with a better story!"

I froze for a moment, but the situation was far too critical to waste time explaining.

I gripped the nurse's arm tighter and said, "Go find Jaclyn right now and tell her that Ivan Shaw sent you. Tell her everything I just said; she'll handle it!"

Seeing the urgency in my expression, the nurse did not dare delay any longer and hurried upstairs to find Jaclyn.

Before long, Jaclyn came down with her.

The moment she saw me, she snapped coldly, "What is wrong with you?! Rupert just called me. He was kind enough to offer your parents dinner, and instead of being grateful, you lied about your mother having an allergy and even attacked Rupert with a knife. You're getting more out of control by the day!"

I was stunned speechless by these false accusations, but there was no time to argue.

I pointed frantically at the car I drove. "They're not my parents; they're your parents! They're both unconscious in the car right now. You need to get them to the ER immediately!"

Jaclyn did not even glance at the car. She yanked her hand away from me and turned to leave.

She simply replied, "My parents? My parents settled abroad years ago and never came back. You'll say anything just to skip the line! Rupert has a PhD in nutrition, and he said your mother just overate. She's fine. I'm the hospital director, and you're my family, so I have to avoid any conflict of interest. I can't let you cut the line."

She added, "Go register and wait your turn like everyone else. Stop trying to use the Prescott family name to take shortcuts."

Realizing I could not count on Jaclyn, and knowing that waiting in line could take forever, I decided to drive Richard and Leona to the nearest public hospital instead.

Just then, hospital security suddenly set up barriers around the car.

I stared in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

The guard looked at me with contempt. "Mr. Williams just called and said the car you drove here belongs to him. You took it without his permission, which makes it stolen property. Until Mr. Williams arrives at the hospital, I can't let you drive this car away!"

My face burned with anger. "This is my family's car! How can Rupert claim it's stolen property?!"

The guard remained unmoved. "I'm sorry, but Ms. Prescott has made it clear to all of us that Mr. Williams' orders are equivalent to her orders. Please don't cause a scene."

My vision blurred just thinking about the two elderly people lying unconscious in the car.

Rupert was basically committing murder!

I tried calling Jaclyn, but this time the call showed I was blocked. With no other option, I called the police and briefly explained how Rupert caused Richard and Leona to fall unconscious and how the hospital security was unlawfully detaining my car.

Before long, a police car arrived at the hospital. Just when I thought things might finally take a turn for the better, Jaclyn stepped in as the hospital director and spoke to the officers before I could.

"My husband, Ivan, had a little disagreement with our butler. The two elderly people just overate; he's lying about an allergic reaction to frame the butler. And that car at the emergency entrance isn't our family car. Although it used to be registered under my name, it was transferred to Mr. Williams a long time ago. Ivan did, in fact, steal someone else's car. I apologize on his behalf for wasting your time. I'm truly sorry."

I was about to argue back when Jaclyn suddenly grabbed me and pulled me aside. She lowered her voice so only I could hear, her tone cold and threatening.

"I'll deal with you later for falsely reporting Rupert to the police! But if you dare say another word of nonsense right now, your parents won't get any treatment at my hospital!"

I did not care about her threats. As long as she saw who was actually in the car, I was sure she would not ignore them.

Just then, another car suddenly pulled into the hospital.

Jaclyn answered a phone call, and her expression immediately changed. She rushed to the car and anxiously ordered the medical staff to lift Rupert onto a stretcher.

"Get Rupert to the ER right now! He was cut on the neck earlier! What if he gets tetanus?!"

Rupert shot me a smug look, then pretended to say weakly, "Ms. Prescott, I know you're worried about me, but I can't break the hospital's rules. I should just wait in line like everyone else."

Jaclyn froze for a moment. As if realizing something, she glanced at me before saying, "How can Ivan even compare to you?! He's my family, so I can't show favoritism. But he injured you earlier, and as his wife, I should make it up to you, so this is not cutting the line, this is completely justified!"

Everything happened so fast that before I could react, the stretcher had wheeled Rupert into the emergency room.

In the meantime, the police left.

Furious, I grabbed Jaclyn's arm. "Jaclyn! Do you have any conscience at all?! Those people in the car are your parents! You won't save your own parents, but you're saving the person who hurt them. Are you even human?!"

Yet, Jaclyn simply shoved me to the ground and spat, "Ivan, those are your parents, not mine. And they just have indigestion. What's there to save?! I told you when we got married not to think that marrying me meant you could use the Prescott family resources however you wanted.

"Luckily, Rupert's been keeping an eye on you all these years. Otherwise, you'd even try to pull strings for something as simple as waiting in line at a hospital. As expected, someone from the countryside has such limited awareness!"

With that, she ignored me lying on the ground and followed Rupert directly into the ER.

A chill spread through my entire body. With no other choice, I tried to call the police again, but after fumbling for my phone, I realized it was gone.

It suddenly hit me that Jaclyn must have taken it while she was talking to me earlier.

I was about to ask other patients waiting nearby if I could borrow their phones, but a circle of tall security guards surrounded me.

The lead guard said, "Ms. Prescott just instructed us not to let you cut the line, not to let you leave, and not to let you file another false police report. Just stay here and wait for your turn!"

With all hope slipping away, I leaned weakly against the hospital wall and could only accept reality.

However, Leona's breathing was getting weaker, and Richard was in no better condition.

After what felt like forever, it was finally my turn. I hurriedly asked the medical staff to move Richard and Leona onto stretchers, but at that moment, the doctor stopped me.

He explained, "Our hospital has a policy. The family must make a payment first before the patient can receive treatment, so Mr. Shaw, please go pay 2000 dollars first."

I froze, then said urgently, "Lives are at stake! Treat them first! I'll get the money together right away!"

To my disbelief, the doctor refused. "Ms. Prescott specifically instructed me that although you're her husband, she doesn't approve of you always trying to use the Prescott family's resources to take shortcuts. She said that as the director's family member, you must avoid any conflict of interest even more, so please follow the proper process and make the payment first."

I was so angry that I felt dizzy, but I had no choice except to rush to Rupert's hospital room.

The moment I pushed the door open, I saw that Rupert took his shirt off, exposing his muscular torso. Meanwhile, Jaclyn was leaning close to his neck, doing something I could not quite see.

When Jaclyn saw me burst in, she froze for a moment, then quickly straightened up.

Her face looked embarrassed, but she still pointed accusingly at me. "How dare you come in without knocking? Do people from the countryside not understand basic manners?"

Rupert pretended to be startled by my entrance. "Please don't misunderstand my relationship with Ms. Prescott and me. She's just checking my wound."

Even as he said that, the provocation in his eyes was impossible to hide.

Nonetheless, I did not have time for his games and said to Jaclyn, "I need 2000 dollars to pay the medical fees, or your hospital won't treat them."

Seeing how indifferent I was, Jaclyn's expression darkened, and she replied coldly, "I already told you, for any household expenses, just submit a request to Rupert."

With that, she walked straight out of the room.

I turned to Rupert and said flatly, "The money."

Rupert immediately dropped the weak act he was putting on in front of Jaclyn and looked at me mockingly. "Mr. Shaw, that's no way to ask for a favor. Where's that courage you had when you held a knife to my throat? How about this! Get down on your knees and apologize to me, and I'll approve the money."

I clenched my fists, but for Richard and Leona's sake, I gritted my teeth and knelt. "I'm sorry."

Rupert burst into laughter, clearly in high spirits. "Good! Now check on your dying parents! The money will be transferred to your account shortly."

Hearing this, I immediately got up and ran to the first-floor lobby to pay the fee, only to discover that only 20 dollars was deposited into my account.

Just then, a message from Rupert came through.

[They just have indigestion, so 20 dollars for some antacids should do the trick. Yet, you're asking for 2000 dollars? Are you trying to pocket the Prescott family's money? I'm not an idiot!]

I was furious and about to confront Rupert when the doctor treating Richard and Leona approached me.

"Mr. Shaw, your mother has passed away due to delayed treatment. Please pay the emergency care fees as soon as possible, or we won't be able to save your father either."

My legs nearly gave out beneath me.

Just then, Jaclyn suddenly appeared beside me, looking anxious. "What's going on? Didn't you say it was just indigestion? How did she pass away?"

I grabbed her by the collar, my eyes bloodshot with rage. "Indigestion?! You believe everything Rupert tells you, don't you? Go look at who is lying dead in that ER! Is it your mother, or mine?!"