Novel Palace
Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Fishy Nolan “We will consider your suggestion, Nolan,” Carlos answered
He intended to ask about the doctor that Nolan recommended before arriving at a decision
Also, he saw Kate’s hesitation
He could tell that, like him, Kate had a strange feeling about Nolan’s sudden offer.
“Kate?” Nolan turned to Kate as if asking for her approval
Kate awkwardly smiled and replied, “It’s just that Carlos’ doctor already knows him, his medical history, but if you say this other doctor is the best, then we will reevaluate.”
him to take your case
It will be good for Carlos.”
“Anyway, I better get going
Since I am already here, I am meeting the hospital director in a few minutes, too
I might even convince the hospital not to charge for the operation
Hope you will take my advice,” he added.
Kate just smiled and offered, “I’ll walk you out.”
After asking Lemuel to stay with Carlos, Kate strode with Nolan to the lifts NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.
It was there when they had a brief chat
Nolan sought, “Kate, I don’t know how you can hold up with this
I mean, Carlos will always travel
Is this really the life you want?”
“I love Carlos, Nolan
I understand his life
If I weren’t so busy with the company, I would have come during his first match in the US Open,” Kate revealed.
“You know, when I learned Carlos had a previous injury, I thought this was not good
He needs to have the best doctor to attend to him
What good is my connection in the medical field if I could not help a friend?” Nolan said.
“That’s very nice – ” Kate paused
It suddenly dawned on her that Nolan knew of Carlos’ previous injury
She frowned, thinking, ‘Wait, did we ever mention this to him? I’m pretty sure we did not.’
Earlier, Kate thought it was rather odd for Nolan to come all the way to New York to see Carlos
A simple phone call would have done the deal
Then, she considered, what kind of head department doctor would give his services for free to the wealthy? It was understandable to offer charity services for those who were less fortunate, but Carlos didn’t mind paying for the best services, and it was the same with her
“Kate?” Nolan asked again.
“Um, sorry
I was just thinking,” Kate reluctantly replied
“Kate, you know, surgery has its complications
That’s why doctors give a percentage of success because anything can happen during the surgery
This is true even with the best surgeons in the country,” Nolan began
“What if the surgery doesn’t turn out successful? What if Carlos will never be that hotshot tennis player that he is now? Sooner or later, he will fall off the tennis ranking.” “You should prepare yourself, Kate,” Nolan suggested
“You’ll have to take care of the company and Carlos, too
You have been pampered all your life
I don’t think you are cut out for this, Kate.”
Kate looked Nolan in the eye, aghast
She replied curtly, “Even if Carlos cannot walk again, Nolan
I will stay with him because I love him.” “What makes you think I am not cut out to care for Carlos? Are you suggesting that I leave him if the surgery turns out to be a failure? My love for him isn’t shallow -”
“Kate, I’m sorry
I – I was just worried about you
Even if the operation is a
success, many things can go wrong
Athletes, you know, they overexert themselves, and these things can happen again,” Nolan pointed
“I hope Carlos can lie low for a while.”
“Don’t worry
With me by his side, he will recover faster
I will always be his number one supporter
No matter what,” Kate firmly said before excusing herself, “I need to go back to Carlos
I’m sure you know your way around here.”
“Okay, Kate
I’ll see you,” Nolan said, but Kate did not reply
She merely glanced back at Nolan before leaving him alone to wait for the lift.
When Kate entered Carlos’ room, she announced, “I don’t want us to change doctors.”
“I know
Something about Nolan is fishy,” Carlos said.
Kate, on the other hand, suggested at the same time, “Something is fishy about Nolan.”
That entire day, Carlos and Kate studied the success rate of Dr
Bryan Kelly’s surgeries
They found out that Dr
Kelly was the best in the city, only that he refused the head department position
He had an impressive success rate in ligament surgery and attended to other sports athletes too; many of them were football players and basketball players
They became more confident with their choice, and thus, they scheduled Carlos’ operation in two days.
As for Nolan? He called Kate the next day, and she made him believe they were going for his recommended doctor
Kate said, “Doctor Levin will operate on
Carlos.” “That’s good
That’s good to hear,” Nolan said over the phone
“Carlos is in good hands.”
“Is he?” Kate asked
She tried her best to hide the sarcasm in her tone.
“Yes, Kate
Don’t you trust me?” Nolan asked.
“Of course, I don’t think you would recommend someone with ill intentions, considering how we earnestly think of you as a friend,” Kate suggested.
There was a brief silence on the phone before Nolan replied, “I want only the best for Carlos, Kate
Trust me.”
***
Carlos’ operation was scheduled on the same day as the US Open finals
Alexander was able to pass through the semi-finals
Sadly, though, he would not be facing off against Ivan Conners, for he was disqualified for that year’s tournament
Alexander would have wanted to put Ivan in his place.
It was reported that Ivan Conners had taken enhancement drugs that boosted his performance on court during his match with the Devil
The supporters of Carlos were inflamed, but there was nothing more that could be done since Carlos had already injured his left ankle.
Learning that The Devil will undergo a surgery, many of his followers sent their best wishes and prayers through his social media pages
Alexander, on the other hand, went to the hospital before his match
The two friends clasped hands
Carlos repeated his wish for Alexander
“Win for me.”
With a nod, Alexander said, “I’ll win the US Open for you.”
***
While the finals to the US Open commenced and Carlos began his surgery, at US Medlink Stoll Pharma headquarters, Nolan was anxiously waiting
He could not work at all, merely looking at the screen of his computer
He received no word from Dr
Levin, but he was confident the same doctor would follow his request
Nolan had blackmailed Dr
Levin
That was how he learned of Carlos’ previous medical record
Being the head of the orthopedics department, the same doctor had access to all medical files at the hospital
Aside from the doctor
Nolan paid off one of the biggest investors of the US open
and he had commissioned the maintenance to make the locker rooms hazardous for Carlos
He also set Carlos up to be paired with Ivan Conners
Ivan was supposed to take care of Carlos, make him fall into a serious injury
Nolan already anticipated The Devil to slip one way or another, especially since Ivan knew exactly where to aim at; Carlos’ left leg balance
Ivan was supposed to keep encouraging Carlos to play and completely destroy his leg, but Alexander and the bodyguard discouraged The Devil
Nolan frowned, thinking he didn’t have to involve Dr
Levin again, but since his initial plan did not work perfectly, he orchestrated the operation
It was meant to damage Carlos’ leg permanently
Carlos would never play tennis again.
When he learned that Ivan Conners was disqualified two days ago, he feared that he would be found out, but after seeing that there was no action taken against him, he was convinced Ivan did not spill
“He better not
I paid him a hefty amount of money.” 1
Then, when he heard from Kate that they were having the operation with Dr
Levin, he felt assured no one found out how he was behind everything
He thought, “After this, Carlos cannot recover completely
Kate will struggle, dealing with Carlos’ situation
I know it and I will be there to lend Kate a hand.” A smile formed on his face as he imagined it
“I will be a shoulder to cry out for Kate
I will give her the comforts in life and show her how… I am better than Carlos.”
“Kate will be – ”
The doors to his office swung open
Police officers came in, announcing, “Mister Nolan Stoll, we have a warrant for your arrest!”
Nolan was horrified
He could not believe his ears
‘Gentlemen, what – what for? What did I do?’
“You are under arrest for giving Ivan Conners unapproved drugs from your pharmaceutical company, for blackmailing Doctor William Levin, for bribing a US Open official and for sabotaging Carlos Ronaldo’s match.”
The detective who came that day was Carlos’ old ally, officer Baker
For all the help Carlos had given the law enforcement, detective Baker would not let Nolan get away
He turned to his men and ordered, “Arrest this sick bastard!”