The nurses' station buzzed with hushed voices as the evening shift dragged on. Four nurses huddled together, their eyes gleaming with scandalous curiosity, while Renner lingered at the edge, listening quietly.

  Nurse A (leaning in, voice dripping with intrigue):

  "You’ve all heard about Mr. Hezri, right? The one admitted yesterday? The whole city’s talking!" She fanned herself dramatically.

  Nurse B (rolling her eyes, correcting her):

  "Wrong. It’s not him everyone’s gossiping about—it’s that brute, Rob Lim. Hezri’s just the guy who got tangled up in it." She crossed her arms, lips pursed.

  Nurse C (nodding vigorously):

  "Oh, Rob Lim! The one who went viral smashing up that café!" She pulled out her phone, scrolling through footage of the destruction. "Absolute madman. No wonder his wife left him."

  Nurse D (adjusting her gsses, lowering her voice):

  "According to the news, Rob’s being charged for assaulting Hezri and torturing his wife." She shook her head. "And get this—Hezri was discharged this morning in a wheelchair, only to be readmitted tonight!"

  All eyes turned to Renner, the quietest of the group, who had been silently organizing patient files.

  Renner (sighing, finally looking up):

  "Mr. Hezri’s condition isn’t pretty. His legs are badly swollen, his face and neck covered in bruises. Deep cuts, too." She frowned. "Whoever did it wasn’t holding back."

  Nurse A (grinning, nudging Nurse C):

  "But here’s the real mystery—four stunning women visiting him at once! And let’s be honest, he’s not exactly handsome." She wiggled her eyebrows.

  Nurse C (snickering):

  "Oh please, it’s obvious. Money. Lots of it." She gestured toward the window. "Did you see those Ferraris in the parking lot? One for each woman!"

  Nurse B (fanning herself mockingly):

  "If Hezri’s that rich, sign me up. I’d tolerate a bruised face for a Ferrari."

  Nurse D (ughing, then pausing):

  "Wait—wasn’t Rob’s wife one of those women? She was driving the same Ferrari!"

  Renner (shooting them a stern look):

  "We’re medical professionals. We really shouldn’t be gossiping like this."

  Just then, Dr. Lakyus, a sharp-eyed woman in a white coat, strode past, her expression unreadable. The nurses froze, but the way her steps slowed just slightly told them everything—she’d heard every word.

  ***

  The door clicked shut behind Lena, Maya, Alicia, and Sara as they left Hezri’s hospital room, their hushed ughter and the scent of expensive perfume lingering in the air. Alone now, Hez exhaled slowly, his bruised ribs aching as he adjusted against the stiff pillows. The private suite was quiet—too quiet—until the door swung open again.

  Two women in crisp hospital uniforms stepped inside, their presence immediately commanding attention.

  The Nurse: Renner

  Appearance: Tall (171cm), with striking almond eyes and dark hair pinned neatly under her cap. Her uniform hugged her figure in a way that suggested she knew exactly how attractive she was.

  Movement: Efficient, almost graceful, as she checked the IV drip with practiced hands.

  Expression: Professional, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her gaze as she gnced at Hez.

  The Doctor: Lakyus

  Appearance: Even more arresting—sharp cheekbones, piercing green eyes, and an air of quiet authority. Her white coat was pristine, her posture fwless.

  Movement: Confident strides as she flipped through his chart, her nails perfectly manicured.

  Expression: Cool, analytical, but Hez caught the way her eyes lingered on the empty chair where four stunning women had just been seated.

  Hez’s lips twitched. Interesting.

  His system flickered to life, scanning the newcomers:

  [Renner - Nurse]

  Age: 25

  Familiarity: 1 (Aware of your public incidents)

  Status: Observant, mildly intrigued

  [Dr. Lakyus - Attending Physician]

  Age: 28

  Familiarity: 1 (Knows of you from news/social media)

  Status: High intelligence, potential threat

  Renner adjusted his pillow, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

  Renner: "You're quite the celebrity around here. Four beautiful women visiting at once? The whole nursing staff is buzzing."

  Hezri gave her his most charming pained smile. "What can I say? I inspire loyalty."

  Dr. Lakyus finally looked up from the chart, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised.

  Dr. Lakyus: "Or recklessness, given these injuries." Her gaze flicked to the fading bruises on his face. "Though I suppose money can buy many kinds of... devotion."

  The system pinged with a new alert:

  [New Social Connections Detected]

  [Dr. Lakyus - High Intelligence/Authority Detected]

  [Potential for Familiarity Growth: High]

  Hezri's grin widened despite the pain in his split lip. The game board kept expanding, and these two might prove very interesting additions indeed.

  Hezri leaned back against his hospital pillows, his bruised face breaking into a grin as he studied the two women before him.

  Hezri: "Let me buy you both something nice. A gift—no strings attached."

  Renner blinked, her professional composure slipping for just a moment. "Excuse me?"

  Dr. Lakyus, however, didn’t even look up from her chart. "That won’t be necessary."

  Undeterred, Hez pressed on.

  Hezri: "Come on, everyone has debts. Let me pay off your car loans."

  Renner’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she shook her head. "Mr. Hezri, that’s highly inappropriate—"

  Hezri: "Think of it as a thank you. For taking such good care of me."

  Lakyus finally snapped her chart shut, fixing him with an icy gre.

  Dr. Lakyus: "Renner. Give him the loan details."

  Renner’s eyes widened. "Doctor—?"

  Dr. Lakyus: "If he’s so desperate to throw money around, let him." Her tone was sharp, annoyed. "Maybe it’ll shut him up."

  After a tense pause, Renner reluctantly recited her loan information—

  Renner, 28,500 loan outstanding and Lakyus, 32,500.

  Hezri didn’t hide his smirk as he transferred the payments on the spot.

  On his dashboard that only he can see:

  System Alert:

  [Third-Party Payments: 63,700]

  [Refund Processed: 127,400]

  [Current Money: 2,400,000]

  The hospital room was silent except for the faint beeping of monitors as both women stared at their phones, processing what they were seeing.

  Renner's Reaction:

  Her fingers trembled slightly as she refreshed her banking app once, then twice, her breath catching in her throat. The numbers didn't change.

  "Bance: 0.00"

  The notification at the top of the screen - "Your auto loan has been paid in full" - seemed to pulse before her eyes. Her lips parted slightly, a flush creeping up her neck as she gnced between Hezri and her phone.

  "This...this can't be real," she whispered, more to herself than anyone. Her thumb swiped across the screen compulsively, as if the numbers might rearrange themselves back to the crushing 28,500 she'd been paying off for years.

  Her clinical professionalism shattered for just a moment, repced by wide-eyed wonder. The weight that had been pressing on her shoulders for so long - the endless monthly payments, the interest calcutions, the budgeting sacrifices - had simply vanished. Her dark eyes glistened with unshed tears of relief before she quickly composed herself, clearing her throat and straightening her posture.

  Dr. Lakyus's Reaction:

  In contrast, Lakyus stood perfectly still, her manicured fingers gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles paled. When she saw the zero bance confirmation, her sharp intake of breath was the only betrayal of her shock.

  Her analytical mind raced through possibilities - money undering? Some eborate scam? - but the notification from her bank was unmistakably genuine. The 35,200 debt that had loomed over her since residency was simply...gone.

  A muscle twitched in her jaw as she fought to maintain her detached demeanor. She swiped through the transaction details with clinical precision, her green eyes narrowing at the payment source - just a string of numbers, no identifying information.

  "There's always a catch," she murmured, her voice low and dangerous. Yet when she looked up at Hezri, there was something new in her gaze - not gratitude, but a fierce, calcuting curiosity. The kind a scientist might have when confronting an impossible specimen.

  The dynamic in the room had shifted palpably. Renner kept stealing gnces at Hezri with a mixture of awe and suspicion, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of her now-debt-free phone. Lakyus, meanwhile, had that look surgeons get when they encounter a puzzle they're determined to solve - no matter how deep they have to cut.

  The air in the hospital room grew thick with tension as Hezri studied the two women before him—their carefully constructed professional facades now fractured by the seismic shift in their financial realities. He could see it—the way Renner's breath came just a little too fast, the subtle tremor in Lakyus's normally steady hands as they clutched their debt-free phones.

  Hezri (leaning forward, voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur):

  "That's just the start. What about your student loans?"

  A beat of silence. Then—

  Renner (a strangled gasp):

  "H-how did you—?"

  Her voice died in her throat. Of course he knew. Medical school debt was the specter that haunted every nurse and doctor in this hospital.

  Dr. Lakyus (teeth clenched, every muscle taut):

  "Don't."

  But Hezri had already pulled out his phone, thumbs hovering over the screen.

  Hezri: "Numbers. Now."

  What happened next was almost painful to watch:

  Renner's Breakdown

  Her hands shook violently as she opened her student loan portal.

  Tears welled but didn't fall—professional pride holding them back.

  "187,600," she whispered, the number tasting like ash.

  Lakyus's Cold Fury

  She stood rigid, jaw locked so tight her temples pulsed.

  When she finally spat out "243,800," it sounded like a curse.

  Her green eyes burned with something dangerous—not gratitude, but rage at being so thoroughly exposed.

  The women gave him the payment methods and using his phone, he paid.

  [Third-Party Payments: Refund Processing:

  431,400 ]

  [Current Money: 2,800,000→3,231,400]

  The moment the confirmations hit their phones:

  Renner actually staggered, bracing herself against the bed rail.

  Lakyus made a sound low in her throat—almost a growl.

  [Renner - Familiarity: 35 → 60] (Psychological Dependence Achieved)

  [Dr. Lakyus - Familiarity: 20 → 30] (Furious but Intellectually Captivated)

  Hezri smiled.

  Some debts couldn't be measured in dolrs.