Chapter 77 Morally blackmail
Facing the pleas of the three, Mason sat in the chair without moving or speaking.
Dasha glanced at Mason, then told the three kneeling people, “Get up.”
As she spoke, the elderly woman wiped her tears and cried, “You may not know me, I’m from the ward next to yours. My son just turned thirty this year and has kidney failure…”
As the woman cried, Dasha’s heart skipped a beat, thinking of what Leila had told her today.
The woman wiped her tears and told Dasha a lot, then turned to Mason again. “Mr. Ramirez, we know you have this ability, please save my son, our family will definitely repay you.”
The commotion caused by the three was not small. In just a few minutes, the room door was crowded with onlookers.
Some were purely here for the gossip, while others had different hopes.
When Leila and Tessa returned, the door was packed with people.
The two glanced at each other, and Tessa stepped forward, pushing through the crowd to get inside.
“Excuse me, excuse me, this is our ward.”
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Tessa had a loud voice and a strong push, and soon she cleared a path.
Leila followed closely behind, and the two entered the room.
Leila didn’t know the three people kneeling on the ground, but Tessa recognized them. She leaned in and whispered to Leila, “They’re from next door. He’s just thirty, with young kids, and his wife ran off…”
Leila furrowed. It was clear that these people had likely heard about Mason being here and were now pleading for his help in finding a kidney donor.
The elderly woman’s eyes were red from crying as she refused to get up. “If Mr. Ramirez doesn’t agree to help me, I’ll stay kneeling here all day.”
Leila stepped forward, gently placing the fruit she was carrying down, and then bent to help the older woman stand. “Auntie, kneeling like this won’t solve anything.”
Her voice was calm, but her hand on the woman’s forehead was firm.
The woman grabbed Leila’s legs tightly. “Miss Patel, please, you and Mr. Ramirez must save my son. He’s so young. If something happens to him, how can our family continue?”
The woman cried hysterically, clinging to Leila’s legs and refusing to let go. Mason, watching from the side, started to move, but Leila subtly shook her head at him. His eyes darkened, and his expression was cold and severe.
Dasha noticed Leila’s gesture and whispered to Mason, “This is not the time for you to speak.
Human nature is often shameless and selfish. You can never fully understand someone’s limits or moral boundaries. ” Despite Leila and Dasha’s signals, Mason didn’t heed them.
He spoke in a low voice, “May I ask who told you to come to me?”
His question stopped the woman’s pleas immediately. Seeing her silence, Mason continued, “I’m not a local. My business and connections aren’t even here.”
The implication was clear: how did they know he had the capability to find a kidney donor?
The woman, clearly flustered, stammered, “No one told us to come to you. We just heard…”
Mason’s tone remained unreadable. “Heard from whom?”
The woman hesitated, glancing towards Tessa. Before she could speak, Tessa quickly denied, “Don’t try to pin this on me. I would never say such things.”
Realizing that blaming Tessa wouldn’t work, the woman began to speak nonsensically, “We heard it from the nurses during rounds.”
Initially, Tessa had sympathized with them, even discussing with Dasha the idea of donating some money to help. But at this moment, her sympathy vanished completely. She laughed lightly and said, “The nephrology nurses would never say such things.”
Finding a kidney donor is already difficult enough. If one family manages to find a match, everyone else will be envious. And if they’re unlucky enough to encounter someone with power and influence, there’s a risk of their opportunity being taken away. That’s why, to avoid conflict, medical staff and family members keep these matters a secret.
And now she’s claiming she heard it from the nurses. Isn’t that just pure lies?
The woman was left speechless by Tessa’s retort, and there was a hint of resentment in her eyes.
But Tessa was not someone to be trifled with. She stepped forward, pushing the woman away. “We all sympathize with your family’s plight, but you can’t use our sympathy to morally blackmail us.”
“I don’t.”
“Then why have you been threatening to kneel here all day if Mr. Ramirez doesn’t help your family. ”
The woman’s face flushed red, silenced by Tessa’s words. Just then, someone in the crowd outside the door began to speak up. “They really are in a tough spot. Since this big boss has the ability, why not help them out?”
Once someone spoke up, others chimed in. “Yeah, finding a kidney donor is like finding a needle in a haystack for us ordinary folks, but for someone like him, it’s just a matter of asking around, right?”
Upon hearing someone speak up for her one after another, the woman kowtowed to Mason with a thud.
“Mr. Ramirez, please help us. Please.”
“We have no other options.”
“We’re desperate.”
The woman sobbed while kowtowing, and the crowd outside began to criticize Mason’s decision.
Leila heard the conversation and glanced at Mason. She turned to the family of three kneeling on the ground and said coldly, “We can’t help with this favor. He helped my mom find a kidney source because he’s my boyfriend, and he may not have the ability to find a second one in a short time. And even if he can, if you come to ask today and he finds one for you, then tomorrow, other patients’ families will follow suit. Do you expect him to find donors for everyone?”
The woman looked up at Leila.
Leila remained expressionless at this moment. “You can leave on your own, or I can call security, or I can call the police. Take your pick.”
Leila’s voice was cold.
For a moment, the family of three and the crowd outside the ward fell silent.
Seeing this, Tessa stepped forward to help the woman kneeling on the ground. “Alright, that’s enough. ”
The woman remained stubborn, pushing Tessa aside and addressing Leila, “I can’t control others; I only care about my son. If others come seeking help, that’s their business.”
Leila’s eyes grew cold. This was human nature-self-concerned and indifferent to others.
The woman continued, feeling justified, “My son is only thirty. I can’t just watch him die.”
Leila interjected, “So what?”
Taking a deep breath, the woman revealed her ultimate goal, “I asked the doctor, and the kidney that matched your mother also matches my son. He’s in critical condition, your mother can wait for a while, and you…”
Before she could finish, Leila’s voice turned icy, “Tessa, call the police.”
Tessa, stunned by the woman’s shocking words, paused for a few seconds before responding, “Alright, okay,” and pulled out her phone to dial.
As Tessa was about to press the call button, a displeased voice came from the door, “Why are you all here??”
“Dr. Hans.”
“Dr. Hans.”
Dr. Hans looked at the family of three kneeling on the ground and said, “You should go back first.”
The woman, seeing Dr. Hans, burst into tears even harder, wiping her eyes and refusing to get up. “I won’t go back. This is my son’s last hope.”
Dr. Hans frowned, “Mrs. Owen, please don’t do this.”
The woman insisted, “Dr. Hans, please speak up for us. If it’s not possible, we can pay for the kidney, even though we don’t have money now, we can borrow…”
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became.
Dr. Hans was moved by her words, but Tessa sneered, “So they even want it for free? Shameless.”
At that moment, Leila had already dialed the police.
“Hello, I need help. I’m at…”
Before Leila could finish her sentence, Dr. Hans stepped forward, snatched the phone from her hand, and hung up. “What are you doing?”
Before Dr. Hans could finish his sentence, Mason, who had been sitting in the chair all along, stood up and walked to Leila’s side, looking down at him. “What are you doing?”
Dr. Hans was uncomfortable under Mason’s imposing presence and avoided his gaze. Instead, he looked at Leila and said, “They’re just a desperate family. They’re only pleading with you. Is it necessary to call the police?”