Chapter 15
"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?"
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