The Billionaire's Mistake

MISTAKE 258

Chapter 258: Money

Vivian crossed the room in three long strides, dropping to her knees beside Maya's bed so she could pull the little

girl into the tightest, most relieved embrace imaginable. She buried her face in Maya's soft curls as tears

streamed freely down her cheeks, warm saltwater mingling with the flecks of drying blood speckled across her

skin.

"Thank God, thank God you're okay..." Vivian murmured fervently, cradling the back of Maya's head tenderly. Her

body slumped, as if every ounce of tension was finally being

exhaled. They had made it against all odds.

Maya shifted in her arms, tilting her head back to regard her aunt with concern. "You got souches, Auntie

Viv," she remarked plainly, raising a tiny hand to dab at a tear trailing down Vivian's jaw,

"I'm just so happy to see you, baby," Vivian managed in a cracked whisper. "So, so happy."

She held Maya for several more long moments, soaking in the simple act of watching the girl's chest rising and

falling steadily with each breath. This slittle girl who had been in and out of hospital beds, hooked up to IVs

and monitoring equipment ever since the first signs of her renal failure had been detected at age two. Vivian

silently renewed her vow to ensure this would be the last tshe had to endure this sterile, frightening

environment as a patient.

At last, she pulled back and did her utmost to plaster on a reassuring smile, gently brushing, Maya's unruly curls

away from her forehead.

"Are you scared at all for your surgery, sweetheart?" Her voice was tender, soothing. "It's totally okay if you are.

Being brave doesn't mean you can't be a little scared too."

To Vivian's surprise, the cherubic little girl's face scrunched up matter-of-factly as she shook her head adamantly.

"Nope! Not scared one bit. The doctors tol'they're gonna makeall better. And then | get a new ninja

kidney!"

She giggled, clearly envisioning ssort of small assassin organ working its way into her tiny body. Vivian

couldn't help but laugh wetly at her niece's pure, childlike wonder and imagination. Even now, surrounded by the

cold realities of life-saving medical procedures and recovery wards, Maya somehow retained that spark of

youthful joy.

"You're absolutely right, kiddo," Vivian murmured, pressing a lingering kiss to Maya's warm forehead.

1. "And I'll be right here waiting for you the whole time, okay? You just rest up and let those doctors work their

ninja magic."

Maya hummed contentedly at that, snuggling deeper into her pillows as the surgical team began filtering into

the room. Vivian stood smoothly, stepping back to allow the nurse to begin prepping her niece's IV lines and

leads.

"Alright Maya, it's tfor your big adventure," the kind-eyed woman soothed, her voice

Chapter 258: Money

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adopting that practiced warm cadence for putting young patients at ease. "We're going to give you ssleepy

medicine first so you don't feel anything at all, okay?"

Maya tracked the nurse's movements with rapt attention, showing no hint of fear or anxiety whatsoever as the

sedative began dripping into her IV line. Within minutes, her eyelids grew heavy and fluttered, the little girl

mumbling indistinct slurred words of contentment with each exhale.

Vivian remained rooted to the spot by Maya's bedside until the very last second, holding her niece's limp hand as

the surgical team began wheeling the bed toward the operating suite. Only when Joe materialized at her elbow,

his presence a comforting anchor, did she finally tear

her gaze away.

"We've secured the surgical wing, ma'am," he intoned gruffly as they followed the procession down the hallway.

"Nobody gets in or out of this area for the duration, you have my word."

Vivian gave him a mute nod of acknowledgment, chewing fretfully at her lower lip. Every maternal instinct within

her was screaming to continue shadowing Maya's gurney like a protective lioness. She wanted to be right there,

keeping watch over her beloved niece every second of the procedure.

But she knew that wasn't feasible, no matter how badly her heart twisted at being forced to separate. Her place

would have to be in the surgical waiting room until it was all over and done.

Inside the secured area, the atmosphere was one of hushed, fraught tension. Waiting family members occupied

every available chair and sofa, their expressions all sharing the shaunted, distant quality. Vivian felt as

though she stood out like a sore thumb in their midst unkempt, still coated with splashes of drying blood and

gunpowder residue from the earlier attack. More than one set of eyes raked over her in confusion and muted

horror before the realization dawned that she was likely awaiting news on her own loved one. Hours seemed to

bleed together after that, Vivian curled in a hard plastic chair directly facing the operating room doors. She lost

all sense of time, vacantly staring into the dregs of a rapidly cooling coffee at one point, only to then jolt back to

awareness when Joe pressed a fresh, steaming cup into her hands.

"How long has it been?" She asked dazedly, attempting to blink away the restless tiredness prickling at her eyes.

"Almost four hours now," Joe responded levelly from where he stood sentry beside her chair. " Transplant

procedures can take a while from start to finish."

Right. Of course, Vivian admonished herself silently. Maya's life hung in the balance of the surgeons’ skilled and

patient hands right now. Wallowing in anxiety and fatigue would only prove disrespectful to the immense care

she was receiving. Draining the fresh cup of coffee in a few scalding gulps, she sat up straighter in her plasticky

seat, her shoulders squaring with a renewed sense of determination. If her sweet, impossibly

Chapter 258: Money

brave niece could face this terrifying gauntlet with childlike calm and wonder, then the absolute least Vivian

could do was sit vigil with purpose and fortitude to match.

She wasn't sure how much more thad elapsed, watching as sunlight began filtering through the bank of tall

windows overlooking the city skyline. Morning had given way to midday, lazy golden warmth spilling across the

room's linoleum floors in gilded geometric shapes. Then, just as she settled into an almost meditative rhythm

tracing the paths of the dust motes dancing in those hazy sunbeams, the operating room doors swung open.

Vivian surged to her feet as one of the surgical team members strode out, already unsnapping the loop of his

face mask as a tired yet relieved smile spread across his features. Joe instinctively gripped her elbow, steadying

her as the man neared.

"Mrs. Shaw?" He glanced down at his clipboard to confirm, then held out his hand. "I'm Dr. Lawson, your niece's

lead surgeon."

Vivian barely had tto shake before the words she'd been desperately hoping to hear tumbled out in the

doctor's rich baritone.

"Maya's surgery was a resounding success. The transplant went absolutely flawlessly and she's already being

moved to recovery.

The relief that washed over her was so powerful, so immense that Vivian felt her knees turn to liquid jelly. Dr.

Lawson's hand shot out to catch her elbow as Joe steadied her from the other side.

"Easy there, it's okay," the doctor soothed with a kind chuckle. "No need to collapse onjust yet. I've still got

to give you the full debrief on her condition."

Vivian barely heard his further explanations through the roaring exaltation pounding in her ears, tears of fervent

joy streaking down her cheeks in rivers. Maya's haunting medical odyssey was finally over, relief and new life

now flowing through her tiny body in the form of a pristine, functioning kidney.

All the terror and bloodshed of that morning melted away in the wake of this news, reduced to mere shadows

compared to the blinding sun of hope radiating through Vivian's soul. Her precious niece had been granted the

most miraculous gift one human could give another.

At long last, Maya would be able to live the vibrant, carefree life of a normal little girl,

organs and immune systems. And Vivian had Mathew to

unencumbered by the Plans of failing her

thank for orchestrating this unfathomable blessing with his connections and fortune. Perhaps there was more to

the mysterious man than met the eye.

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