Chapter 7: Fight to the Death

Words : 2267 Updated : Dec 11th, 2025

Eddie Warth lunged to Kevin Warth's side and dropped to his knees. "Dad! Dad, what's wrong? Wake up!" He reached to feel the breath under Kevin's nose, then whipped around and glared at Asher Jauncy. "It's you! This is all you! You just cursed my dad to die and sent him into an attack! You killed my dad! I won't stop until one of us is dead!" He tried to scramble up and lunge at Asher. Relatives from the Warth family yanked him back. "Eddie! Don't be reckless! This isn't the time to fight. Check on the head of the family first!" "Check what? My dad isn't breathing!" Eddie thrashed and roared, tears and snot streaming. "It's this bastard's fault! I'm killing him today to avenge my dad!" Asher's face stayed unreadable. He spoke, unhurried. "He isn't dead. And I didn't rile him into this." The room buzzed again. "Not dead? In that state and not dead? Is the kid trying to wriggle out of it?" "Yeah, Eddie checked his breath. He wasn't breathing!" "He's just dodging responsibility. The Warth family isn't someone you can mess with!" Eddie trembled with rage and jabbed a finger at Asher's face. "Still talking nonsense? Look at my dad! You stand there lying through your teeth-what the hell are you up to?" Asher ignored him. He looked down at Kevin Warth and said in a flat voice, "His Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery was botched. The vessel re-occluded. That has nothing to do with me." "Bullshit!" A furious shout split the crowd. Cody Looske couldn't sit still anymore. He strode out, pointing at Asher, face dark. "The one who operated on Kevin was my younger brother, Zion Looske. He's the Director of Cardiac Surgery at Zerton Heart Hospital, one of the best in the country! How could his surgery have a problem? You're just slinging mud to shrug off blame!" Zion Looske's name carried serious weight in Zerton. Plenty of rich folks couldn't even get on his schedule. For Asher to claim Zion botched a surgery? If that spread, Zion's reputation would be toast. People chimed in from all sides: "Exactly! I know Director Zion's work-he's incredible. There's no way he messed up!" "This kid is bluffing about what he doesn't understand, trying to dump the blame on Director Zion!" "The Warth family better not be fooled. Make him pay with his life!" Andrew Zorn seized the chance. "Mr. Scurr, look at the man you brought. Not only is he spouting wild claims, he's smearing Director Zion's skills. Today, you owe the Warth family and the Looske family an explanation!" Ramon Scurr looked smug. "Told you the kid was a fraud. He made Old Warth collapse and is slandering Director Zion on top of it. I doubt he walks out of here." Juliana Yale hid in Harris Zorn's arms, a note of glee in her voice. "Harris, isn't Asher Jauncy unlucky? He actually made Old Warth faint. The Warths won't let him off!" Harris Zorn patted her back, disdain in his eyes. "Serves him right. Who told him to bite off more than he could chew and go against the Warths? He dug his own grave. Let's just watch how they deal with him." Right then, Cody Looske yanked out his phone, speaking fast. "Enough. No point arguing with this kid. I'm calling my brother to come examine Kevin. Then we'll see whose fault it is." He dialed Zion Looske. "Third Brother! Get to the banquet hall at Zerton International Hotel, now! Kevin's in trouble. Hurry and save him!" After hanging up, he turned to Eddie. "Eddie, don't panic. Third Brother is on his way. He'll be here soon. He can save your dad." Eddie's earlier fury ebbed. Hearing that Zion was coming was like grabbing the last straw. He bobbed his head. "Thank you, Uncle Cody. Thank you! Tell Director Zion to hurry. My dad is counting on him!" For the moment, revenge could wait. He only wanted his father to pull through. Murphy Scurr, rattled by the chaos, edged up to Asher and lowered his voice. "Asher, are you sure Kevin's problem came from a bad surgery? Zion's skill is respected across Zerton. What if…" Asher slanted him a glance. "We'd know when he arrived." Murphy wanted to press further when a rush of footsteps sounded at the banquet hall entrance. A middle-aged man in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses strode in, two nurses behind him with an emergency kit. Zion Looske. He took one look at Kevin Warth on the floor and his expression shifted. He hurried over, dropped to a crouch, opened the kit, and asked, "What happened?" Eddie scrambled aside, voice shaking. "Director Zion, thank God you're here! Please save my dad! He suddenly collapsed. Please check him!" Zion didn't answer at first. He set his stethoscope on Kevin's chest and listened, flicked a penlight across Kevin's pupils, then felt his carotid. His face grew darker by the second. Everyone held their breath, watching his hands, barely daring to inhale. Cody Looske blurted, tense, "Third Brother, well? Can Old Warth be saved?" Zion slowly stood, pulled off his stethoscope, and shook his head to Eddie and the surrounding Warths. His voice turned heavy. "I'm sorry. I did my best. Mr. Warth's heart had already stopped. There's no saving him." The room erupted. Eddie dropped to his knees with a thud, clutching Kevin Warth's body as he wailed. "Dad! How could you leave like this? You can't abandon me! Dad!" "Patriarch! How could you be gone?" "What will the Warth family do now?" Sighs rippled through the crowd. "Who would've thought Old Warth would go just like that. What a shame." "It must've been that punk Asher mouthing off earlier and setting Old Warth off, which clogged his artery!" "Yeah! Asher is a jinx. If not for him, Old Warth wouldn't have collapsed!" "The Warths won't let him go. The kid's in serious trouble." Andrew Zorn exchanged a glance with Cody Looske. Andrew stepped forward and addressed Eddie. "Eddie, my condolences. But your father's death has everything to do with Asher Jauncy. If he hadn't cursed him, your dad wouldn't have gotten worked up and had a blockage. We have to hold him responsible." Cody nodded along. "Right. He cursed your dad and smeared my brother's skills. He must pay." Bloodshot-eyed, Eddie snapped his head up. "I'll kill you! I'll avenge my dad!" Maria Scurr hurried in front of Asher and put out a hand. "Don't be rash. We haven't figured out what happened yet." "Not figured out?" Eddie bellowed, eyes red. "He cursed my dad and my dad collapsed. How is that not clear? Move, or I'll hit you too!" Asher gently eased Maria aside and stepped forward. He faced Eddie charging at him and said, calm as ever, "What's the rush? How do you know your dad can't be saved?" Eddie froze, bewildered. "What do you mean? Director Zion already said my dad can't be saved. What are you trying to do?" Asher ignored him. He walked straight to Kevin Warth, crouched, and began tapping lightly, rhythmically, across Kevin's chest and abdomen. "What are you doing? Don't touch my dad!" Eddie surged forward, but Murphy Scurr held him back. Mockery twisted Zion Looske's face. "Cut the act. Roy Warth's heart has already stopped. Even a god couldn't save him. Who do you think you are? Trying to make a name off this?" He didn't believe Asher could save Kevin. He was one of the country's top cardiac surgeons, after all. If he couldn't save him, how could some ragged kid? The crowd piled on. "Exactly! Director Zion said there's no saving him. This kid is just putting on a show. Ridiculous!" "He's courting attention. When he fails, let's see how he explains himself!" Juliana Yale curled her lip. "Harris, is he crazy? Director Zion said there's no saving him, and he's still messing around. What an embarrassment." Harris Zorn slipped an arm around her waist and let out a cold chuckle. "Let him flail. When he fails, the Warths will deal with him. We'll sit back and enjoy the show." Everyone waited for Asher to make a fool of himself. At that moment, Kevin Warth let out a cough.

Chapter 7: Fight to the Death

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