I reclined in my chair, looking around the conference room as I considered my choices, my chest tight with excitement.
I was a doctor first, but I also owned the hospital now, which was bringing me loads of cash each year and had made me a billionaire. It was time to expand, so I’d scheduled this meeting with my investors to discuss the market and go over the hospitals I could buy.
This was a huge project, but I was more than ready to step up my game and invest in new assets.
“We found a few hospitals that might interest you.” Tommy, the third member of the trio, mentioned, sparking my interest.
“You did? Are you sure they fulfill all my requirements?”
“Absolutely. We’ve checked the reductions in their net revenue and their networks. Two of them are merged.”
Tommy slid a stack of papers toward me, and I checked the one on the top, skimming over the lines of text beneath the photos of the property. “And their locations?”
“They’re pretty good. You probably won’t have to make any adjustments of the prices, which can bring you an influx of patients from the start.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want them to turn to another provider just because they have to ante up a lot of money to use our services.”
“You don’t have to worry. I’m positive it will be a win-win situation.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket for the fifth time since the start of the meeting, and I knew I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Rolling my eyes, I stood up and excused myself before I went out of the conference room.
I fished my phone out, already knowing I would see my mother’s name on the screen, and reached a secluded corner in the hallway.
“Hello, Mom,” I answered, preparing myself for the flood of high-pitched words that would come out of her mouth in the next few minutes.
“Bryce! Finally! I feel like I’ve been trying to reach you for ages!”
She had been trying to reach me ten times for the last three hours, which I wouldn’t quite call “ages”, but that was beside the point.
“Yeah, well I’m busy right now, Mom.”
“Oh, nonsense! You’re always busy! You act like you have no mother! And you know what time of the year is now? We haven’t seen you in a while, darling, and we miss you so much. Will you come home? How have you been?”
Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my forehead tiredly. I was supposed to get used to her loud voice and tons of energy she exuded, but it always wore me down quickly. I had to admire my father’s strong nerves, he had been putting up with her for almost forty years.
I let out a short chuckle. “You just asked twenty questions in a ridiculously short amount of time.”
“Th
ere you go again. Anyway, you’re coming home for your father’s 60th, right? It would be so nice to have you here, and we can finally all be together again. You are not going to work or something? You evaded us the last year—”
“I didn’t evade you,” I interrupted her, not surprised in the slightest that she was reproaching me for something that wasn’t even my fault. She’d been mentioning his last birthday this whole year. “I had an emergency case and I couldn’t leave the hospital.”
“But you have so many colleagues who can replace you.”
“Yes, but as you know, I’m the best here.”
And I wasn’t exaggerating. This was the thing I took pride in the most—my reputation. I’d worked extremely hard since my college days, planning to become the best in my field. My hard work had paid off, allowing me to buy a hospital, which was my biggest success so far.
On the other hand, I was required to work harder than ever, choosing to see my patients even though I owned the place, making sure they had the top-quality care. In other words, I had to sacrifice some things—like spending holidays with my family.
“Oh, Bryce. What will I do with you? I can’t stay mad at you for too long. So? Will you be joining us?”
I nodded at one of my coworkers who passed next to me, mouthing my greeting to him, when a perfect idea formed in my head. “Yeah, Mom. Sure. I’ll come.”
She squealed, sounding more like a teenager than a woman in her mid-sixties. “You will?! Is that a promise, honey?”
Cue the eye roll. “It’s a promise, Mom. I’ll definitely be there for Dad’s big birthday.”