Chapter 91: A Number Exchanged

Outside, the air was cool. Instead of driving north to the estate, Jude pointed the Koenigsegg toward his midtown apartment, crossing the bridge back into Manhattan.

Traffic moved steadily. Near the eastern conservatory gardens, a small crowd had gathered on the sidewalk under a streetlamp.

An elderly man in a dark cashmere coat lay on the pavement, his face pale and breathing shallow.

Kneeling beside him was a woman in her early 20s wearing a trench coat, pleading with the people around her.

"Does anyone have a car nearby?" she asked, her voice shaking. "We need to move him."

The onlookers kept a couple of steps back, hesitating.

"Call 911, miss," a man said from the edge of the circle. "Don’t move him until the ambulance gets here."

"There’s no time," she insisted, looking down the empty avenue. "He needs his medication now."

Seeing the crowd back away, Jude pulled the car to the curb and stepped out.

"Need a ride?" Jude asked.

The woman looked up, standing quickly. "Yes... please."

"Let’s get him in," Jude said.

Jude checked the man’s pulse.

It was faint and irregular, consistent with an acute medical event.

Between the tailored coat on the old man and the woman’s composure, the situation was clearly genuine.

Jude lifted the man into the passenger seat, helping him back against the headrest while the woman sat close to keep him steady. Jude got behind the wheel and pulled into traffic.

"Thank you, sir," she said quickly.

"Mount Sinai is 4 minutes north if I take the ramp," Jude said, glancing at the navigation.

"No, don’t take him to the hospital," she interrupted. "Standard ERs don’t carry what he needs. We have to go directly to our residence."

Jude glanced over. Refusing an emergency room during a collapse was unusual.

Seeing his hesitation, she added, "He has a specific vascular condition. The compounded stabilizer he takes is at the house. Take us to The Peninsula Estates on Sutton Place."

Jude’s expression eased.

The Peninsula Estates was an exclusive gated community on the East River with strict security and high-value private townhouses.

Jude accelerated across town, covering the distance in under 8 minutes.

On the drive, the woman introduced herself as Chloe Liu, a student home on break who had been walking with her grandfather, Harrison Liu, when he collapsed.

Jude didn’t immediately recognize the name, indicating the family kept their business private.

The car cleared the gates at the Peninsula Estates and stopped in front of a 3-story limestone residence.

"Can you help me carry him inside while I get the medication?" Chloe asked, opening her door.

"Of course," Jude said.

Jude lifted Harrison Liu and followed Chloe through the front doors into a large drawing room, placing him onto a sofa.

Footsteps hurried down the hall as family members entered the room, accompanied by 2 security guards in dark suits.

Leading them was a middle-aged man in a tailored waistcoat who stopped short when he saw Jude by the sofa.

"What’s going on here?" the man demanded, looking at Jude. "Who are you?"

Jude straightened his jacket, his tone calm. "Your father collapsed near the park 20 minutes ago. I was driving past and brought him back at Miss Liu’s request."

The man looked at his father on the sofa, his expression darkening as he turned toward the guards behind him.

"What do I pay you for?" he snapped. "How did he leave the property without an escort?"

Both guards looked down, staying silent.

"Leave the security detail out of it. Grandfather told them to stay at the gate tonight."

Chloe Liu’s voice cut across the room as she came down the staircase carrying a small rosewood case.

Her uncle, Victor Liu, turned toward her with an irritated look. "And since you were with him, how did this happen? If something goes wrong with the head of the house tonight, who answers for it?"

Chloe didn’t slow down. "You think I wanted him to collapse, Uncle Victor? If you’re concerned about his health, step aside and let me get to him."

She walked past him, knelt beside the sofa, and opened the case.

Taking a small glass vial from the velvet lining, she took out a dark herbal tablet, accepted a glass of water from the housekeeper, and helped Harrison Liu take it.

The medication took effect quickly...

Within a minute, the pale tone left the older man’s face, his breathing evened out, though he remained asleep.

Seeing his father stabilize, Victor swallowed the rest of his remarks and signaled the 2 bodyguards. "Get him upstairs to his room so he can rest."

As the staff carried Harrison Liu toward the elevator, Jude turned to Chloe with a nod. "Now that he’s taken care of, I’ll head out."

Chloe stood up, turning to face him. "I appreciate you stopping to help, Jude. Let me get your number. My grandfather will want to thank you when he wakes up tomorrow."

"No need," Jude said with an easy smile. "I was heading down the avenue anyway."

Chloe paused, slightly surprised.

People usually looked for reasons to get in touch with her family, yet Jude had turned it down without a second thought.

"If he finds out I let you leave without a contact, he won’t be pleased," she said. "Just a number."

"Fair enough," Jude said.

They exchanged numbers, and Chloe walked him out to the driveway as he got into the Koenigsegg and pulled through the gates.

2 minutes after turning onto the street, his screen lit up with a contact confirmation and a message from Chloe: Home safe yet? Thanks again for tonight.

Jude sent a quick reply and checked the time.

It was past 9:30 PM. He turned south, planning to head back to his midtown apartment.

His private line lit up red on the dashboard.

It was Anna.

Jude tapped the steering wheel to connect. "Anna?"

"Sir, where are you?" Anna’s voice sounded strained over the speaker. "Can you pick me up?"

Jude downshifted, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What happened?"