The elevator doors glided open on the ground floor.
Rushing into the lobby at a near-sprint was the entire executive board: Dr. Sterling, the Chief of Surgery, the Chief Financial Officer, and four major university trustees—all dressed in formal suits, sweating and checking their watches in sheer panic.
Victoria’s eyes widened. She turned to Dr. Sterling with a relieved, arrogant grin.
"Dr. Sterling! Thank goodness you’re down here. We have a disruptive situation with an unscheduled visitor and an insubordinate receptionist—"
Dr. Sterling didn't even look at Victoria. He brushed straight past her, coming to a halt directly in front of the elderly woman in the faded coat.
In front of the entire lobby, Dr. Sterling and the trustees stopped, lowered their heads, and bowed with absolute reverence.
"Madame Vance," Dr. Sterling breathed, his hands trembling slightly. "We... we were waiting for you in the eleventh-floor boardroom. We had no idea you were already in the building! Welcome to Vance Memorial Pavilion."
Victoria’s mouth fell open in paralyzing horror. Her tablet slipped from her grip, clattering loudly against the tiles.
Madame Clara Vance. The sole benefactor, billionaire philanthropist, and living founder whose family endowment had funded eighty percent of the medical center’s construction.