MIDNIGHT PRINCE Empire of Sin

y he stopped, ”Thanks aunt Shuri. Thanks for everything you are doing for us. I promise I will repay you. ”

Shuri sighed painfully. She just nodded and went on her way, cursing herself for not being able to do anything for the lovely boy. She prayed so that God could give him the power to get through this tough period.

———

A few minutes later, after walking aimlessly, Adam reached a bench. Even though it was the middle of the week, he could see some people, clearly family, walking around, laughing and having fun.

He blankly looked at all this while remembering the talk with the doctor.

It seemed that his mother was in urgent need of a transplanting operation. Her heart was suffering from a deficiency.

The exact cause of such deficiency in his mothers heart was still unknown. They summarized that they needed more tests to be sure. But knowing why wouldn change the problem at hand.

What mattered was how to save her.

I need money… A great deal of money.

With how developed technology was nowadays, heart transplant surgery wasn particularly complicated or dangerous. Though the after-effects could be quite dangerous, it was something that could also be worked on quite easily.

As such, the main problem was nothing more than money. Not only was the cost of the operation insane, but the most important thing…the aftercare to avoid rejection was no joke.

One million dollars, just for the first year.

Adam could only chuckle helplessly.

The pre-transplant, procurement, hospital admission, physicians fees, post-transplant fees, and immuno-suppressants.

When all of these fees are factored in, a heart transplant would cost around $997,700 at minimum after the insurance did the work. Generally one should expect an average cost of 1.6 million dollars at the very least.

All of this for just the first year alone and if there were no complications throughout. After that, in order to survive, one would still need to buy and use immuno-suppressants for all their life, which would be around a hundred thousand every month.

Cecilia was a courageous mother who did very well for herself despite the situation. But they were barely middle class. More like lower class.

The very fact that they had a house for themselves in LA was thanks to Shuri, as they were tenants in one of her houses. Shuri wanted to give one for free but Cecilia would have never accepted and this was the result.

The worst part of the current situation was that those millions weren even the biggest problem.

Hearts didn grow on trees.

Not only was a compatible heart wasn something easy to get in a short time, on any given day, there are more than 3,100 people in the United States who were on the waitlist and 49% of the people who are on the heart transplantation waitlist have been waiting for over a year for a suitable organ.

Time during which they would have to spend even more money.

Even if they eventually choose to go to another country to get a heart, he doubted they would let them skip the line.

To get a heart transplant, one needed money and influence. Of which they had none.

”Shit! ”

Adam cursed out loud, startling the few people walking near him and causing some parents to hold the hand of their children tightly and accelerate to leave the zone.

Adam didn care that he was being looked at like a raving lunatic. He closed his eyes in order to calm his frustrations before finally letting out a sigh.

Cursing and complaining were just a waste of time. Such time would be better used for something more productive.

Calming down, he took out his phone and switched the screen on, and entered his contact list before stopping at a particular name.

[Boss]

Dialing the number, it didn take long for him to be answered.

[Hello, my favorite worker. I thought you would never contact me again.]

The gentle voice of a woman sounded in his ear. Filled with a teasing undertone. Still, he knew that one should never get fooled by her.

”Hello boss, I just wanted to ask if the proposal about the new job you made a few days ago was still valid. ”

[Hum… Indeed, I am starting a new business and you have the right profile. But why? I thought your mom didn want you to work with me?]

”That doesn really matter, does it? ”

[Hmmm. You are right. So, ready to take the job?]

”Yes. As long as we follow the old rules then I will take any job. ”

He could hear her laugh lightly from the speaker.

[Happy to have you back, boy. Working with you is always such a pleasure. Come to my new bar tonight at seven. I will send you the address. Bye-bye!]

Once the call ended, Adam massaged his forehead.

His mother didn like him walking around these kinds of people. But he knew very well that getting money the normal way was impossible.

Thankfully, even though the new job she wanted him to take was sketchy, it was still better than working as a fighter in the cage and much less dangerous.

He remembered his mother asking him to be home by midnight to honor this day. But he had no other choice.

He didn want to lose his second mother. He had lost one already and he didn believe he could live with the pain of losing the other.