Chapter 24

James finally left the hospital after Colette discharged herself. He reluctantly accepted her payment for the hospital fees, though he had initially refused. It was only after Colette's biting words that he gave in. "James, please don't force yourself," she said coldly. "You don't come from a well-off family, do you? I can afford the fees. I'd feel guilty if you had to work part-time just to pay for my hospital bills." Flustered, he lowered his head. Lately, his dreams had been full of visions of himself as someone else—James Zeller of the Zeller Group, a successful entrepreneur capable of thriving even if he lost everything. But James Zeller was a far cry from James Vanderbilt, a penniless student who hadn't even graduated yet. Demoralized, he lay on his bed in the dorm, unable to understand how everything had gone wrong just when he thought things were starting to improve. Suddenly, a noise outside his dorm room caught his attention. He checked the time—it was after class.