A tense silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Then, a muscular, thirty-year-old man stepped forward, a metal rod clutched in his hand. His face contorted in a vicious glare as he pointed the rod at James. "Who the hell are you?" he roared. "What gives you the right to speak?" Foam flecked his lips; his aggressive behavior was palpable. Thea, terrified, cowered behind James.

"That's right," someone shouted from the crowd. "You don't need to speak. We demand compensation!"

"If you don't pay, we'll wreck Eternality Hospital!" another voice yelled.

"It's a useless place! If you can't meet standards, get off Medical Street! Get out!"

The crowd erupted in heckling. Not a single Callahan appeared.

The situation outside was volatile, and escalating tensions threatened to spiral out of control. "Quiet, all of you! Wait your turn," James roared, his annoyance evident. He wouldn't have cared if this weren't the Callahans' hospital.

The man with the metal rod turned to Thea, who was still hiding behind James. "Thea," he snarled, "get your ass over here. You're the chairman of the Callahans. My father died from your medicine. If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, I'll tear this place down!"

"Tear it down!" the crowd roared, their heckling intensifying. Security guards struggled to restrain those trying to push forward.

"I felt sick and went to Eternality Hospital," one person shouted. "After taking their medicine, my whole body was irritated."

"Me too," another chimed in. "I had headaches. Their medicine made my hair fall out."

"We urge the authorities to shut down Eternality!"

The crowd heckled again. Reporters were present, broadcasting the scene live. Anxious, Thea whispered to James, "Jamie, w-what should we do?"

James frowned. Was the Callahans' medicine faulty? Or was someone deliberately stirring up trouble? Both were possible: a flawed medication, or a calculated attempt to incite chaos.

"Alright, wait your turn to speak," James said, attempting to restore order. He descended the stairs toward a stretcher, glancing at an elderly man who had succumbed. "What do you want?"

The muscular man jabbed the metal rod at James. "Don't touch my father!" he lashed out.

James met his gaze. The intensity of James' stare intimidated the man, who flinched back.

"He's dead," the man roared. "What more do you want?"

James extended his hand. "Give me the list of prescribed medications."

A middle-aged woman hurled a handful of receipts at James, cursing, "These are the receipts for the whole year! My father was treated here." James carefully examined each one.

Inside Eternality Hospital, the Callahans watched the unfolding drama. They hoped James could resolve the situation.

Megan pulled Tommy aside. "Tommy," she whispered, "nothing will go wrong, right?"

Tommy whispered back, "Everything's fine. Our plan is flawless. No one will see through it. Thea's been gaining power, and that's a huge disadvantage. If we don't strike now, she'll be unstoppable." Their conversation remained unheard.

James intently studied the receipts.

Someone tossed a bottle of medicine towards him. "Here, I even brought the medicine. He hadn't finished it. I was going to take it to the Food and Drug Administration."

James opened the bottle, casually examining the contents. He took some of the medicine, smelled it, and even chewed a bit. Then he stood. "Name your price. How much do you want?"

"Ten million dollars," the muscular man demanded brazenly, confident in the Callahans' wealth. He added menacingly, "If you don't give me ten million today, this isn't over. I'll fight you to the bitter end. I'll make life hell for the Callahans."

The final sentence about finding the novel online is extraneous to the text itself and has been omitted.