Chapter 7: The Meeting with Marcus**
The next morning, Arthur drove alone to a modest, worn-down neighborhood on the north side of the city. He parked in front of a small brick community center and walked inside.
Sitting in a cramped office filled with cardboard boxes of donated supplies was Marcus Green—a man in his late forties, with silver-streaked hair and tired, intelligent eyes.
Marcus looked up as Arthur entered. He didn't stand, but his expression remained calm and guarded.
"You're Arthur Sterling," Marcus stated.
"I am," Arthur replied, standing in the doorway. "I listened to the tape. I saw the records."
Marcus let out a dry, bitter chuckle. "And now you're here to offer me a settlement? A quiet payout to sign an NDA and keep your father's golden statue shining?"
Arthur stepped inside, took a chair opposite Marcus, and sat down. "No. I'm here to ask you what my father took from your family, and what it would take to make it right."
Marcus’s demeanor softened slightly, though his gaze remained piercing. "My father died in an apartment two miles from here, Mr. Sterling. He worked as a night-shift pharmacy clerk after he lost his license. He never stopped loving medicine, and he never stopped regretting that he couldn't protect his patients when your father tore down the clinic."
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Marcus leaned forward. "I don't want your money, Arthur. I want the clinic back."
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