After The Storm (Sequel)

Crisis Mode

Liliana's pov

"This hospital and the entire Avery family are going through a crisis right now. We're supposed to be in crisis management mode, not having morning quickies." I mumbled as I looked for my shirt, picking it up from the floor as I spotted it in front of the door.

"I'm stressed, we're both stressed with all of this crap going on. We needed some form of stress relief."

"Jackson, please. It's not about stress. You just like sex." I side-eyed him.

"So do you." He smirked beginning to put his shirt back on just as Dr. Bailey burst into the room.

"Hey, I'm pulling the plug on your contest. I'm killing it. What do you want me to do with the $100 million?" She said not knowing that I was in the room since the I was behind the door putting the rest of my clothes on. I listened intently trying to take in Dr. Bailey's word. This was the first that I was hearing of Jackson funding any type of contest.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." He frowned.

"No, no. If word gets out that Harper Avery's grandson secretly funded a competition that he entered himself?" She scoffed making me realize she was talking about the innovation contest. "Well, that's just gonna mean more nasty headlines that we do not need right now." She said sternly before leaving the room.

"You funded this contest." I frowned as soon as the door closed.

"I can explain." He sighed.

"Please, I would love to hear an explanation."

"Look, I didn't want anyone knowing that I put the money up for the contest. I knew people would think that the judging was bias."

"People? I'm your wife! I should've been an exception!"

"Lower your voice."

"Jackson!" I yelled.

"It just never came up. I wasn't purposely shutting you out." He sighed. "When I made the decision to donate the money for the competition, you and I were not getting along. We had bigger things to worry about than me funding this contest."

"I do not give a damn what we had going. Using $100 million is something that you tell your wife." I huffed before storming out of the room.

Though I still had plenty more to say I had patients to tend to so going back and forth with Jackson wasn't an option no matter how pissed I was. I went and got scrubbed in before heading to surgery.

Once I completed my surgery I walked over to the nurses' station to grab my iPad.

"So were you in it?" Meredith asked walking over to me.

"In on what?" I frowned.

"Your husband rigging the contest." She said.

"He wasn't rigging a contest. He just funded it." I sighed.

"He funded it and then entered it." She scoffed.

"I know it looks bad, but I know Jackson. He wasn't rigging the contest. He was playing by the rules like everyone else." I sighed. Though I am upset with Jackson, I know that he would never do something as unfair as cheating his friends and colleagues out of a contest. 

"I don't know. This whole thing just looks bad."

"Believe me I know."

"I can't believe all of this is going on. I've worked my whole life for a Harper Avery, but finding out about what Harper did, I don't want even want an award with that man's name. That's why I returned mine and my mother's."