Chapter 2

The military transport helicopter carried them straight from the estate lawn to the rooftop helipad of Massachusetts General Hospital. Armed guards cleared the top-floor intensive care corridor as doctors rushed the gurney through the double doors.

Riley walked quietly at the back of the group, her eyes fixed on the man lying on the mobile bed.

Callan Aldridge's face was pale, his jawline sharp as carved stone. A fresh surgical incision, closed with red stitches, ran down the side of his neck. His gray-blue eyes were slightly open, his gaze fixed upward and seemingly motionless.

After the emergency team completed the initial imaging and neurological monitoring, chief neurosurgeon Dr. Adrian Shaw walked out of the isolation room holding a thick folder of MRI films and EEG printouts. He pulled off his sterile mask, his expression grim.

Preston and his wife, Cassandra, rushed forward immediately. Cassandra clasped her hands together, though her eyes darted eagerly toward the charts.

"Doctor, how is my brother-in-law? Can he wake up and run the company?"

Dr. Adrian Shaw let out a heavy breath.

"His brainstem sustained severe trauma during the ejection impact. He is in a classic state of locked-in syndrome. He is almost completely paralyzed below the neck, although some vertical eye movements may remain. His consciousness may still be intact. However, the secondary cerebral edema is worsening, and his condition is extremely critical. If the swelling continues to progress, he could suffer further irreversible neurological damage. Given the severity of his injuries, his life expectancy is under three months."

At the words "under three months," Damian let out a quiet breath behind his father, the corner of his bruised mouth twitching upward.

Kelsey, who had thrown a trench coat over her torn blouse, instantly dabbed at her eyes and held Damian's arm. "Damian, you have to stay strong. The Aldridge family only has you and your father to rely on now."

Damian wrapped his arm around Kelsey's waist and glared at Riley, who was leaning against the corridor wall. "Why are you still hanging around here? A grease monkey who ruins carpets and jinxed my uncle wants to watch us grieve?"

Cassandra spun around, her stiletto heels clicking sharply as she marched up to Riley. She shoved a red-manicured finger an inch from Riley's nose. "This is all on you! If you hadn't pulled that ghost stunt at the memorial, our family wouldn't be a national laughingstock! Get out!"

Several distant Aldridge cousins down the hall murmured in agreement, looking at Riley's cheap suit with open disgust.

Riley straightened up slowly. Her amber eyes remained completely flat. She raised her left hand and slid the heavy diamond engagement ring engraved with the Aldridge crest off her ring finger.

She took two steps forward and dropped the two-hundred-thousand-dollar ring straight into the metal waste bin by Damian's feet. It hit the bottom with a loud clang.

Riley looked at Damian's livid face. "Keep the dirty ring. It smells like my stepsister's cheap perfume anyway. Our engagement is over."

Damian lunged forward with his hand raised to grab her collar, but an arm like an iron bar shot out and blocked his chest.

Jeremiah Bailey, Callan's personal head of security and a former Delta Force operator, stood between them. His face was stone. "This is Mr. Callan's secure ward. Watch your hands, Master Damian."

Preston snorted coldly, tugging his necktie straight to hide his embarrassment. "Since the engagement is off, clear out the outsiders. Call the family lawyers. We are convening an emergency board meeting in ten minutes."

On the bench across the hall, Richard Mercer stood up slowly. He glanced at the trash can, then looked at his biological daughter.

He walked over to Riley and lowered his voice. "Breaking the engagement is fine, but the Mercer family name isn't up for public mockery. Come home with me. We'll review the trust terms your mother left behind."

Riley took a step back, avoiding his reach. Her voice was as flat as if she were speaking to a stranger on a bus. "The day you dumped me at my grandfather's repair shop in Querétaro, I stopped having a home, Mr. Mercer."

Richard froze. His fingers inside his suit pocket twitched, curling tight against his palm, but he didn't say another word before turning toward the elevators.

Inside the glass isolation room, the cardiac monitor suddenly let out a sharp beep. Dr. Adrian Shaw hurried back inside with two nurses.

Through the double-paned glass, Riley saw Callan lying flat under the white sheet. His gray-blue eyes were angled directly toward the window where she stood.

His eyelashes fluttered twice, barely visible, while the green heart rate line on the monitor spiked to 110 beats per minute during her standoff with her father.

Down the hall, Cassandra already had her phone pressed to her ear, speaking rapidly to her Wall Street advisor. "Notify all board members. Callan won't last the month. Start the equity transfer protocols tonight."

Preston clapped Damian on the shoulder as they walked into the elevator. "Take Kelsey back to the estate. We need to secure Mercer Capital's financial backing through a new marriage agreement."

The hallway emptied out, leaving only the sharp smell of antiseptic and the steady beep of the machines.

Riley sat down alone on the metal bench outside the waiting area. She reached into her canvas tote bag, pulled out a miniature stainless-steel vernier caliper, and rolled the thumb wheel back and forth over her callused finger to steady her breathing.

Footsteps echoed from the security checkpoint. A middle-aged man in a bespoke charcoal suit carrying a leather briefcase walked straight toward her.

He stopped in front of her bench, bowed slightly, and held out a matte-black business card embossed with gold lettering.

"Miss Mercer. I am Ethan Sterling, Mr. Callan Aldridge's chief personal legal counsel."

Ethan glanced toward the closed ICU doors, his eyes sharp behind gold-rimmed glasses.

"We have a twenty-billion-dollar transaction that requires your signature right now."