The encrypted message came at 3 AM, jolting Shirley awake with its urgent tone: "Thompson hospitalized. Cardiac event during emergency board meeting. Condition critical. He's asking for you."Shirley stared at her phone in the darkness, processing the information. Thompson, her grandfather, criminal, manipulator, the man whose money had freed her father, was in the hospital, possibly dying.She should have felt conflicted. Should have questioned whether this was manipulation or genuine crisis.Instead, she felt immediate fear at the thought of losing the only family connection she had besides her father.Shirley dressed quietly and slipped out of the penthouse while Mac slept, leaving a note about a "family emergency" that was technically true even if Mac wouldn't understand which family she meant.Nixon Memorial Hospital's cardiac wing was hushed at 4 AM, occupied only by worried families and exhausted medical staff. Shirley found Thompson's room, a private suite that reflected his w