All Chapters of The CEO Nobody Knew: Chapter 61
- Chapter 62
62 chapters
Chapter 59: Fragility
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
Chapter 60: Cracks in the Armor
Mac stood outside Shirley's closed bedroom door at 11 PM, hearing the muffled sounds of crying from inside. He'd spent the evening reviewing news reports about Thompson's hospitalization, cardiac specialists flown in from Johns Hopkins, emergency surgery scheduled, critical but stable condition.He should have felt victorious. Thompson weakened, vulnerable, possibly dying from the stress Mac's campaign had created. Twenty years of planning finally bearing fruit.Instead, he felt hollow.Mac knocked softly. "Shirley?"The crying stopped abruptly. "What do you want?""Can I come in?"Silence for a long moment, then: "It's your penthouse. You don't need my permission."Mac opened the door carefully, finding Shirley sitting on her bed with tear-streaked face and a crumpled tissue in her hand. She looked young and vulnerable in ways he hadn't seen in months, not the skilled spy or calculating betrayer, just a young woman scared of losing someone she cared about."I saw the news about Thomp