The sound of Pervis's footsteps echoed through the empty corridors of Anna's villa as he climbed the stairs to their bedroom. The spacious house, once a symbol of their shared dreams, now felt like a mausoleum of broken promises. He pulled out a worn duffel bag from the closet and began methodically folding his clothes."Four years," he muttered, holding up a shirt Anna had bought him for their second anniversary. "Four years of pretending everything was fine."Each item he packed carried a memory—some sweet, others bitter. The watch she'd given him when he'd first started donating blood for Noah. The books he'd never finished reading because he was always rushing to the hospital. The acceptance letter from Oxford he'd hidden away, the doctoral program he'd abandoned to stay with her.Pervis held the letter for a moment longer than necessary, his fingers tracing the university seal. "Perhaps that was my first mistake," he whispered, a self-mocking smile playing at his lips. "Choosing

Marcus and David moved forward with practiced efficiency, their faces apologetic but resolute. The kitchen suddenly felt smaller as the two bodyguards approached Pervis from either side."Please don't resist, Mr. Howard," Marcus said quietly. "We're just following orders."Pervis backed against the counter, his eyes darting between the two men. "Wait, listen to me. I have claustrophobia—I can't be locked in enclosed spaces.""I'm sorry, sir, but we have our instructions," David replied, reaching for Pervis's arm.The moment their hands touched him, Pervis's composure cracked completely. "No, you don't understand! I have a medical condition—I can't be confined!"His voice rose to a shout as both men grabbed him firmly, pinning his arms to his sides. Pervis struggled against their grip, panic already beginning to claw at the edges of his consciousness."Anna!" he called out tersely. "You know I can't handle confined spaces. This is a mistake."Anna paused in the doorway, Noah still lean

Aria stepped forward with fluid grace, her heels clicking authoritatively against the hospital's polished floor. The three nurses continued wheeling Pervis's grandmother down the corridor, their faces set in stubborn determination."Put her down," Aria commanded, her voice carrying an unmistakable tone of authority.The lead nurse turned around, her expression morphing from indifference to outright hostility when she saw Aria approaching."And who exactly do you think you are?" the nurse sneered. "Another one of his little girlfriends? This doesn't concern you, sweetheart.""Put the patient down immediately," Aria repeated, her voice growing colder with each word.The second nurse, a thin woman with sharp features, laughed mockingly. "Listen here, princess. We have direct orders from Anna Morrison herself to remove this old hag from the premises. She's no longer a patient here.""Orders from Anna Morrison?" Aria's eyebrows rose slightly. "How interesting.""That's right," the lead nur

Pervis stared down at the contract in his hands, the weight of it feeling far heavier than the simple paper should. His fingers trembled slightly as he took the pen from Chairman Williams and carefully signed his name at the bottom."There," Aria said with satisfaction, watching the ink dry on the signature. "With the chairman's forty percent and our family's existing forty percent stake, you now control eighty percent of Metropolitan General Hospital.""Eighty percent?" Pervis repeated, still struggling to process the magnitude of what had just happened."Which means Anna Morrison's ten percent is now completely meaningless," Aria added with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.Chairman Williams winced visibly at the reminder of how irrelevant his former board member had become.Aria's expression turned serious as she addressed everyone still gathered in the corridor. "I want to make something absolutely clear. Mr. Tyler's true identity must remain confidential. Anyone who speak