The hospital room carried the sharp smell of antiseptic and the low, steady beeping of the heart monitor. Carden lay propped against the pillows, his face still pale but his eyes fully alert. Vivian sat beside him in the chair, her posture stiff, her gaze fixed on the window as if she had not just kissed him minutes ago in front of everyone.The door opened slowly. Richard walked in first, followed by the patriarch who leaned on his cane with each step. The moment the two men crossed the threshold, something in the air shifted. The way Richard looked at Carden was nothing like before. Gone was the cold sneer. Gone was the disgust. In its place sat something heavier. Something that a proud man like Richard would never openly name but could not hide either.Richard stopped at the foot of the bed. His jaw worked for a moment, grinding against words that clearly did not come easy to him. He glanced at Vivian, then back at Carden. His fingers curled and uncurled at his sides."I owe you a

She looked away. But the suspicion in her eyes did not fade. It simply went into storage, waiting for the next time something did not add up.Meanwhile, out in the hospital corridor, three men walked side by side. Sebastian had his hands stuffed in his pockets, his expression carrying the leftover relief of a man who had barely escaped a catastrophe. Richard walked with his usual rigid posture, his chin slightly raised. The patriarch moved slowly between them, his cane clicking against the polished floor with each step.Sebastian glanced at the exit sign ahead and cleared his throat. "Well, I should probably get going. There are a few things at the office that need my attention and I have been away for quite some time now."The patriarch stopped walking. He turned to Sebastian and shook his head firmly. "Nonsense. You are not going anywhere. Not after a night like this."Richard, surprisingly, nodded in agreement. "The old man is right for once. We could all use a drink after what hap

Harold Chen followed behind his grandson at a more measured pace. He greeted the patriarch with a respectful nod and extended his hand to Richard, who shook it briefly. His eyes lingered on Sebastian for a moment longer than necessary, the recognition and subtle calculation visible in his gaze."Harold. It has been a while." The patriarch gestured to the empty seats. "Join us.""Do not mind if we do." Harold settled into the leather chair with practiced ease while Derek slid in beside him, crossing one leg over the other.A waitress brought two fresh glasses. The group exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes. Harold asked about the patriarch's health. Richard inquired about the Chen family's latest real estate venture. Sebastian sat quietly, sipping his drink with a relaxed posture that betrayed nothing.Then Derek leaned forward and rested his forearm on the table. His eyes carried a glint that did not match his smile."I heard about what happened with Vivian. The kidnapping. The wh

"Then perhaps he should start learning by keeping his mouth shut when grown men are talking." The patriarch's cane struck the floor with a sharp crack. "At his age, Carden was training under one of the most respected tacticians in the country. At his age, Carden had already survived things that would break most people twice over. And at his age, Derek is sitting in a lounge, criticizing a man he could never become, using money he did not earn."Harold flinched. His hand tightened around his glass until his knuckles whitened. He wanted to fire back. The patriarch could see it in his eyes. But Harold Chen was not a fool. He knew exactly who was sitting at this table. The patriarch of the Montgomery family on one side and the CEO of the Marvelous Group on the other. Picking a fight with either of them would be career suicide. Picking a fight with both of them at the same time would be worse than that.He swallowed whatever was sitting on his tongue and forced his face into a neutral expr

On the fourth day, Vivian brought him a book from the house. She placed it on the bedside table without a word and sat down in her usual chair.Carden picked it up and looked at the cover. "This is a romance novel.""It was the only thing on the shelf that was not a legal textbook." Her face remained perfectly neutral."You could have brought me the legal textbook. At least that would put me to sleep faster.""You are welcome to read nothing."He opened the book anyway.On the fifth day, she brought food from a restaurant near Greyford that he had mentioned once in passing, weeks ago. She set the containers on the small table and arranged them neatly before sitting down.Carden looked at the food, then at her. "You remembered.""I remember everything." Her tone carried no warmth. Just a statement of fact. But the tips of her ears turned the faintest shade of pink as she pulled out her phone and pretended to be busy.Despite these small moments of progress, something else was growing i