Winning Her Heart Back

 Gone

William's eyes were lifeless. Though he seemed calm, a whirlwind of emotions churned inside him.

He quickly stood up and strode out of the living room.

"Let's go back," he said.

Henry's health had been declining for the past two years. He had been relying on a cocktail of medications to stay alive, but his time had slowly arrived.

Henry laid in a hospital bed, constantly mumbling his greatest "achievement" in a slurred voice.

"Will... Will..." Henry murmured,

Normally, there were at least two nurses and two bodyguards on duty. However, the room was empty that day.

A pair of pale, delicate hands slowly pushed the door open, and the sound of high heels echoed as a woman walked in.

"Will... Will..." Henry continued to murmur.

The woman approached the bed.

Henry's eyes were closed as he mumbled incoherently. It was hard to tell if it was simply a habit or if he was trying to communicate something important.

The woman spoke softly. "William blew off the partnership with the Aurora Group. He'll be back soon. Don't worry, Mr. Middleton Senior. Just hang in there a little longer."

Henry's frail body stiffened, and his lips twitched. "Blew... off?"Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

The woman explained, "Over the past two years, the Cloudex Corporation has invested so much into the Xanther Group. If one prospers, so does the other; and if one suffers, so does the other.

"Though losing the deal with Aurora won't immediately bring down the Xanther Group and the Cloudex Corporation, it's still a major setback."

Henry's breathing became labored. His sickness had darkened his complexion to a grim shade, making him look even closer to death's door.

He tried to open his eyes and turn his head to look at her. However, his body was no longer under his control. After a lengthy struggle, all he could manage was to bulge his eyes beneath his eyelid.

"Who... who are you?" Henry asked.

The woman chuckled softly and stepped closer, stooping down slightly.

"Mr. Middleton Senior, or should I call you Uncle Henry? Didn't you once say to treat me like your own daughter? How could you not even recognize my voice now?" the woman said.

That voice. Henry found that voice familiar.

Suddenly, a figure flashed in Henry's mind, and a palpable fear gripped his throat.

Henry struggled to speak. "You... it's you..."

Emelie, she was alive.

Henry gasped for breath panickingly, and his heart raced like a drum. The machines attached to him began beeping alarmingly.

He reached toward the woman with all his strength, desperate to grasp her. He wanted her to die. Emelie leaned in slightly. "That's right. I was the one who destroyed the partnership with the Aurora Group. Also, let me tell you another secret. I've found the account book."

As Emelie slowly said those last words, Henry's fear peaked, and he tried to lift his upper body. However, he collapsed back onto the bed from his lack of strength. His lips moved, but no sound escaped.

As the alarm grew increasingly loud, the medical staff would arrive at any moment. Emelie cast a mocking and indifferent glance at him, then turned around and left.

A tall, well-built man wearing a mask was waiting for her at the elevator. He handed Emelie a mask, and they entered into the lift together. They calmly walked out of the hospital, blending in with other patients and families.

At that moment, William emerged from his car, hurrying into the hospital. He had flown back from Baliz on a private jet without stopping and headed straight to the hospital.

The three crossed paths, but Emelie didn't spare him a glance.

William lowered his head and coughed a few times from the discomfort in his lungs due to the rush. When he looked down, they missed each other completely, and he didn't notice her.

He took the elevator upstairs. As the doors opened, he clasped his slightly aching chest and hastened his pace.

Just before he reached the hospital ward, a long, piercing sound echoed down the hallway. The heartrate monitor emitted a flat beep, buzzing in a steady line.

Henry was gone.