Chapter 177

Chapter 177
Finn's POV

The tension in the hospital corridor was suffocating. My black-clad security team faced William's corporate bodyguards like opposing chess pieces on a battlefield. No one spoke, but their postures and watchful eyes communicated volumes of threat. Just how I wanted it.

I stood slightly apart, surveying the scene with cold satisfaction. Three days had passed since Richard's attack on Hannah, three days since I'd nearly killed him in her hospital room. The memory of his blood on my hands wasn't something I regretted. He'd touched what was mine.

William and Victoria sat together on a padded bench, a united front for perhaps the first time in years. A household manager in an impeccable suit handed them each a cup of steaming coffee. Neither drank. Victoria's fingers trembled slightly as she held the cup, her eyes fixed on the digital clock mounted on the wall opposite them. Good. Let them sweat.

Sophia knelt on the floor before William, her designer dress pooling around her like spilled gold. Her perfect makeup was streaked with tears, her voice breaking as she begged.

"Please, William. He's our son. Your flesh and blood." Her manicured hands clutched at William's trouser leg. "He made a mistake, but he doesn't deserve—"

"Enough," William cut her off, his voice hollow with exhaustion. "We've discussed this."

My eyes moved to the digital clock. 12:00 AM. The deadline had arrived. Three days ago, as the doctor removed the bullet from my shoulder, I had issued my ultimatum: surrender Richard to face consequences, or I would take matters into my own hands. The three-day grace period had just expired.

I checked my watch, noting the precise moment the deadline passed, then stepped into the scene. My left arm throbbed beneath its bandages, but I kept my expression neutral. Pain was an old friend.

My security team immediately raised their weapons in alert formation. William's bodyguards responded in kind, guns appearing from holsters with practiced efficiency. The chess match was entering its final phase.

Sophia scrambled to her feet, her golden dress wrinkled and stained at the knees where she had been kneeling.

"Finn, please," she grabbed William's arm, shaking him slightly. "William, say something!"

Victoria stepped between us, her aristocratic features composed despite the circumstances. "Finn, darling. I know you're angry, and rightfully so. But Richard is willing to surrender himself. He's prepared to face the consequences of his actions. Perhaps we could arrange—"

"The opportunity to surrender," I kept my voice glacial, "was given three days ago."

Victoria flinched but held her ground. "He's your brother, Finn."

"He stopped being my brother when he put a gun to Hannah's head." I measured each syllable, precise as a knife cut.

I raised my uninjured right hand and unclasped the expensive watch from my wrist, handing it to the security man beside me. No need for valuables where this was going. Blood was harder to clean from platinum than from skin.

William stood suddenly. "Let him through," he ordered his security team. His voice carried the weight of decades of command, but underneath, I heard something I'd never detected before: defeat.

The bodyguards hesitated, looking between William and me with uncertainty.

"LET HIM THROUGH!" William repeated, louder this time.

Sophia lunged forward, her cry piercing the tense atmosphere. "NO!" She clawed at William's arm. "You can't let him—"

One of my security men intercepted her, pressing the barrel of his gun against her temple. She froze, mascara-stained tears tracking down her perfectly contoured cheeks. I didn't spare her a glance. She was nothing to me.

I walked between the parted security teams, not acknowledging William or Victoria. I moved with purpose, every step calculated and dangerous.

The door to Richard's hospital room stood ajar. I pushed it open with my bandaged arm and stepped inside, ready to finish what I'd started three days ago.

The room was empty. The bed was made, the sheets pulled tight with hospital precision. Unused medications sat on the bedside table. A neatly folded hospital gown lay at the foot of the bed. There was no sign Richard had ever been there.

I stood motionless in the center of the room, cold fury building inside me. One of my security team appeared at the doorway.

"Sir, we've had surveillance on this wing since the incident. He must have been moved yesterday when the shift changed. The doctor on call likely helped with the transfer."

I let out a cold, mocking laugh that echoed in the empty room. William thought he could outmaneuver me? In my own game?

I turned and walked back into the corridor where William now stood, his shoulders squared as if preparing for battle.

"He's gone," William announced unnecessarily. "I've arranged for Richard to leave the country. As far as the world is concerned, he's had a mental breakdown and taken his own life. A suitable statement will be released tomorrow."

I stared at him, letting the silence stretch uncomfortably.

"He will never return to America," William continued. "He will live under a new identity, stripped of the Sterling name and fortune. He is, for all intents and purposes, dead to this family."

Sophia collapsed into a chair, her sobs the only sound in the hallway.

"In exchange," William's voice strengthened, "you will be formally recognized as my heir. The Sterling Group's Board will be informed tomorrow. You'll have access to additional company resources and authority effective immediately."

I smiled coldly. "William, you never disappoint. Always the businessman, even when selling out your own son."

I suddenly reached down and grabbed Sophia by her golden hair, dragging her to her feet and pulling her in front of William. She screamed, her hands clawing at mine.

"Stop it! Mother!" Clara, who had been silent until now, fell to her knees. "Please, Finn. Don't hurt her."

I ignored the girl, keeping my grip tight on Sophia's hair as I forced her head down onto the coffee table. I signaled to my security team, and one of them pressed a gun against Sophia's temple.

"Where exactly did you send him, William?" I asked conversationally, as if we were discussing the weather.

William's face paled. "You've made your point, Finn. The family doesn't need more bloodshed."

"Where?" I tightened my grip on Sophia's hair, making her whimper.

"You can't seriously intend to tear this family apart," William challenged. "Haven't we lost enough?"

I nodded to my security man. "Do it."

"Wait!" Clara screamed, crawling forward. "Please, Finn. I'm begging you."

"Three," I began counting down, my voice emotionless.

"This isn't who you are," Clara sobbed. "This isn't—"

"Two."

William stepped forward. "For God's sake, Finn!"

"One."

"STOP!" William reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded document. "I'll trade you this for Richard's life."

I stared at the document, then at William's face. Something in his expression made me pause. "What is it?"

"Just have a look," William replied, his voice tight with defeat. "I use this in exchange for you letting Richard go."

I stared at the folded paper in William's hand, my expression hardening.

"A piece of paper for a life?" I scoffed, my voice dripping with contempt. "That seems like an unfair trade, William. What is this—more company shares? Another board position?"

William's eyes met mine with unexpected resolve. "It's about Hannah."