Chapter 151 151. Father And Son
"Let's go." Those words came so quickly it startled me. I was expecting hesitation or internal debate, not this immediate action. He stood from the table and pulled out his wallet.
"You want to see him?" I grabbed my purse, took his hand and followed his lead.
"I want to watch him bleed." His voice was ice. "I want to see the mighty Don Hayes reduced to nothing. Come on."
We drive in silence to the hospital. His grip on the wheel was tight, but his face remained eerily calm. I didn't know what it was, but it sure as hell wasn't grief or worry.
At the hospital, a security guard stopped us outside Don's room.
"Family only. Mr. Hayes is in critical condition."
"I'm his next of kin." Lucien's voice carried that commanding edge that brooked no argument. "Lucien Hayes. CEO of Hayes Corporation."
"I still need to verify—"
"He's awaiting trial for sexual assault in prison. That's where this happened, correct?" Lucien pulled out his phone. "I can have my legal team here in five minutes with documentation, or you can let me in now. Your choice."
The guard hesitated, then stepped aside. "Five minutes. That's all you get."
"Way more than I'll need."
The room smelled like antiseptic. Don lay in the bed, tubes running from his arms, monitors beeping steadily. His face was pale, drawn, but the moment he saw us, his eyes burned with the same hatred I remembered.
"Why are you here? To act like you care because I am dying?" Don's voice was raspy but still carried venom.
"I'm not here to mourn you." Lucien stopped at the foot of the bed, keeping me at his side. "I'm here to watch you finally understand what powerlessness feels like."
"Powerless?" Don tried to sit up but winced. "You think I'm powerless? I still control Elysium. I still have—"
"You have nothing. You're lying in a hospital bed after getting stabbed in prison because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. Even behind bars, you're too arrogant to survive."
"This is your fault!" Don's face reddened. "You and that whore behind you destroyed everything I built!"
"Watch your mouth." My voice surprised me with its steadiness. "You destroyed yourself long before we came along."
"Kitchen girl has a spine now?" Don's laugh turned into a cough. "How touching. Did prison teach you that? Did my son teach you how to play tough while spreading your legs?"
"Actually, prison taught me that men like you always end up exactly where they belong." I stepped closer to the bed. "Alone. Hated. Broken. And I didn't need anyone to teach me that fighting back is sometimes the only option. Your brother Victor taught me that lesson quite well."
Don's face contorted with rage. "You stabbed my brother. You're worse than me. You're a murderer."
"I'm a survivor. There's a difference." I crossed my arms. "And unlike you, I faced the consequences of my actions. What have you done except blame everyone else for your failures?"
"Failures?" He tried to rise again, tubes pulling. "I built an empire! I created—"
"You created nothing but misery." Lucien cut him off. "You abused your position. You hurt people. You destroyed your own sons trying to prove something that was never true."
"I gave you everything!" Don's voice cracked. "A name. A company. A legacy."
"You gave me nothing I didn't take for myself, and now I'm taking the rest. Elysium. Cosmic Veil Entertainment. All of it. Not as your heir. Not under your stupid conditions."
"Over my dead body." Don's hand clutched at the sheets. "You think I'll let you take my empire with that kitchen girl behind you?"
"Beside me." Lucien corrected. "She stands beside me. Not behind. And you have no power here."
"I'll write you out. I'll change everything. You won't get a single dollar."
"I don't need your money. I never did." Lucien smiled coldly. "Hayes Corporation is worth more than Elysium ever was. Your empire is nothing but a legacy of corruption and abuse. I'm going to gut it, restructure it, and turn it into something that actually matters."
"You ungrateful bastard." Don's breathing grew labored. "I should have drowned you the day you were born. You and your whore mother!"
"But you didn't, because even then, you were too weak to do your own dirty work." Lucien turned toward the door, pulling me with him. "Goodbye, Don. I hope whoever stabs you next has better aim."
"You can't just leave!" Don's voice rose to a shout. "I'm your father! I deserve—"
Lucien stopped at the door, looking back one final time.
"You deserve exactly what you're getting. A cold room. Beeping machines. Cuffs to the bed. And the knowledge that everything you tried to build dies with you. You and Ronan both. You're already dead to me. This is just making it official."
Don started coughing violently, his face turning purple. Nurses rushed past us into the room as alarms started blaring.
Lucien kept walking, his hand firm around mine.
"Sir, you need to wait!" A nurse called after us. "Your father—"
"You have my contact information when he actually dies. Otherwise, don't call." We didn't break stride.
In the elevator, silence stretched between us. Lucien stared at the descending numbers, his jaw tight but his eyes clear.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly.
"I'm better than okay." He pulled me closer. "I just watched the man who spent thirty years trying to break me realize he failed. That's the closest thing to closure I'll ever get."
"You meant what you said? About taking over his companies?"
"Every word. But not for him. For me. To prove that his legacy doesn't have to be poison. Hayes can mean something other than pain and corruption." He kissed my forehead. "And to make sure no one else suffers under his name."
The elevator doors opened to the lobby. Outside, the night air was cold and crisp.
"Where to now?" I asked.
"Home." He opened the car door for me. "Back to our life. Back to building something that actually matters. Back to you." He brought my hand to his lips.
Looking deep into his eyes, I realized something. Freedom wasn't just about walking out of prison. It was also about cutting ties with the people and pain that tried to define you, and we were finally, truly free.
"I like the sound of that."