Chapter 56
Richard's POV
The call came during a meeting.
"Mr. Harrison, you need to come to Starport Hospital immediately. Mrs. Aria Harrison has collapsed."
My blood went cold.
I was out the door before the butler finished speaking, barking orders at my driver. Twenty minutes later, I burst through the hospital's main entrance.
They were all there in the hallway outside the ER—Margaret, Jason, Emma.
"What happened?" I demanded.
"The doctor said she's stable now," Margaret said, voice tight. "But Richard, she had a rage attack. Then just... collapsed."
Jason stood off to the side, arms crossed. Emma sat in one of the plastic chairs, swinging her legs.
"What set her off?" I asked, though dread was already pooling in my gut.
Margaret's eyes cut to the butler, who stood a few feet away, wringing his hands.
"I didn't say anything!" the old man protested. "I only gave Mrs. Aria the usual household report. That's all!"
Before I could respond, Emma bounced over to me.
"Daddy, why did you make Laura move out?" she asked, too loud in the quiet hallway.
Everything stopped.
"Emma, be quiet," I snapped.
Margaret grabbed Emma's wrist, yanking her back so hard the girl yelped. "If your great-grandmother hears you talking like this, I'll tan your hide myself."
Emma's face crumpled. Tears started streaming down her cheeks.
"Don't scare her like that," I said sharply, pulling Emma away from Margaret.
"Then control your daughter," Margaret hissed. "Before she ruins everything."
A nurse appeared. "Mrs. Harrison is awake. Two visitors at a time."
Margaret and I exchanged a look. Then we followed the nurse down the corridor, leaving Jason to watch Emma.
---
Grandmother Aria lay propped against pillows, looking smaller than I'd ever seen her. An IV dripped into her arm. Her assistant stood in the corner, face carefully neutral.
But her eyes—they were sharp as ever when they locked onto me.
She didn't say anything. Just reached for a manila envelope on the bedside table and threw it at me.
It hit my chest, photos scattering across the floor.
I bent to pick them up, my hands moving mechanically.
Then I saw them.
Laura and me. Getting into the same car. Walking into the hospital, her hand on my arm. Clear as day.
"You son of a bitch," Margaret breathed behind me.
The slap came before I could turn. My head snapped to the side, Margaret's palm print burning across my cheek.
"That woman," she spat, voice shaking with fury. "That goddamn woman won't leave us alone, will she? Where is she, Richard? Tell me where she is!"
I said nothing. Couldn't.
Grandmother Aria's laugh was cold, bitter. "So tell me, Richard. Are you planning to defy your grandfather's will? Give up your inheritance? Divorce Grace and run off with Laura?"
The words hit like bullets.
I swallowed hard. Stay calm, Richard. Spin this.
"Laura was helping with company matters," I began, keeping my voice steady. "Grace suddenly left the company, and we were in the middle of critical negotiations. Laura has experience with fragrance development, so I brought her in temporarily. Father knows about this."
"Your father knows?" Aria narrowed her eyes.
"Yes."
"Then explain the hospital." She tapped one of the photos. "Why were you there with her at that hour?"
"Low blood sugar. She fainted while working overtime on the prospectus in the office." I held her gaze. "I took her to the ER, made sure she was okay, then left. That's it."
Silence stretched between us.
Then Mother stepped in to help.
"I've already criticized him severely about this," she said, her voice carrying manufactured anger. "Richard knows he showed poor judgment, even if his intentions were purely business. It looked terrible."
Good. Mother knows how to play her part.
Aria studied us both. I could see her weighing the story, looking for cracks.
"Where is Laura now?" she finally asked.
"Gone," I said. "She's resigned from all positions at Harrison Group. No severance, no further involvement. It's over."
"Did Grace move out because she discovered this?"
"No, Grace won't find out," Margaret said. "There's nothing to discover now anyway. Laura's gone, the photos are contained—"
Aria had her assistant bring her phone.
"What are you doing?" I asked, alarm rising.
"Calling Grace."
"Grandmother, wait—"
"No." She stopped me with a look. "I won't let this family fall apart because of your mistakes. If anyone's going to control this narrative, it's me."
Margaret appeared in the doorway. "Mother, perhaps we should discuss—"
But Aria was already dialing.
My stomach dropped. Shit. This could go sideways in so many ways.
The call connected. I could faintly hear Grace's voice through the speaker.
"Grace, dear," Aria said, her tone suddenly warm and grandmotherly. "I'm sorry to bother you while you're working."
I held my breath.
"I'm at Starport Hospital," she continued smoothly. "Had a bit of a spell this morning. Could you spare some time to come see me? I... I'd really like to see you."
Grace's concerned voice came through: "Of course! I'll come right after work. Do you need anything? Should I bring—"
"Just you coming is all I need, dear. That's all."
Aria ended the call and set down the phone with satisfaction.
---
Grace's POV
The call left me unsettled all afternoon.
Aria's in the hospital. Something's wrong with her health.
I tried to focus on the quarterly reports Julie had prepared, but my mind kept drifting.
At five o'clock, I packed up.
"Cancel my evening appointments," I told Julie. "I need to visit someone at the hospital."
"Of course." She didn't pry. "Need me to arrange anything? Flowers? Supplements?"
"Yes. Get something appropriate for a cardiac patient."
Twenty minutes later, I was in the car driving to Starport Hospital, with nutritional supplements and a small bunch of white orchids on the passenger seat.
I parked the car in a spot on one of the lower floors, picked up the nutritional supplements and flowers, and walked toward the elevator.
My heels clicked against the hospital corridor floor.
I was halfway there when something hit my shoulder.
I turned. "What—"
Another object flew past my face.
"Bad woman!" a child's voice screamed.
Emma.