LOGINTalia understood immediately. She was a doctor, after all. She didn't need Joel to spell it out for her. Henry's leukemia had been confirmed.The silence stretched on for a long time before she could bring herself to ask, "What about survival rates?"Joel shook his head. "It's too early to talk about that. Right now, the priority is finding a compatible bone marrow donor."Talia rolled up her sleeve without hesitation. "Test mine."Joel looked at her with something close to admiration. "Henry's lucky to have a friend like you."But just outside the office door, Henry stood with his back pressed against the wall. He had heard everything.He'd suspected it from the moment he was admitted, but as long as the biopsy results were pending, he could cling to a final sliver of hope. Now, even that was gone.He wasn't sure if what he felt was despair or acceptance. There was no grief, no panic, just a strange, hollow stillness.About ten minutes later, Talia walked back into his room.
Talia woke at dawn the next morning, when the sky was only just beginning to lighten.That day was the third day after Henry's bone marrow biopsy, and the results were due.She didn't linger in bed for even a second. The moment her eyes opened, she was up and moving. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and headed downstairs.Garrett was already at the table, reading through a stack of documents. Talia greeted him on her way past. "Morning."He glanced up at her but didn't respond. It wasn't until he noticed that she seemed to be heading for the door that he spoke. "Where are you going this early?""Henry's in the hospital. I'm going to check on him."She didn't elaborate on what was wrong, and Garrett assumed it was nothing serious, so he didn't press further. "Just don't stay out too long.""I won't," Talia called back as she left.She took a cab straight to the hospital from the Stewart residence, stopping along the way to pick up breakfast and fruit. When she walked into
The sudden stop threw Christian and Nancy forward against their seatbelts. The screech of tires cut through the intersection loud enough to turn heads.Three men standing together near the curb all looked over at the same time.The one in front pinched out his cigarette and flicked it neatly into a trash can. Every motion was smooth and unhurried.Quentin strolled over to the edge of the road and stopped about 15 feet from Christian's car. With his arms folded and a grin stretching from ear to ear, he leaned in just enough to be heard."Mr. Lane, what a coincidence. That's twice tonight. Driving a little distracted, aren't we? Something on your mind? You really should be more careful."Lucas and Seamus spotted Christian's car and followed Quentin to the curb.The moment Quentin finished speaking, Lucas jumped right in. "Seriously, though, Mr. Lane. Our boy Quentin's looking out for you here. If you get banged up, that's one thing, but you've got a beautiful woman in that passenge
The wineglass exploded against the wall with a sharp crack that made William flinch. The two other men at the table kept their heads down, neither of them willing to get caught in the crossfire.William slowly lifted his gaze to meet Christian's. "I don't mean anything by it."His detached, indifferent tone only made Christian angrier. "If you don't want to celebrate your birthday, then you can get the hell out, too."William didn't hesitate. He stood, grabbed his jacket, and draped it over his arm.He looked at Christian one last time. "Yeah. I probably should."Then he turned to the other two men and said, "Let's go."They practically leapt out of their chairs, grateful for the excuse, and all but fled the room.William walked out without looking back. As he stormed through the door, he slammed it shut behind him hard enough to rattle the frame.Nancy's heart jumped at the sound.In the very next second, Christian grabbed the bottle of red wine off the table and smashed it a
Julian's eyes darted away. He glanced at Nancy almost involuntarily, then rushed to explain himself. "I wasn't ignoring it. I just hadn't gotten the chance to say anything yet. You walked in before I could."That only made Christian laugh, though there was nothing funny about it. "Hadn't gotten the chance? Or just didn't want to bother?"Julian's temper flared. "What are you trying to say, Chris? What exactly is your point?"Christian didn't answer him. Instead, he turned to look at Nancy, and in one swift motion, he pulled her into his arms.Then he looked back at Julian. His gaze was glacial, and his voice dripped with contempt. "That's my point."Julian opened his mouth, but Christian cut him off before he could get a single word out. "You don't even have the right to stand in front of her anymore. You never deserved to."Something shifted in Julian. The anger drained from his face, replaced by an unsettling calm. "If you really care about her, then treat her like she matters
Christian waited outside the door for what felt like an eternity, but not once did he hear Julian speak up in Nancy's defense.Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He kicked the door open.The violent crash silenced the entire room. Everyone inside froze, startled by the sudden intrusion, and when they turned to see who was standing in the doorway, a wave of collective guilt rippled through them.Nancy could sense the rage radiating off Christian in waves. She instinctively reached for his arm, hoping to keep him from causing a scene.But he didn't storm inside the way she'd expected. He didn't flip the table or start throwing punches. He just stood in the doorway, his face carved from stone, not a trace of warmth anywhere on it.He wasn't shouting, but the cold fury rolling off him was impossible to miss. Everyone in the room could feel it settling over them like frost.When he finally stepped inside, he caught Nancy's hand and laced his fingers through hers. They walked in tog
Christian had never had the Stewarts' numbers, let alone set foot in the Stewart residence.Throughout the conversation, Quentin stayed close to Talia. Seeing the fragile smile on her face, he felt both protective and angry inside.Everyone gathered around, and Christian completely forgot about re
As Christian stepped out of the elevator, he turned back and took Talia's hand again.With Franklin right in front of them, Talia didn't resist.Christian led her out, and Franklin's smile grew even wider at this scene.Franklin had originally planned to head down for a walk, but since Talia and
Seeing Henry caught Talia by surprise as well. But after a brief moment of astonishment, she smiled and greeted him, "Henry, what a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into you here."Henry smiled back. "Yeah. I was actually just about to call you."Talia was holding Franklin's arm as she looked a
Talia frowned and sneered at Quentin's question. "Quentin, you haven't drunk much. So why are you talking nonsense?"The last time he'd said those things in his bedroom, she hadn't taken any of it seriously.Back then, he had been drunk out of his mind. She had thought that a few of his words were







