Every moment of absence.
“You left her alone,” Henry said, his voice low but cutting.
“I—I was overwhelmed—”
“No,” Henry interrupted. “You were celebrating.”
Ethan froze.
Henry stepped closer, his presence overwhelming, the same force that had once dominated entire industries now focused entirely on one man.
“You thought you had time,” Henry continued. “Time to wait. Time to benefit.”
Ethan’s face drained of color.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“You will,” Henry said.
A pause.
Then, calmly, almost softly:
“Because everything you had is gone.”
Ethan blinked, confused.
“Your accounts,” Henry continued. “Frozen. Your debts? Owned. Your assets? Under review. The yacht? No longer yours.”
Silence.
“You built your life on my daughter,” Henry said. “And you walked away from her when she needed you most.”
Ethan’s legs seemed to weaken beneath him.
“You can’t do this—”
Henry’s gaze didn’t waver.
“I already have.”
Behind them, the ICU doors opened.
A doctor stepped out.
“Mr. Collins?”
Henry turned immediately.
“The surgery was successful,” the doctor said. “She’s stable.”
For the first time in hours, Henry closed his eyes briefly, relief washing over him in a way he hadn’t felt in years.
Behind him, Ethan let out a shaky breath.
But Henry didn’t look back.
Because for Ethan, the real consequences were only beginning.
Henry stepped toward the ICU doors.
The fight for his daughter wasn’t over.
But one thing was certain now.
The man who had once ruled boardrooms had returned.
And this time—
it wasn’t business.
It was personal.
