Chapter 3

“You wouldn’t dare!”

She grabbed my jaw, her grip so strong I thought my bones would shatter.

“Asher Hayes, I’m not asking, I’m telling you!”

“If you dare say no, tomorrow I’ll bankrupt your father’s company!”

“Believe me, I can make Hayes Inc. disappear from this world within twenty-four hours!”

Just then, Scarlett’s assistant burst in, drenched in sweat.

“Ms. Sterling! It’s terrible!”

The assistant’s voice trembled, a cry catching in his throat.

“Mr. Thorne… Mr. Thorne, he… he slit his wrists!”

The hand gripping my jaw instantly released me. Scarlett’s face turned ashen.

“Julian!”

She spun around, like a madwoman, roughly shoving me out of her way.

I stumbled, my lower back hitting the sharp corner of the coffee table with a jolt. A sharp intake of breath escaped me, hot with pain.

She rushed out like a whirlwind, never once looking back at me. The vast living room was left with only me.

I curled up on the sofa, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from my body.

My stomach churned, and I ran into the bathroom, throwing up until my vision blurred.

Lately, my health had been rapidly declining.

I was always sleepy, fatigued, and felt inexplicably nauseous. A bad feeling gnawed at me.

The next day, I went to the hospital.

When I saw “heart failure” on the diagnostic report, my mind went blank.

Suddenly, I felt incredibly weary, and so utterly pathetic.

Even then, I was still wondering.

Would this, finally, make her show me a shred of pity?

With a faint glimmer of hope, I dialed Scarlett’s number.

The phone rang for a long time, so long I thought no one would answer.

Then, Julian Thorne’s weak, yet subtly provocative voice came through.

“Hello? Mr. Hayes? Scarlett’s busy taking care of me right now, she can’t come to the phone.”

“If you have something to say, you can tell me, and I’ll pass it on.”

My heart instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

I hung up the phone and tore the diagnostic report into tiny pieces.

After that, to force me into submission, Scarlett froze my cards and pulled all collaborations with my family’s company.

My father was so furious, his heart condition flared up, sending him to the emergency room.

When I rushed to the hospital, my mother was sitting on a bench outside the ER, her face awash with tears.

She grabbed my hand. “Asher, please, go beg Scarlett! Your father… he’s not doing well!”

“The doctor said he needs surgery immediately, and it costs a million! All our company funds are frozen, we don’t have that much cash right now!”

My mother’s desperate sobs pierced my nerves. If it weren’t for me, things wouldn’t have come to this.

I had no choice but to go find Scarlett.

She was sitting by Julian Thorne’s bed, carefully spoon-feeding him porridge.

That gentle, attentive look was something I had never seen from her in the three years of our marriage.

Julian Thorne saw me, a smirk of triumph playing on his lips, before he quickly adopted a weak, pathetic expression.

“Scarlett, Mr. Hayes is here.”

Scarlett turned, her brows immediately furrowing when she saw me.

“What are you doing here?”

Her tone was filled with impatience and disgust.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging deeply into my palms.

“My father… he’s in the hospital. He needs a million for surgery.”

“Can you… can you lend it to me? I’ll definitely pay you back later.”

Scarlett scoffed, then stood up and walked over to me.

“Lend? Asher Hayes, what makes you think I’d lend you anything?”

She raised a hand and pinched my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze.

“You want the money? Fine.”

“Sign that donation agreement, and forget a million, I’ll give you ten million.”

“Otherwise, you can prepare to bury your father.”