Chapter 2

Gideon Whitmore.

Caleb’s older brother.

The true head of Whitmore Group.

He had been in that car at the time.

If he woke up, he would be a witness.

Claire fell into thought.

The hospital had already concluded that Gideon’s chances of waking were almost nonexistent.

But as it happened, her mentor overseas, Professor Langley, was a well-known neurosurgery expert.

Claire had once read about a successful case of his that was similar to Gideon’s.

Professor Langley had returned to the country last week for an academic forum. The project being discussed was related to this exact field, and he was now in New York.

If he agreed to help, then Gideon might not be beyond saving.

When Claire came to the postnatal retreat today, she had planned to bring soup and mention this matter.

But now, it seemed there was no need to tell them anything.

With that thought, Claire sent Professor Langley a message.

[Professor, I have a case here involving a patient who has been in a coma for nearly a year after a head injury. I’d like to ask you to take a look.]

Less than a minute after the message was sent, Professor Langley replied and agreed.

Claire lifted her eyes, her gaze a little colder.

Inside the room, Caleb was sitting by the bed.

Serena had buried her face in his arms and was sobbing. When she caught sight of Claire from the corner of her eye, she still managed to curve her lips into a provocative smile.

Claire had no interest in staying there to watch them cling to each other.

Her gaze did not linger. She got up and left, heading straight to the hospital where Gideon was staying.

The Whitmore family was one of the most powerful families in New York. As the man in charge of Whitmore Group, Gideon had been placed in a private ICU suite in the international wing.

A dedicated medical and nursing team was on standby twenty-four hours a day, serving him alone.

Claire introduced herself and asked to visit the patient. With a nurse’s help, she disinfected, put on sterile protective clothing, and finally entered the room.

The ward was silent.

Only the steady mechanical beeping of the machines broke the quiet.

Gideon lay motionless on the hospital bed.

He was strikingly handsome, with sculpted features and a face that seemed effortlessly refined.

He was so pale that, if not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, Claire might have thought he was already gone.

Claire walked closer and stood beside the bed, lowering her eyes to look at him.

This was the second time she had seen Gideon.

The first time was one year ago, at his birthday banquet. Caleb had brought her along to offer Gideon a toast.

Back then, Gideon had merely lifted his glass and taken a small sip. He nodded faintly and said nothing, his whole presence cold and forbidding, keeping everyone at a distance.

Claire had no deeper impression of him.

Most of what she knew came from scattered pieces Caleb had mentioned.

The Whitmores were an old and powerful family, but that kind of prominence made them a target.

Since the Grandpa’s generation, the family had been repeatedly suppressed. Five years ago, Caleb’s father could no longer hold the company together, and Whitmore Group came close to bankruptcy.

At the critical moment, Gideon returned from studying abroad.

At only twenty-two, he took on the collapsing family business by himself.

His methods were swift, ruthless, and decisive.

With barely a dozen remaining employees, he led Whitmore Group to win one municipal project after another, then found another path by partnering with overseas corporations.

In just five years, he broke through the siege of countless powerful New York families and brought Whitmore Group back from the dead.

It could be said that every core executive at Whitmore Group today had been groomed by Gideon.

The Whitmore family’s current status was also largely owed to this young but deeply calculating and ambitious man at the top.

His words carried more weight than Caleb’s father’s, perhaps even more than the Grandpa’s.

Even after Gideon became comatose from the car accident and Caleb temporarily entered the company to take over, Caleb had remained only a vice president for the past year.

He really was someone formidable.

“What a shame.”

Claire’s gaze flickered slightly, and her tone was quiet and distant.

“Gideon, you calculated everything, but you didn’t count on your wife cheating on you.”

Her eyes studied his face.

Gideon’s eyes were closed, but the slight upward tilt at the corners was still visible.

She had to admit it.

Although Gideon and Caleb were brothers, the older brother was far more handsome.

After a moment of private reflection, Claire left the room to speak with Gideon’s attending physician and learn more about his condition. Then she sent all of his medical records to Professor Langley.

By the time she finished, it was already dark.

Only then did she return to her and Caleb’s marital home, a villa in the city center.

As usual, Mrs. Walsh had prepared many nourishing dishes.

For months, the menu had never repeated. Caleb had specifically hired a nutritionist to design it according to Claire’s health.

Every time she saw the effort he had put into it, Claire used to feel moved.

But today, she had no appetite at all.

She took a few casual bites, then went back to the bedroom and curled up on the sofa.

Her mind kept replaying everything that had happened during the day, leaving her thoughts in complete chaos.

A notification chimed on her phone.

It was a message from Professor Langley.

[The patient’s condition isn’t good, but treating him should not be difficult. How has he remained unconscious for this long?]

Doubt flickered through Claire, but she pushed it aside.

Professor Langley was an internationally renowned neurosurgeon. Naturally, his skill was far beyond that of an ordinary doctor at home.

A case that seemed difficult to others might not be difficult for him. That was reasonable enough.

Claire was about to reply when she heard Mrs. Walsh’s voice outside.

“Sir, you’re back. Mrs. Whitmore? She’s in the bedroom.”

As soon as Mrs. Walsh finished speaking, the bedroom door opened.

Caleb strode in and went straight to the back of the sofa. He bent down slightly and wrapped his arms around Claire from behind.

He pressed a kiss behind her ear. Then he opened his clenched hand in front of her, and a pigeon-blood ruby necklace dropped into view.

“Do you like it? I’ll put it on for you.”

His voice was low and gentle, as if the unpleasantness from earlier that day had never happened.

Claire said nothing.

Caleb did not blame her.

Instead, he casually tossed the expensive necklace aside.

“I’ll take you to buy something you like in a couple of days.”

From the moment he began pursuing her, Caleb had never been stingy with money.

No matter how rare or expensive something was, as long as she glanced at it once, it would appear in her hands the next day.

He had spoiled her to the bone.

And she had truly loved him with all her heart.

But now…

Claire suppressed the impulse rising inside her and lowered her eyes.

“Has there been any news from the lawyers?”

Caleb’s breathing grew heavier. He leaned close, trying to kiss the side of her neck.

Claire only felt disgust. Her body instinctively shifted away.

Caleb thought she was just upset and did not take it seriously.

“There isn’t enough evidence, so it’s difficult to track down the culprit. But I heard there are already some leads. Don’t worry, Claire.”

He moved closer again and slid an arm around her waist.

“Stop thinking about that for now. I missed you. Claire, your health is much better now. Shouldn’t we start trying for another baby?”

A sharp slap rang out.

Claire knocked his hand away and turned to look at him.

“If not for that accident, our baby would have been born by now.”

In truth, after the accident, Claire had no obvious external injuries, yet Caleb had insisted that she stay in bed and rest.

She had thought he was being considerate.

But during one of Serena’s visits, Serena had accidentally let something slip.

Only then did Claire learn that she had been two months pregnant at the time.

The baby could have been saved.

But Caleb had made the decision for her without asking. He had her pregnancy terminated.

He said he was afraid the medication might affect the fetus. He was also afraid that she would be too devastated by her grandma’s death to take care of a baby.

Now that she thought it over, too many things felt wrong.

Caleb had always listened to her in everything and respected her wishes.

But only this time, he had not even asked her before ending the pregnancy. Then he had kept it from her so she would never know.

Claire could not understand it.

Why had Caleb done that?

Could there be another secret behind it?