11. THE LAST HOURS

"I said two. Don't read nonsense into it, especially when you were barely mentally present." I pulled my hand away from my stomach and stared at Alex's face, devoid of the panic building inside me... what if he noticed...

His injured wrist hung stiffly at his side, but he seemed to have forgotten about the pain while his eyes kept searching me...

Then Aiden stepped closer, and Alex's attention shifted toward him. From over their shoulders, I watched the cameraman lower his camera, and my stomach tightened.

I couldn't afford another scandal. Not with Catherine waiting for an opportunity to destroy my position.

"She needs to get checked," Aiden suddenly said, pulling me out of my myriad of thoughts. Then his gaze dropped to Alex's injured hand. "You too."

"I'm fine," I answered immediately, and both men turned to me, their eyebrows raised. Neither of them looked confused, but I had come here for Weller's vote, not for some stupid arguments.

But it turned out I ended up being trapped without the chance to get it done. I left before Alex could utter another word.

By the time I reached home, exhaustion had settled into my bones. I threw my shoes wherever they happened to land before climbing into bed, but every time I closed my eyes, I felt the elevator dropping with Alex's arms around me.

I must have fallen asleep eventually because the next thing I heard was a knock against my door. It was faint at first, then came again, harder this time.

I opened my eyes and reached for my phone. 3:00 a.m. Who the hell was knocking at my door at this time?

"Kiera, get up. It's your grandfather." Ermund's voice sounded, and I immediately sprang up. I roughly tied my robe, rushing out.

"What happened?" I asked, already outside, but he didn't answer and just walked away while I ran behind him.

That old man had been ill for a while, but he had always found a way to make everyone around him believe he was stronger than his body allowed.

He had survived every argument Catherine threw at him. He had outlasted her attempts to control the company and had still found enough strength to defend me when she tried to make me look unworthy of the position he had given me.

He couldn't leave now. My chest tightened at the thought. What was I even saying... I'm so stupid for thinking that. Maybe he was just throwing a fit to get me to come to him...

When we reached his room, I stopped. Serena was asleep on the ground outside, her brows creased in exhaustion.

I stared at her for a second before walking past her. Papa lay on the bed, his face defined only by lines and pale skin.

My feet moved as I squatted beside him, holding his hand. "Grandpa?" His fingers were slightly warm but barely moved. "Hey, old man. You can't leave me to deal with those people alone."

I scolded him and, for one foolish second, waited for him to tell me how dramatic I was and ask what I had done to upset Catherine again, but nothing came.

"Miss, please step back. Let me check him," a nurse said, but my eyes remained locked onto Papa... please open your eyes... My eyes stung with unshed tears.

I finally moved a little, giving her space, but now minutes felt like hours, and I watched her exchange a glance with Ermund. We were running out of time...

My knees wobbled, but I forced myself to stand straight. Finally, his eyelids fluttered, and I was already beside him. "Grandpa, I'm here."

His eyes opened slowly. For a moment, his gaze wandered without recognition, and my heart sank. Then he looked at me. "Kiki," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

I bent closer, holding his hand between both of mine. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, Papa." He tried to move his head around as if searching for someone.

He tried to move his head, searching the room. His lips parted, and his voice emerged as a weak murmur. "The Moore boy."

I turned toward Ermund, confused. "Who?" Who was this old man talking about now, when he wouldn't save his breath to stay more hours with me? Tears rolled down my cheeks.

I remained by his bed, looking at him and waiting for him to tell me I should stop lazing around and bring some files so we could get to work, but his eyes kept darting around...

Minutes later, footsteps padded in the hallway. Someone walked in, hair untidy and shirt thrown on, as if he had just remembered halfway here that he wasn't dressed and snatched a shirt from someone.

Aiden...

"What happened?" he asked, and I turned to him sharply before looking away, my eyes already too red to hold his gaze.

"Papa won't talk to me properly," I said, but the old man pushed me away and beckoned to Aiden to come closer. The tears disappeared for a second, and my head popped forward. What the... I have been the one crying by his bedside for hours now.

The old man whispered something while Aiden's jaw tightened... I watched them go on for several minutes. I tried to lean forward, but the more I leaned, the lower Grandpa's voice became...

Aiden's head turned toward the door while his teeth gritted for a second, and he made a noise before slowly moving away... What could Grandpa have possibly told a complete stranger that I, his heir, couldn't hear?

My lips parted, already demanding an answer, but old, wrinkled hands reached toward me, and I rushed right back to the bedside while his hand closed around mine in determination. "Kiki."

"Mhmm," I hummed, leaning closer. "I'm right here, Grandpa." His gaze held mine, but it wasn't as sharp as it used to be, and I could feel him trying to gather strength.

"The second—" he stopped while I leaned closer again.

"The second what, Grandpa?" His fingers tightened around mine.

"The second..." he tried again, but his voice broke into a faint breath. I shook my head, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. "Please. Whatever it is, just keep it. You can tell me later when you are strong again."

His eyes remained on mine for another moment, then his hand went slack. The monitor changed.

I froze, not moving. I stared at his face, waiting for anything at all... It can't be... This is just a really bad dream, worse than losing love...

The only person who had stood between me and the people determined to control my life was gone, and he didn't even give me a chance to see how much his training didn't go to waste.

Tears rolled down my cheeks, soaking my robe, but I still didn't move. He died with only the memory of me returning as a disappointment... Papa...

Behind me, Serena let out a broken sob, and I watched her run toward the bed... My cloudy mind couldn't differentiate whether this was just an act of hers or if it was real, but one thing was sure: tears rolled out of both our eyes uncontrollably, with her shoulders trembling.

Catherine arrived, standing by the doorway in a black robe. Her eyes moved around and settled on me... I'm sure she's happy.

She stood there, dry-eyed, looking at the man who had spent his final days fighting to keep her from taking everything for herself.

I wiped my face and stared at her. I had no words, not now... I just walked out, running through the hall outside, more tears pouring out.

By sunrise, every relative who had barely visited had called to confirm the news. They were probably celebrating about it.

The board's decision arrived before the funeral arrangements were completed. All major decisions concerning the company would be frozen until after the funeral, leaving my position in uncertainty and giving Catherine time to gather support.

She said nothing about it in front of me, but I already knew... she was going to make it easy for me now.

By late morning, I found Aiden standing alone near the back of the house, but the burden in my chest hardened. "What did he tell you?" I called from afar, stepping closer.

Aiden looked at me for a long time before lowering his eyes. "Grandpa asked you for a reason," I continued, my voice growing sharper. "He said something to you, and then he tried to tell me something about the second. I need to know what he meant."

Aiden's jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he would finally answer. Instead, he looked past me toward the house, where Catherine was speaking to two members of the family near the entrance. "Not here," he said.

I stepped closer. "Then where? And exactly when? ... When you're on your deathbed too?" I yelled, and I watched his face contort, but I didn't take my words back, even though I knew they were wrong.

"I'll tell you when it's safe."