Chapter 223
No.1
August smoothly guided the aluminum walker backward, helping Phineas shuffle back into the VIP suite. His movements were incredibly gentle,perfectly mimicking the actions of a deeply devoted grandson.
Elisa followed them inside. The heavy oak door clicked shut behind her, sealing her in the room with the man she despised more than anyone on earth.
She stood on the far side of the hospital bed, her hands shoved deep into her coat pockets. Her fingers curled into tight fists, her nails digging into her own palms. She forced her face to remain completely neutral, terrified that any display of anger would spike Phineas's fragile heart rate.
August helped Phineas settle back against the elevated pillows. He pulled the white blanket up to the old man's chest.
"Thank you, August," Phineas whispered, patting August's large hand.
August sat down in the leather visitor's chair right next to the bed. He smiled warmly. "Of course. How are you feeling tonight?"
No.2
Phineas sighed, a weak, rattling sound. "Old. Tired."He turned his head, his blurry eyes looking toward Elisa. "But seeing you two together makes it better.You know, Elisa was always so stubborn when she was a little girl in the mountains."
August leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He looked genuinely interested. "Is that right?"
"Oh, yes," Phineas chuckled weakly. He began to ramble, telling a long, fragmented story about Elisa refusing to wear shoes in the snow when she was six.
August listened intently. He nodded at all the right moments. He even let out a soft, affectionate laugh.His acting was so flawless, so incredibly convincing,that it made the hair on the back of Elisa's neck stand up. It was pure, psychopathic manipulation.
To hide her rising panic and disgust, Elisa turned her back to them. She walked over to the small wooden nightstand near the window and picked up a plastic
pitcher to pour a glass of water.
No.3
August reached into his suit jacket. He pulled out his private, encrypted smartphone to check a silent notification that had buzzed against his ribs. As Phineas began tospeak again, August placed the device face-down on the edge of the nightstand, a calculated part of his performance to show the old man he was giving him his absolute, undivided attention. He turned his focus back to the bed.
"I just hope," Phineas said, his voice dropping to a fragile whisper, "that I get to hold a great-grandchild before my time is up. You two have been married a long time now."
The word child hit Elisa like a physical punch to the throat.
Her hand jerked violently. A splash of ice-cold water from the pitcher missed the glass and splashed directly onto her knuckles. She didn't feel the chill.All sensation was focused on the frantic pounding in her chest. She bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted copper, refusing to make a sound.
August's jaw tightened for a fraction of a second.
The mention of children was a massive, dangerous trigger. But he instantly smoothed his expression.
No.4
"We are focusing on Elisa's career right now,Grandpa," August lied smoothly. "But it is definitely in the plans."
Just then, the phone on the nightstand gave a single,silent vibration. A new message had arrived. The screen remained dark, but the brief pulse was enough to make the phone shift a millimeter on the polished wood. Elisa's eyes, already sharpened by adrenaline, caught the movement instantly. Given the late hour, the location, and the sheer audacity of the timing, Elisa didn't need to read the text to know exactly who it was and what she wanted. It was Allena. And if Phineas, who was sitting three feet away, saw that single initial and made the connection, the shock of the betrayal would literally kill him.
Phineas shifted in the bed. He slowly reached his shaking hand out toward the nightstand, aiming for the glass of water. His blurry eyes were moving directly toward the dark rectangle of the phone.
Adrenaline exploded in Elisa's chest.
She moved like a striking viper. She lunged forward,her body physically blocking Phineas's line of sight.Her hand shot out and snatched the phone off the wood.
Phineas stopped his hand in mid-air. He blinked,confused by her sudden, violent movement. "Elisa?What is it?"
No.5
Elisa forced the corners of her mouth up into a rigid,terrifyingly fake smile. Her heart was hammering against her ribs so hard she felt dizzy.
"It's just an urgent work email from August's executive team, Grandpa," Elisa lied, her voice slightly higher than normal. "I didn't want the light to bother your eyes."
She spun around and took one step toward August.
She didn't hand him the phone. She slammed the heavy metal device directly into the center of his chest.
The impact made a loud, dull thud.
August instinctively brought his hand up and caught the phone against his suit jacket. He looked down at
No.6
the screen. He saw the notification from Allena.
The blood instantly drained from August's face.His dark eyes snapped up to meet Elisa's.
They stared at each other across the small space.The air between them crackled with absolute, lethal tension. Elisa's eyes were screaming: Control your whore before she kills my grandfather.
August's fingers gripped the phone so hard the metal casing groaned. His knucklés turned completely white. He didn't say a single word in his defense.There was no defense.
He slowly stood up from the leather chair. He slipped the phone into his pocket and turned to Phineas.
"Elisa is right, Grandpa," August said. His voice was incredibly tight, stripped of all the fake warmth."There is a critical situation at the company. I have to leave immediately."
No.7
Phineas looked disappointed, but he gave a weak nod. "Go. Take care of your business, August. Thank you for coming."
August turned and walked toward the heavy oak
door. As he passed Elisa, he didn't stop, but he leaned his head down slightly.
"Tomorrow morning," August whispered, his voice so low only she could hear it. "The lawyer's office."
He opened the door and walked out, taking the suffocating tension with him.
Elisa stood by the nightstand. Her knees felt weak.She reached into her pocket and touched her own phone,feeling the confirmation text from her divorce lawyer. She closed her eyes, counting down the hours until 9:00 AM.