Page 4 of Forbidden Kiss

As Ethan enters the elevator, he pushes a button and turns to face me. His eyes are still glued to mine as the doors close.

What is going on?

With a slow limp, Father approaches me, holding a stack of documents and gazing at the floor. The lines on his face seem deeper.

My shoulders tighten. I want to run and hide, but my feet don’t let me. “What is this about?” I demand, my voice shaking.

He limps halfway to my desk, then stops. “Come,” he says, turning around and calling over his shoulder.

I follow him until we arrive at his office suite. The air is thick with unspoken words, the tension between us clear.

“Good evening, Miss Lane,” his secretary greets with a touch of concern flickering in her eyes.

“Hi, Mariah,” I greet warmly, though I’m not sure it comes through that way. “How are you?”

Her eyes glimpse at my father. “Doing fine, considering.”

My brain races before I halt in front of her desk. “Considering what?”

While shaking his head, my father gives a warning glance at his secretary before turning back to me. My mind races and I can feel panic rising in my chest. Why was Ethan here? What’s going on?

Father opens the door to his office and motions for me to enter.

As I step inside, my legs grow weak.

He shuts the door behind me. “I was hoping to talk to you beforehand, but didn’t get a chance.”

I shift feet. “Just tell me what’s going on. I have a right to know.”

With a deep breath, he exhales and appears distant. “Mr. Wolfe is taking over the company.”

His voice fades, yet his impactful words remain.

My brain races. “What?”

His lips flatten. “Don’t worry. You’ll still get your inheritance.”

Panic sweeps through my body. “I don’t care about an inheritance! Why are you selling the company?”

As his gaze falls to the ground, vulnerability flashes in his eyes. “I’m getting old, Ava. It’s time for a new leader to take charge.”

I cross my arms. “What are you talking about? You’re 56!”

He glances at me briefly before looking away again.

My pulse shoots through the roof. “Tell me!”

“Ava.” His voice is heavy with emotion and he avoids eye contact. “I’m going into surgery tomorrow morning. The doctors will do everything they can to stop it from progressing.”

A quiver runs through my stomach. “Stopwhat?”

With a downward pout on his lips, he looks into my eyes. “I… I have heart failure, Ava.”

Cold blood drains from my face and shoulders. My lips stiffen as my back straightens. “No way. That can’t possibly be true. You’re lying.”

“You’ll be well taken care of here, Ava.” His voice is faint. “Ethan will see to it.”

“No! Have them run the tests again!” With the words flying out of my mouth, I can barely hear myself saying them because of the loud heartbeat in my ears. “There must be a mistake!”

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