Page 132 of The Protégé

Elena interlaced her fingers with mine as we walked down the hallway, heading toward his room. Nurse Nancy exited the room with her clipboard and headed toward us. She was part of Dr. Karl Cederholm’s team. My parents were familiar with his team.

Two undercover guards stood nearby, while four other men wandered this floor. More were stationed throughout the hospital. This was a precaution for a suspicion that had percolated my mind since the news broke. I’d rather be wrong than sorry. Though my relationship with my father wasn’t the best, he was still my father. Whoever was responsible for this would answer to me.

“How is he? Any improvements?” I asked Nancy, who wore her blonde hair in a bun.

“He’s stable,” she said. “Don’t worry. We have a close eye on him. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Thank you, Nancy. This is Elena, my girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Nancy.” Elena smiled.

“Likewise,” she said. “You can visit him.”

I entered the room with warm-colored walls. My father lay on the bed looking peaceful. This was probably the most relaxed state he’d ever been in.

How fucking pathetic was that?

If you keep going at your pace, you might end up like him too.

My father was a workaholic, and so was I.

“He looks comfortable.” Elena rubbed circles on my back. “What caused the coma?”

“He’s allergic to seafood,” I said. “But there was shrimp paste in his dinner at a restaurant.”

“Do people know about his allergies?”

“Everyone knew. It wasn’t a secret.”

“You think someone did it on purpose?”

I loved how she could read me. “Yes, but everything is just speculation right now. The chef swore he didn’t know there was shrimp paste in the food. My father frequented the restaurant often, so this was a shock to the owner and the workers. I’m trying my best to view everything objectively.”

“But it’s hard when it’s your family.” She squeezed my hand tighter. “You’re too close to see clearly. You need a bird’s-eye view. That’s when The Roc emerges, right?” She offered me a smirk, trying to add a little humor to the dreadful situation.

I lifted her hand and kissed it gently. “Thanks for making me smile.”

My dad was the CEO of the Reimann Corporation, which oversaw several financial firms, including the Reimann Sienna Bank, which was tied to the life insurance scam Elena recently discovered. He told me he’d look into it. I knew he’d stumbled on something that triggered someone trying to kill him.

I’d called a board meeting to demand a thorough investigation. My father had appointed me the power of attorney, so I’d be overseeing his projects from now on.

Had he known something like this would happen? Though I was his only son, I’d assumed he would have someone else take over for him. Did he always trust me? But he’d made it obvious he was disappointed in me.

A headache bloomed, and I turned to Elena. “I have a meeting with the board members this week. I want you to stay on Quintile Island.”

“Okay. Let me know how I can help.” She embraced me.

Her presence was all I needed.

She drew back. “I need to use the restroom. I’ve been holding it in since we got off the plane. Drank too much coffee.”

“Bathroom is right there.” I smiled, pointing to the door at the other end of the room.

When Elena entered the bathroom, I stepped closer to my father’s bed, looking down at him.

“Who did this to you?” Anger thrummed inside me. If my mom were watching us now, she’d be devastated. She loved him so much.

“I know I’ve disappointed you by not following in your footsteps. You probably don’t know this, but I tried my best to make you proud. Eventually it was too much. The pressure to be good at everything broke me.” Inhaling a breath, I dropped into the chair beside the bed. “I resented you, and that’s created a wedge between us.” I looked at his hand, still wearing his wedding ring. “Get well. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

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