Chapter 4

Brandon rushed forward and shoved my shoulder. I blocked him with my arm. "This is family business. Stay out of it."

Security guards burst in and separated us. Brandon had only a small cut on his lip, but I was tripped—my lower back slamming into the corner of the conference table. The pain made my vision black out, and I couldn't stand.

Vanessa grabbed an ashtray from the table and threw it at me. It hit my head, and blood poured down my face. But she ran straight to Brandon, looking completely concerned.

"Brandon, does it hurt? Are you okay?" Her voice was soft and worried—nothing like the way she'd treated me when I was sick.

Brandon shook his head. "I'm fine. It's just Mr. Dawson..." He glanced at me, trailing off.

Vanessa finally looked at me, her expression turning to rage.

"Jake Dawson, have you lost your mind?! Assaulting someone in public? Look at you! You're acting like a thug! This is illegal! Apologize to Brandon right now!"

Blood dripped from my forehead into my eyes. I wiped it away with my sleeve, clearing my vision. I forced a bitter smile. In my thirty-something years, had I ever seen anything this absurd?

"Apologize? To him?" I looked at Brandon, who was smirking triumphantly.

"Yes! Now!" Vanessa insisted, like it was the most reasonable thing in the world.

I ignored her, bent down to gather the scattered documents. "Michael, handle this." I limped toward the door.

"You can't just leave! We're not done here!"

"Jake Dawson, get back here!" Vanessa tried to block my path.

I kept walking, didn't look back. Done? What was there to finish? Robert was still in the ICU waiting for treatment. With the company gone, I needed another plan.

I took a deep breath, pushing down my emotions. I called old friends who owed me favors—didn't go into details. Scraping together everything I could, I borrowed over a million. Surgery first, I thought. We'd figure out the medication and other costs later.

I grabbed the money and rushed to the hospital. My phone rang on the way—it was Carol. I answered immediately.

"Mom, I got some money. I'm on my way now."

"It's too late..." Carol's voice was unnaturally calm. "Robert... he's gone."

"What? Mom, slow down. What happened? This morning the doctors said he was stable."

Carol's composure broke. Her voice cracked with despair. "He pulled out his tubes... the monitors went crazy... by the time they found him..."

I froze. I never thought Robert would do something like that.

The next few days were a blur of funeral arrangements. I asked Carol if she wanted to tell Vanessa. She shook her head, face cold. "I don't have that daughter anymore. I never want to see her again."