I woke up to the sharp smell of antiseptic and the steady beeping of a heart monitor.
My side burned with a dull ache, but the blinding pain from the terrace was gone. I slowly opened my heavy eyelids, the bright hospital lights forcing me to squint.
Standing around my hospital bed were Richard, Evelyn, Candice, and Ashton.
"Good, you're awake," Evelyn sneered. "We don't have time for your tantrums today," she said coldly.
Richard stepped forward. His face was set in a mask of absolute stone. He tossed a thick stack of legal documents onto my lap, followed by a heavy pen. It landed right on my legs.
"The doctors informed us that you lost a severe amount of blood," Richard stated. His voice was as clinical and detached as a butcher discussing meat. "You require an immediate blood transfusion to survive the night. But you won't get it unless you sign this."
I lowered my gaze to the papers resting on my lap.
Full Medical Proxy and Power of Attorney.
"Since you are clearly mentally unstable and prone to hurting yourself," Ashton stepped forward, his chin raised in absolute arrogance. "And since your new husband, Brandon, is a bedridden vegetable who can't even stand, the two of you are legally incapable of managing your shares."
"Just sign it, Sister," she said, her eyes dancing with malice. "We will represent you and Brandon from now on. We'll take over your voting rights for tomorrow morning’s board meeting."
She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If you don't sign... Dad can just tell the doctors to withhold your treatment. It would be a shame if you bled out here tonight."
Without saying a single word, I reached down and picked up the pen.
"Lorraine, don't be stupid—" Richard began, expecting me to fight back.
But I simply uncapped the pen and signed my name on the dotted line. My handwriting was steady and clean, with no sign of doubt.
I dropped the clipboard back onto the bed.
"Smart girl. You finally learned your place," Ashton laughed. "Tomorrow morning, I will use these proxy votes to officially acquire the Elixir brand and take over the Sinclair empire. You and your crippled husband can rot in this room."
Without another word, they turned their backs on me and walked out.
The heavy mahogany doors clicked shut behind them.
Then, the door to the adjoining VIP lounge slowly opened.
Brandon, the supposedly crippled outcast of the family, stood in perfect health.
"You signed it." His low voice sent a chill through the room. He walked to the edge of my bed, his jaw clenched tight.
"You let them threaten your life, and you handed them the keys to the Sinclair board," Brandon said, his chest moving hard. "Why didn't you let me step out there and break his neck?"
"Because breaking his neck is too easy, Brandon," I whispered, looking up into my husband's furious eyes.
"They want to acquire the Elixir brand tomorrow. They want to use my shares to do it."
Brandon frowned, his anger pausing. "And?"
"And," I curved my lips into a faint smile. "They don't know who they are acquiring."
I looked toward the window, my voice perfectly calm.
"I am the creator and sole owner of Elixir. I built that brand from nothing while they thought I was rotting in the mountains."
Brandon’s eyes widened slightly as the truth hit him.
"They think they stole my life's work," I continued softly. "But they don't know that the raw, unrefined base of Elixir is highly toxic before the final synthesis. Ashton is too greedy. In his rush to show off, he will bypass all safety protocols."
I looked back at Brandon.
"We will let them have their victory. Let them present their grand acquisition to the investors tomorrow."
The next morning.
The Sinclair Corporate Headquarters.
The grand boardroom was packed with the capital's elite investors and shareholders. Ashton sat proudly at the head of the massive glass table, with Candice glowing by his side.
"With the proxy votes from my brother and his wife, I now hold the majority," Ashton announced into the microphone. His voice echoed with absolute arrogance.
"My first act as the new Patriarch is the official acquisition of the world's most exclusive fragrance brand—Elixir!"
The room burst into applause.
"To prove the success of this acquisition, my team seized the master sample of Elixir's unreleased core formula from their lab last night," Ashton declared. "A scent so exclusive, it is valued at over ten million dollars a drop."
He picked up the silver case and walked toward the three lead investors sitting at the front. These were the men who controlled the capital's biggest banks.
"Today, our top partners will be the first in the world to experience it."
The investors leaned forward, their eyes wide with greed and anticipation.
Ashton entered the passcode. The silver case clicked open.
Inside sat a glowing glass vial. The liquid shimmered like liquid gold under the boardroom lights.
"Please," Ashton smiled, carefully lifting the vial and handing it to the lead investor. "Breathe in the future of our empire."
The lead investor took the vial. The two men beside him leaned in close.
They took a deep, eager breath of the golden liquid.
For one second, the boardroom was completely silent, waiting for their praise.
Then, that second passed.
The lead investor's eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head.
The glass vial slipped from his fingers. It shattered against the polished floor with a sharp crack.
"Mr. Holls? What's wrong—" Ashton started to ask, his smile faltering.
Before Ashton could finish his sentence, the lead investor let out a suffocated, wet gasp. Blood began to pour from his nose.
The two investors beside him grabbed their own throats, their faces turning a terrifying shade of gray.
Panic broke out in the boardroom.
Without another sound, all three lead investors collapsed backward.
They hit the boardroom floor with a heavy, lifeless thud.
