The nurse looked down, her voice trembling as she held the clipboard close to her chest. “I’m sorry, Mr. Calder,” she whispered. “He… he didn’t make it.”
For a moment, the world stopped moving.
Adrian blinked, disbelief washing over him like cold water. “What did you just say?” His voice came out rough, uneven. “Say it again.”
The nurse swallowed, avoiding his eyes. “There was a complication. His kidneys failed completely. We tried everything, but… Elias passed away early this morning.”
He scoffed, shaking his head. “No. No, that’s impossible. You must be talking about another child.”
But the nurse only lowered her gaze further. “I’m sorry, sir. It’s your son. Elias Calder.”
Before Adrian could say another word, a piercing scream tore through the hallway.
“What do you mean dead?!” Seraphine’s voice was raw and trembling. She pushed past two nurses, her eyes wild. “Where is his body? Where is my son?!”
“Miss, please—” the nurse tried to explain, but Seraphine shoved her away.
“I want to see him!” she cried, her voice breaking. “Where is my son? Where is Elias?”
Another nurse stepped forward cautiously, holding a chart. “Ma’am, there was… there was a directive. The body was already cremated, per instructions from Mrs. Vivienne Calder.”
“What?” Adrian’s voice thundered through the room. “What did you just say?”
The nurse trembled. “Mrs. Calder handled all arrangements personally. She… she stayed with him through the night. The cremation happened at dawn. She said it was his wish to rest quietly.”
Seraphine froze, her face turning white. “No,” she whispered. “No, that’s not true. I’m his mother. She had no right!” Her voice rose into a scream. “She took that from me too! I’ll sue this hospital! I’ll destroy all of you!”
She was trembling violently, her knees buckling. Adrian reached for her, but she collapsed against him, fainting from the shock. Nurses rushed forward to catch her, calling for help.
Adrian just stood there, his ears ringing. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t move. His son — his only son — gone? Just like that? No goodbye. No last look.
Something inside him snapped.
He turned to the doctor, his face red with fury. “Find her. Now.” His voice was a growl. “Find Vivienne Calder and bring her to me. I don’t care what it takes. You hear me?”
The staff hesitated, terrified, but he roared louder. “GO!”
Within minutes, nurses scattered, calling other hospitals, searching files. Adrian pulled out his phone, his hands shaking, dialing Vivienne over and over. Each time, the same response — the number you have dialed cannot be reached.
He slammed his phone against the wall. “Damn it!”
When Seraphine regained consciousness hours later, her face was pale and streaked with tears. “She did this,” she whispered weakly. “She took him from us. She killed him.”
Adrian clenched his fists, his eyes dark. “I know. And she’s going to pay for it.”
He left the hospital immediately, storming through the parking lot, his heart pounding. The rain had started to fall — heavy, relentless — but he barely noticed.
There was only one place left to go.
Vivienne’s father’s office.
He didn’t even wait for the secretary to announce him. He burst through the doors, slamming them shut behind him. “Where is she?” he demanded, dripping water across the marble floor. “Where the hell is your daughter?”
Mr. Howard looked up slowly from behind his desk, calm — too calm. “Mr. Calder.”
Adrian’s chest heaved. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know where she is. You helped her, didn’t you? Tell me right now or—”
“Or what?” Mr. Howard’s tone was cold, cutting through the air like a knife. “You’ll threaten me? Haven’t you done enough damage to my family?”
Adrian’s nostrils flared. “You think you can talk to me like that? You forget that the merger—”
“There is no merger,” Mr. Howard interrupted sharply. “Not anymore.”
Adrian froze. “What?”
Mr. Howard rose from his chair, every inch the powerful man he used to admire — now looking at him like he was nothing. “You heard me. No merger. No partnership. No alliance. From this day on, we have nothing to do with you or your company.”
“You can’t—”
“Oh, but I can.” Mr. Howard leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous. “I know what you did to Vivienne. I know about Seraphine. About every lie you did to ruin my daughter. About Elias.”
Adrian’s jaw clenched, his pulse quickening. “Watch your mouth.”
But Mr. Howard didn’t back down. “You fooled her. You made her believe she was pregnant when she wasn’t. You made her live a lie. And now, because of your greed and deceit, she’s gone — and she took her freedom with her. Good for her.”
Adrian slammed his fist on the desk. “You don’t know anything!”
“Oh, I know enough.” Mr. Howard motioned to his guards. “You should leave now, Mr. Calder. Before I decide to press charges myself.”
Adrian’s face contorted in rage. “You think this is over?” he hissed. “You think you can hide her from me? I’ll find her. I’ll find her and she’ll regret ever crossing me.”
Mr. Howard didn’t even flinch. “Even if I knew where she was,” he said coldly, “I wouldn’t tell you. Because I was wrong — about everything. I thought you could make my daughter happy. But all you did was destroy her.”
He turned away, signaling the guards. “Now get out of my office.”
The guards stepped forward, grabbing Adrian by the arms. He struggled, shouting as they dragged him toward the door. “You’ll regret this, old man! Do you hear me?!”
But the door slammed behind him before he could finish.
Outside, the storm raged on. Adrian stood under the gray sky, soaked, trembling with fury and grief.
Vivienne was gone. Elias was gone.
And all that remained inside him was a festering mix of rage and regret — the kind that would eat him alive until he found her.
“She’ll pay,” he muttered under his breath, his hands curling into fists. “I swear, she’ll pay.”
