Chapter 545
Chapter 544:
Kieran slowly turned his head. The movement cost him enormous effort. “No,” he rasped, his throat like sandpaper. “I do not want to see anyone p>
Before the assistant could nod, a soft knock echoed through the room. A floor nurse pushed the heavy wooden door open, looking deeply uncomfortable.
“I am so sorry to interrupt,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “But there is a gentleman outside. He says he is a close personal friend of Mr. Douglas and is insisting on a visit p>
Kieran frowned, the skin around his eyes tightening with pain. “Tell him to leave p>
The nurse swallowed hard. “He also brought a media crew with him. They are waiting by the elevators p>
Kieran’s pupils dilated instantly. A violent jolt of pure adrenaline shot through his weakened nervous system. His heart monitor began to beep faster. One specific name slammed into his brain.
Before he could force his mouth open to scream for security, the door swung wide open.
Gaston Collins stepped into the hospital room. He looked enormous, his broad shoulders blocking out the light from the hallway. In his right hand, he carried a delicate, perfectly arranged gift bag in deep royal blue from a famous Fifth Avenue jeweler.
He looked down at the broken man in the bed and flashed a bright, blinding smile that did not come close to reaching his dead, predatory eyes.
𝘙𝖾𝘢𝘥 𝘸𝘪t𝘩оu𝗍 𝗶𝗇𝘁𝗲𝗋r𝘂𝘱𝘵𝗂𝘰𝗻𝗌 𝗼n 𝗴𝗮𝗅ո𝘰𝘷еl𝘴.𝘤o𝘮
Gaston walked slowly across the sterile hospital room. His expensive leather shoes made a sharp, rhythmic clicking sound against the floor.
He stopped beside the bed and lifted the delicate blue gift bag, dropping it onto the metal bedside table with a loud, echoing smack.
Kieran flinched violently. His heart monitor spiked, the green line jumping erratically across the screen. He tried to push himself up against the pillows, but his arms shook uncontrollably and he collapsed back down, his chest heaving.
Gaston looked down at him from his full height, his posture relaxed and completely dominant.
“I heard the news,” Gaston said, letting out a long, theatrical sigh laced with thick, sickening sympathy. “They told me an old friend ended up in the ICU because he could not handle a little bit of good news. I had to come pay my respects p>
Kieran clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ground together. The muscles in his neck strained.
“Get out,” Kieran wheezed. His voice was a pathetic, broken rasp.
Gaston ignored him completely. He reached into the blue gift bag and pulled out a small, heavy object — a solid silver baby rattle, exquisitely crafted, with the Collins family crest intricately engraved on the end. It was not a toy. It was a dynastic symbol, an artifact of old money and unbreakable lineage.
He held it up by the handle, letting the polished silver catch the harsh hospital light.
“A gift for the future heir of the Collins empire,” Gaston said, his voice smooth and conversational. “Something to mark the continuation of a bloodline. Looking at you right now, Kieran, I realize you will never understand the weight of something like this. You deal in fleeting deals. I build dynasties p>