CHAPTER 141
Mr. Donovan, Maria, and Dr. Benneth were now standing around Wilson Blake's body that had just been laid on the bed. He had just finished a thorough examination of his condition after showing movement.
Wilson was in a coma due to an injury to his brain, which was the result of complications from the heart disease he had been suffering from for years. Wilson fought hard, but he had to end up in a hospital room after losing consciousness and being in a static state for almost over a year.
All the work had been handed over to Mr. Donovan. Donovan. He was the Wilson family's lawyer since Wilson was a teenager. He was an experienced lawyer who even received ten percent of Wilson Blake's estate which could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars in assets, stocks and cash in storage.
Mr. Donovan. Donovan who was taller than Dr. Benneth cleared his throat, he had been standing there since five minutes ago and watching Wilson Blake's sleeping body. "What is Mr. Blake's actual condition? Hasn't there been any movement?"
Dr. Benneth checked the small board in hand, it had just been handed over from Liliana. The man put on the glasses he kept inside the pocket of his medical coat, then began to explain, "Judging from the movement, Mr. Blake's condition is good. It looks like he'll wake up in the next few hours if nothing else changes. I've asked Liliana to stay here and keep an eye on Mr. Blake's condition."
Mr. Donovan nodded in agreement. Mr. Donovan nodded in agreement, he was quite grateful for the role of the doctors and nurses who were faithfully looking after Mr. Blake. The reason for this was because Mr. Mr. Donovan became the primary custodian of the entire estate and assets during Mr. Blake's illness. Mr. Blake asked Mr. Mr. Blake asked Mr. Donovan to manage Ace, and Ace was chosen as the interim CEO to lead some of Mr. Blake's companies.
"We have to prepare all the work reports when Mr. Blake is fully awake," Mr. Donovan muttered. Donovan. "We've received a lot of complaints since Ace went to jail and we wonder how Mr. Blake will react to hearing all this. Would it be good if we talked to him about business right away?"
Dr. Benneth sighed. "He's been in a coma for over a year. He will need time to recover his brain function. He will also need to undergo therapy to repair the functions of the organs in his body. Mr. Wilson might have trouble walking during the process. So I don't think... talking about business will help him in this situation."
Mr. Donovan looked at Maria, the secretary. Donovan looked at Maria, his personal secretary, then nodded in code. Maria returned the nod in kind. She could immediately understand what her boss meant since they had worked more than five years together. Mr. Donovan then turned to Dr. Benneth. "What should we do to help him recover quickly? We might explain to our colleagues that Mr. Blake is showing good movement, but it's only temporary. They will need a clear time when they will be able to resume business."
"In the end, it's all about politics and business, isn't it?" Dr. Beneth lowered his glasses, then handed the small board containing Mr. Blake's health report to Liliana who stood behind him faithfully and obediently.
As the room buzzed with discussion about Wilson Blake's condition, an unexpected ripple ran through the monitor. A slight tremor passed through Wilson's fingers, catching everyone's attention.
Dr. Benneth's eyes widened behind his glasses. "That's unusual. Quick, check the readings!"
Liliana rushed to the monitor, her brow furrowed in concentration. "There's a spike in brain activity! The neural patterns are fluctuating. This could mean-"
Before she could finish, Wilson's eyelids fluttered. A collective gasp filled the room as his eyes slowly opened, dazed and confused, trying to adjust to his surroundings.
"Mr. Blake?" Dr. Benneth approached, speaking softly. "Can you hear me?"
Wilson blinked a few times before focusing on the faces around him. His gaze fell on Mr. Donovan, his lawyer. Donovan, his lawyer, who stood there with a sense of anticipation and worry. "Wilson, it's me, Donovan. You're in the hospital," he said softly.
A flash of realization flashed through Wilson's eyes, clouded by confusion. "I... How long has it been?"
"You've been unconscious for over a year," Dr. Benneth explained, watching for danger signs.
Wilson's fingers twitched, a sign he was trying to move. "Ace... my company?"
Mr. Donovan exchanged glances with Maria, communicating silently. Donovan then stepped forward, his voice soft yet firm. "Wilson, at this time, your health is our priority. Your business can wait. We are here to help you heal."
Wilson nodded weakly, the effort visible on his face. "Therapy? "Dr. Benneth nodded. "Yes, Wilson. You will need therapy to regain your strength and mobility. It will be a gradual process."
Dr. Benneth confirmed to Liliana who was still standing between them warily, "His condition is not completely stable yet, he still needs to rest. Please tell the staff to prepare for her therapy session and make sure she is comfortable." he then whispered to Mr. Donovan, "When you speak, please tell the staff to prepare. Donovan, "Your talking time should be limited so that Mr. Blake can rest."
"Yes, Doctor," Mr. Donovan replied. Donovan replied.
Mr. Donovan stepped closer to Wilson's bedside, his voice sincere. "We'll take care of everything, Wilson. Focus on getting better. We'll go ahead, get everything you need ready."
"Okay."
Wilson managed a faint smile before exhaustion took him again, his eyelids drooping. The room fell silent, leaving the small group to contemplate the uncertain journey ahead.
Outside the hospital room, whispers began to circulate. News of Wilson Blake waking up from a year-long coma spread like wildfire, causing ripples in the business world, where speculation and anticipation were mixed. The fate of his empire hung in the balance, awaiting his recovery.
Little do they know, Wilson's return is only the beginning of a story that challenges not only his physical limitations, but also the web of alliances, secrets, and ambitions woven around his life and legacy.
CHAPTER 142Mr. Donovan and Maria came out of the VVIP room, where Wilson Blake took his time to fall back asleep. Liliana quickly prepared treatment for Wilson's condition. The man had made it through the critical period amidst the heated political atmosphere. The business world was not doing well and Wilson's recovery was like a breath of fresh air for all his colleagues.Maria looked up after checking her cell phone. "All the partners are calling me, Sir!""Have they heard about Mr. Blake's recovery? How do they know?" Mr. Donovan looked at Maria, but she just shook her head. The business world is tough, you never realize who is on your side and who will play the role of spy and traitor. Maria then raised her cell phone in the air. She shook it lightly. "They even keep calling, it seems they are very curious about Mr. Blake's health condition, Mr. Donovan. What should we do now?"Mr. Donovan looked down, removing his face from Maria. He seemed to think for quite a while before fina
CHAPTER 143"What are you going to do today? You look nice," Nicholas said, taking his eyes off his cell phone.Alicia, who had just finished putting on her clothes, pulled a gray backpack from behind the bedroom door and put it on her back. She sat next to Nicholas, who was preparing to leave for work while enjoying Alicia's green tea. Alicia smiled and explained, "I'm going to apply for some part-time jobs today. I heard that Uncle Chuck's shop needs a lot of waiters for Christmas week. You know that their ice cream is the best, right?"Nicholas squinted. "You don't need to look for a job, aren't lawyers going to take care of your parents' entire estate?" The man recalled. "That will be enough for you. And... starting today, I'll pay for you. I'm serious about our relationship, so please let me help you financially, Alicia."A soft chuckle sounded from Alicia. She stroked Nicholas’s hair which had been polished with strawberry-scented hair gel. Then looked at him intensely. NIcholas
CHAPTER 144Alicia looked at the crime scene. The field forensics team had already removed the body of the man Nicholas was talking about, he had found nothing but the location of the body which had been circled by a yellow police line. Nicholas asked Alicia to pull over because it was a dangerous place and Alicia agreed to wait for Nicholas on the other side.The crashing waves on the beach momentarily filled the void in Alicia's chest. It had been a long time since she had felt the fresh breeze of nature. But being on the beach when the air was cold, made Nicholas worried about Alicia's condition. Nicholas quickly caught up with Alicia, then took off his warm coat to cover Alicia's outerwear."You should use this, it's cold outside, you'd better wait in the car," Nicholas said, then invited Alicia into the car.They sat next to each other as Nicholas began to rub his cold palms together. His face seemed to be still wandering around looking at the surrounding scenery from inside the
CHAPTER 145Just as Nicholas had said when saying goodbye to Noel, that he would drop Alicia off first before returning to his work. And here Nicholas was, standing waiting for Alicia to unlock the door to her own flat. Alicia turned around and smiled. "I'll be fine, you can go now."But Nicholas smiled and took Alicia's hand. Alicia frowned with a confused expression, what else would Nicholas do? Nicholas then put down a gray whistle necklace and placed it on Alicia's palm. Alicia looked up, seeing Nicholas' face with a curious look on it."What is this?""It's a present for you."Alicia's eyebrows furrowed. She chuckled. "A whistle?""You can blow it if you're in danger and I'll come right away."Nicholas' words made Alicia smile. Her cheeks turned a tinge of red as she felt embarrassed. It was blushing! Her chest warmed up whenever Nicholas said sweet words that touched her. It had been a long time since she had gotten that feeling, even when Alicia was with Ace, Alicia could not f
CHAPTER 146Their focus turned to Hendrick, who returned with a wealth of information. "I found a missing person's report similar to our victim's but covered in contradictions. The person's whereabouts seem to have been carefully erased. After some digging, it's Jill and her daughter."The trio gathered again, maps lying on the table, tracing the topography of the coastal cliffs. "There's a remote area," Hendrick pointed, "rarely accessed, overlooking the beach. If the victim was thrown from there, it might explain the cut-off of access to a commonly visited tourist spot."A shiver of revelation ran through Nicholas. "What if this isn't just a murder? What if this is a message?" The pieces seemed to align, painting a sinister picture of calculated manipulation.Noel nodded, determination etched on his face. "Let's explore that side of the cliff. There might be something we're missing, a clue that connects everything."Nicholas took a deep breath. He looked at his two partners in turn,
CHAPTER 147Nicholas sighed in the cold air. He took out a scarf from inside his black coat and started tying it around his neck. His body was beginning to be exposed to the cold air of the day's winter. It was already afternoon. The strong wind carried from the beach greeted his freely exposed face there. She looked around. His breathing began to become labored due to the depletion of oxygen.While catching his breath, Nicholas scanned the surroundings. In front of him stood a simple-looking house. It was on the other side of the cliff. Nicholas took out the drawing made by Lily, Jill's daughter, and held it up in the air. He looked at the drawing, then at the house behind it in turn. Nicholas also rotated his point of view, so that he could see the sea from a different direction. And the more Nicholas observed, the more he was convinced that it was the same position."This is the house. Let's take a look."Nicholas prepared himself, he put the picture into his coat pocket, meanwhile
CHAPTER 148Alicia sat enjoying a bowl of blueberry and strawberry yogurt sprinkled with raisins while watching television. The weather outside was unfriendly and Alicia could only stay in her own flat. Occasionally glancing at the cell phone on the table, she waited for a message from Nicholas. It had been a whole day since Nicholas had left, but he hadn't texted or called.Alicia's strong intuition told her that something was up. But Alicia chose to hold back this time. She stirred the yogurt into the bowl and started eating it. The television shows no longer interested her. Alicia changed the channel several times and still found no interesting shows. It was just gossip and entertainment shows that didn't calm Alicia down.After finishing her snack, Alicia went to the kitchen and cleaned her hands. She then went to her room and locked the door. The large windows in her room were not covered with curtains, so Alicia could see the snowfall that fell on the earth that day. The time on
CHAPTER 149There is nothing more uncomfortable than managing several cases at the same time. Nicholas sat in the corner, massaging his forehead which was beginning to throb with pain. It was like he had a migraine. His head was filled with the horrible cases that had just happened. But of all the cases, Nicholas realized something... that their deaths pivoted on Alicia. The girl he loved."I didn't know that being in charge would give me such a headache," Nicholas muttered in the middle of the meeting.Noel glanced at Nicholas, then at Hendrick and Peter who were also in the same room. "Well, you're too modest. You not only have a headache but you've been shot. Did you forget that?""Thanks for reminding me, Noel," Nicholas replied sarcastically.Everyone laughed quietly. They knew that Nicholas had really had a bad day all week since gaining his new status as Chief.Instead of enjoying a lighter life due to less work, Nicholas had gotten into a lot of trouble in a fairly short time.
CHAPTER 275 Nicholas drove the car as fast as he could. He cut through the streets knowing that Alicia was in danger and needed to be rescued immediately. At this moment, Nicholas deliberately did not turn on the siren in his car to avoid things that threatened Alicia. Arriving at Alicia's house, Nicholas could see a suspicious car near Rick and his mother's house. Nicholas' eyebrows furrowed and he slowed down the car. While looking around, Nicholas tried to think of a plan. Until finally, Nicholas stopped his car right behind the suspicious car. Nicholas got out of the car, but his gaze remained wary. He took out his gun and pointed it downwards as he walked into Alicia's yard. He realized that Alicia's door was unlocked even though the lights were off. Just as Nicholas entered Alicia's house, a punch landed from behind. But Nicholas was strong enough to withstand it, so the man immediately turned around and pointed the gun at Ace. But Ace was also ready to shoot Nicholas in the
CHAPTER 274Nicholas observed the change in Selena's expression from a different room. She stood up and hugged herself while frowning."She keeps bringing up Glen. It's starting to worry me," Nicholas muttered.While on the other side, Noel began to open the folder given by Nicholas. There were several sheets of paper inside. They were reports done by Peter and that surprised Noel. He peered into the folder."I didn't know Nicholas would give me this much work." Noel's complaint was heard by Nicholas in a different room, but Nicholas ignored it and chose to focus on Selena. Noel looked at Selena then smiled and put the papers on the table. "I don't want to read all the writing on this paper. So, what can you give me to get me to get you out of prison?""I... I didn't kill anyone."Noel waved her hands in the air, she seemed to look down on the opponent. "That's a very standard thing. Do you have any evidence? Everyone in that base camp is dead, none of them can give you testimony. So
CHAPTER 273Glen looked up, he hadn't finished his fries yet. "Are you leaving now, Uncle? Are you going to see my mom?"Nicholas mumbled for a while, before finally nodding his head. "I'm going to take care of some work and meet with your mother. Is there anything you want to say to her?"Glen's face grew more enthusiastic as he finished the fries in his mouth and looked thoughtful. He looked around before finally seeing Nicholas again. Raising his index finger in the air, Glen said, "I want you to tell my mom that I miss her a lot. I want some chocolate candy from Uncle Chuck's shop! They have the best chocolate in town and I want to try it."Now, it was Nicholas' turn to raise his eyebrows enthusiastically. "Do you know Uncle Chuck's?""My friends in class talk about it, but I don't know. I just heard about it and wanted to try the chocolate candies they have."Nicholas nodded his head. He smiled widely and rubbed the top of Glen's head in relief. At least, the boy still had some e
CHAPTER 272Nicholas dropped Alicia off in front of Alpha Company's office, while he continued on his way to the daycare. He got out of his car, with a bag of fries from Mcd. Nicholas walked in and was met by Lim Sara.Lim Sara, who was working, greeted Nicholas politely. "Good morning, Detective. Have you come to pick up Glen?"A small mumble was heard from Nicholas. He finally explained the situation to Sara. "Um, well, the police still have to check a few things from Mrs. Selena. It may take some time, can Glen stay here a little longer?"Lim Sara looked worried. The woman with her beautiful hair coils mumbled, before nodding and replying, "Of course, Detective. But it seems like Glen is worried about his mother, he's asked about her several times and I can only say that she's at work." Sara turned around, then showed Glen who was sitting alone in the corner of the study room. "Because he stays here alone, without the other children, he thinks that his mother is angry.""Has Glen e
CHAPTER 271Alicia leaned on Nicholas' shoulder, she let the blanket cover their bodies on the sofa. After a night of sleeping together, Alicia woke up first. She took a deep breath and woke Nicholas up."Nick?"While shaking Nicholas' hand, Alicia tried to get her lover to wake up. And after a while, Nicholas did wake up."Um, good morning, Alicia." Nicholas adjusted his sitting position, he then blinked his eyes and began to speak. "How did you sleep last night?"Alicia mumbled. Letting go of the blanket covering her body, she hugged herself. "I got a good sleep because of you. But can't you just relax like this? You said you were going to check on Selena again today?""Yes, there will be a cross-examination. Noel will try to provoke her with psychological techniques," Nicholas said. He looked ahead, then moistened his dry lips. "I wonder to what extent Selena knows information about Ace. If Selena can tell the police about the steps Ace is taking, it would be great for all of us."
CHAPTER 270Nicholas put on an apron, before grabbing a cutting board and knife. He took out the onions, garlic and chili peppers. Skillfully, Nicholas began to chop the ingredients into small pieces, and then he heated the oil in the wok. He prepared to put in all the ingredients, and after the smell of onions was there, Nicholas put in the minced meat that he took from the refrigerator. His big hands started moving here and there quickly. He was like a professional chef. Sautéing, putting in spices and making everything better.Besides cooking the meat, Nicholas also prepared two loaves of bread on a plate. He placed the meat onto the bread, then garnished it with lettuce, tomato and some sauce on top.Nicholas patted his palms when he was done. He took off the apron, put it back on the table and started to prepare the two plates of food for the dining table. It was raining outside, and Alicia was still covering herself with a blanket on the sofa.It looked like Alicia was completel
CHAPTER 269Knock! Knock! Knock!Alicia opened her eyes after hearing a knock on the door. She tried to blink her eyes, then got up from her bed. She walked with her weak body to the door. The transparent door showed Nicholas outside, so Alicia didn't have to worry about opening the door.The girl opened the door and Nicholas greeted her enthusiastically. "Hey, Alicia. Why... what's wrong with you? Your face looks pale."Nicholas pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, checking Alicia's body temperature manually. He felt an unusual heat. There was something strange and Nicholas looked at Alicia worriedly."You have a fever, Alicia." Nicholas put his arm around Alicia and carried her into the house. Nicholas closed the door behind him and gently pushed Alicia into the living room. Nicholas helped Alicia to sit down. "Have you had a fever since morning?"Alicia nodded her head. "I... went to see Anna at her house.""Did you manage to meet Anna?""She... was close to my mother, Nic
CHAPTER 268"I may be ignorant of thethe law, I've run afoul of the constitution and statutes, but I know you'll remain a fugitive as long as you live in this world.a fugitive as long as you live in this world."Ace furrowed his browdeeply. "I'll have to think about it."The Fixer picked up the bagwith the money and held it in his lap like the baby he loved. While picking upseveral stacks of money and smelling the odor, The Fixer continued, "If you'dagree to my game, you can come the day before you're due to leave forEngland. Oh, and take Alicia with you. She has to 'die' with you too,right?"They exchanged glances fora few moments, before Ace finally turned around and left The Fixer's hiddenThe Fixer's hidden warehouse. He handed over the one million dollars he gotfrom stealing Amanda, Jill and Jason's money in order to escape farther than New York.than New York. But faking death? Ace hasn't thought of thatbefore.Meanwhile, insidehis base camp, The Fixer was feeling go
CHAPTER 267CHAPTER 267Ace put on his black gloves before he got into the car. His brown eyes looked ahead, while both hands held the steering wheel. The engine hadn't been turned on yet, so the road ahead was very dark. Ace managed to hide the car in a narrow alley that only fit Ace's car. Even then, Ace had to work hard to get it out carefully.After the chase that almost got him caught by Nicholas, Ace felt even more threatened. The streets of New York City were lined with his face. He was the most wanted fugitive in New York City. Even billboards that used to display commercial advertisements or important notices were now replaced with his face. Everyone was looking for Ace Blake."Damn. Where am I going to go now? I can't go without Alicia, but taking her without a plan won't do me any favors either."After thinking for a while, Ace finally started the engine of his car. He positioned the car so that it could exit the narrow alley. The car blended into the crowded street, but Ac