THE COLLAPSE OF HILTON GROUP

Patrick’s POV

The hospital lobby was suffocating. The sterile white walls, the quiet hum of machines, the murmurs of worried visitors all pressed down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake off.

Becky was still in the ward, her condition uncertain. My mother and Debbie sat stiffly on the uncomfortable waiting chairs, their faces drawn with worry. I knew they expected me to sit with them, to wait out the storm, but I couldn’t.

Not now.

My phone had already vibrated five times in the last ten minutes. Each time, my assistant’s messages became more urgent. The financial reports were showing a catastrophic downturn. Hilton Group’s assets were vanishing overnight.

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and turned to my mother and sister.

“Take care of Becky,” I said quickly. “I have an emergency at work.”

Debbie frowned. “Patrick, what’s going on?”

My mother crossed her arms. “What could possibly be more important than being here?”

I exhaled sharply. “I don’t have time for this.”

“Patrick!” Debbie tried again, stepping forward, but I had already turned away.

Ignoring their protests, I pushed through the hospital doors and sprinted to my car. My hands were shaking as I jammed the key into the ignition, and the tires screeched as I pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive to Hilton Group Headquarters felt like a blur. My thoughts raced faster than the car, each one screaming the same thing: Who the hell is buying out my assets?

When I finally reached the towering glass skyscraper, I didn’t even bother parking properly. I jumped out and ran into the building.

“Good afternoon, sir!” one of the receptionists greeted.

“Welcome back, Mr. Hilton,” a group of junior executives called.

I barely heard them. My mind was singularly focused.

I stormed into the elevator, tapping my foot impatiently as it climbed to the executive floor. As soon as the doors slid open, I bolted down the hallway, pushing past a few startled employees before bursting into my office.

“Mr. Hilton?” My assistant, James, stood up abruptly, holding a stack of reports. His face was pale—too pale.

“Call an emergency meeting,” I barked. “Now.”

James didn’t hesitate. He picked up his phone, his fingers flying over the keypad as he issued a rapid command.

Within two minutes, the boardroom was packed.

The stakeholders, the trustees, the senior financial advisors—they all sat, murmuring amongst themselves. The tension in the room was suffocating.

I slammed my hands on the table, making several of them jump. “What the hell is going on?” I demanded.

One of the senior accountants, Mr. Caldwell, cleared his throat. “Sir, the company’s liquid and non-liquid assets have been steadily depleting over the past 48 hours.”

Another voice chimed in. “All our major stocks and real estate holdings have been acquired by a single entity—an unidentified payer. The transactions were executed at an alarmingly high premium, which outbid any attempts we made to retain ownership.”

I clenched my jaw. “Explain in detail.”

Mr. Caldwell sighed and adjusted his glasses. “The Hilton Group’s real estate division suffered an immediate capital outflow due to aggressive hostile acquisitions. Our industrial assets and commercial properties—once key fixed assets of the company—have been bought out at inflated market rates, leaving us unable to rebalance our equity portfolio.”

Another trustee spoke up. “The company’s financial leverage has taken a direct hit. Without sufficient liquid assets, our debt-to-equity ratio has skyrocketed. Lenders are beginning to withdraw their confidence in our ability to stabilize.”

A third board member interjected, her voice grave. “The stock market response has been brutal. Our shareholder value has depreciated by 47% in a single day.”

I ran a hand over my face. “Are you saying we’re on the brink of bankruptcy?”

Silence.

Then, Mr. Caldwell nodded grimly. “If we don’t act fast—yes.”

I took a deep breath, my mind racing. “What’s the solution?”

The room buzzed as different members of the board started speaking at once.

“We need a capital infusion, preferably from a parent company that can absorb our liabilities.”

“The best option would be merging with a conglomerate that has the liquidity to stabilize our market standing.”

“Or at the very least, we need an angel investor to buy controlling shares before our valuation collapses entirely.”

I listened, barely keeping up with the storm of economic terms being thrown around.

“So you’re telling me,” I said slowly, “that our only viable option is to fall back on a mother company?”

A few members nodded hesitantly.

I exhaled. “Fine. Execute it. Now.”

James, my assistant, hesitated. “Sir… there’s an issue.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What issue?”

James licked his lips nervously. “We reached out to potential parent companies for a strategic merger. But… most of them have already rejected us.”

“What?”

He hesitated. “They said they don’t want to go against the entity that’s buying us out.”

My blood ran cold.

“Who,” I asked, my voice dangerously low, “is buying out Hilton Group?”

James swallowed. “We still don’t know.”

I let out a humorless laugh. This was worse than I thought.

Someone was targeting me. Deliberately. Strategically.

And they were winning.

My hands clenched into fists. There was only one person in this world with both the financial power and the personal vendetta to do this to me.

Giselle.

I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as realization struck.

Giselle—the woman I had abandoned, the woman I had dismissed, the woman I had assumed would forever remain beneath me—was now the richest woman in the world.

And she was coming for everything I had left.

I pushed away from the table, feeling the walls of the boardroom closing in on me.

Was this… my end?