Through the ss, M gazed at the elderly woman lying motionless inside the hospital room. Her eyes instantly reddened, and a lump formed in her throat, making it hard to speak.


    The doctor was standing by, exining the patient''s condition once more. He spoke in French. Sophie, who had been quietly standing nearby, was just about to offer a trantion, but M shook her head. "It''s all right—I understand."


    Her French was excellent.


    It was strange, really. Over the past few years, M had made ns to travel abroad with Miranda, had all her paperwork ready well in advance, but every time a trip approached, something woulde up at work or at home, and the ns would get postponed. This was actually her first time leaving the country.


    Despite that, she had always dreamed of exploring the world, so she never cked off on hernguage studies. She''d hired plenty of private tutors, learned severalnguages-and French was her best.


    She exchanged a few words with the doctor. At first, she was a little rusty, but after a few sentences, her tongue loosened, and the conversation became fluid. Soon, she understood the essentials.


    The patient''s overall health was fairly robust, but she''d suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. The bleeding was minor; there was a strong chance she''d wake up. Still,plications could happen. If she remainedatose for too long, she could end up in a persistent vegetative state-or worse: she might not survive at all.


    For now, all anyone could do was wait and observe.


    M forced herself to stay calm and asked the doctor for a set of protective gear.


    Only after she was fully suited up did she enter the sterile hospital room. She walked slowly to the bedside and gazed quietly at the unconscious woman''s face.


    Her skin was pale and deeply lined with the passage of time.


    Never before had M felt so sharply aware that the guiding light of her life-the woman who had always been bold, decisive, unwavering could be so fragile. Everyone ages, she realized.


    "Aunt Grace..." she whispered through the stic visor, and her tears sprang forth, fogging her mask and blurring her vision.


    Her next words came out in a trembling, fragile murmur.


    "I''m here, Aunt Grace. It''s me, M. Can you open your eyes and talk to me? I promise I''ll never leave you again. Please, don''t scare me like this."


    "Please... don''t go to sleep, look at me..."


    She knew Aunt Grace couldn''t hear her, but M couldn''t stop repeating herself, her voice breaking down, each plea more desperate than thest.


    Her legs gave out, and she slowly sank to her knees beside the bed.


    Through the cold barrier of the protective suit, she gently took Aunt Grace''s wrinkled hand in hers. She couldn''t feel the familiar warmth or texture-just a strange, sterile chill.


    Suddenly, all herposure shattered.


    M knelt on the floor, sobbing silently, her head spinning, her breathing ragged and shallow, chest heaving with the force of her grief.


    One of the doctors standing watch outside noticed something was wrong. He quickly donned protective gear, came in, and helped her out of the room. He removed her mask, his voice urgent as he coached her to breathe slowly and steadily until she finally calmed down.


    ...


    "How are you feeling?" Sophie stood nearby, hair pulled back in a high ponytail and dressed in a crisp suit, projecting calm efficiency. She handed M a bottle of water.


    M nodded, her voice hoarse. "Much better now."


    After a moment, she exined, "It just hit me all at once. I was overwhelmed. It won''t happen again."


    "I understand." Sophie nced toward the hospital room, sighing softly. "I''ve worked with Chairwoman Suthend for many years. I''m heartbroken, too. But she''s your family, so I get it."


    She paused, her tone suddenly growing firm. "But with Chairwoman Suthend''s condition, Ms. Suthend, as her sole designated sessor, you have to stay strong. You need to shoulder this responsibility-everyone at headquarters, all her protégés and I, we''ll stand with you."


    M nodded.


    "Can you bring me up to speed on where things stand right now?"


    Sophie exined: Jade Suthend was a major figure abroad, with close ties to the royal family and plenty of rivals. For now, only a handful of trusted aides and protégés knew about her illness; the news hadn''t leaked.


    They were keeping everything tightly under wraps.


    "That''s why the hospital is so heavily guarded?" M asked.


    She''d juste up from downstairs. On the top floor of this private hospital, there seemed to be security stationed every few steps, each one looking more intimidating than thest.


    "There''s no other way." Sophie shook her head. "You said you suspect the Harvey family back home is stirring up trouble, but Ms. Suthend doesn''t have that much influence abroad-unless she''s teamed up with one of Chairwoman Suthend''s foreign rivals. We''re not sure who yet, but we''re looking into it. In the meantime, you need to get up to speed on Splendid''s operations as quickly as possible. There might be major meetings or decisions soon, and you''ll need to be ready." As she spoke, she handed M a stack of documents and aptop.


    "I understand. I''ll do my best."


    M knew how urgent things were, and she was determined to protect the empire Aunt Grace had built-at least until she recovered. Otherwise, when Aunt Grace woke up, she''d be furious.


    But the truth was, M had never run a business before. She felt like she''d been thrown into the deep end, terrified of messing everything up.


    Sophie noticed her anxiety and offered a reassuring smile. "Don''t worry. Splendid is on solid footing, and Chairwoman Suthend''s core team is loyal to her. As long


    as nothing extraordinary happens, there shouldn''t be any major problems. I''ll help you get familiar with everything."


    That calmed M, if only a little.


    ...


    Once the urgent matters were settled, M asked Sophie to arrange for Miranda and the child to be taken to Jade''s house in Eldermere to rest. She herself stayed behind at the hospital.


    Given the circumstances, she decided it was safest to remain in this heavily guarded building for the next few days.


    But even with such precautions, trouble still found her.


    That night, exhausted after a sleepless, stressful day, M tried to read through some reports before heading to a neighboring room to rest. Knowing there were guards at the door, she rxed.


    She had barelyin down when she heard a faint noise from the window. Her heart skipped a beat. Before she could shout, a hand mped tightly over her mouth.


    In the muffled glow of moonlight, all she saw was a figure swathed in ck. A sweet, unfamiliar scent filled her nose-and then everything went dark.