The door clicked softly behind Alexander as he exited the room, leaving a heavy silence in his wake. Elena remained still, her back to the door, eyes locked on her father's sleeping form.
She hadn't realized how much tension she'd been carrying until the quiet settled in. She sank slowly back into the chair beside his bed and stared at the contract still clutched in her hand.
She placed it back on the side table and let out a shaky breath. Then, as if to distract herself, she picked up her phone and opened the notifications that had been piling up.
There were dozens of unread messages.
Her coworkers from the jewelry company had sent texts asking if she was okay, where she was, and when she would return. Her boss had sent a polite but firm message asking for an explanation for her absence. Another from HR reminded her about the upcoming client presentation she was responsible for.
Elena's fingers flew across the screen, typing out an explanation as calmly as she could:
"Apologies for the unexpected absence. A family emergency came up, and I will need a few more days to sort things out. I will keep you updated. Thank you for your understanding."
She hit send and glanced at the clock. She had no idea if it had been minutes or hours since Alexander had left. The weight of everything—the kidnapping, the contract, the hospital—it blurred time, stretched it.
Just as she was responding to another message from a colleague asking if she was safe, a soft voice broke the silence.
"Elena…"
The phone nearly slipped from her hands.
She turned sharply, eyes wide, her heart lurching.
"Dad?"
Her father's eyes were half-open, weak but focused. His voice had been barely a whisper, but it had held more life than she expected. Tears sprang to her eyes as she jumped to her feet.
"Dad! You're awake!"
She rushed to his side and gently touched his hand. His skin was warm. Real.
She leaned over and pressed the call button for the nurses. Within seconds, two nurses entered the room. They checked his vitals, adjusted his IV line, and asked him a few basic questions to assess his alertness.
He was groggy, but coherent.
After they finished, they left, promising to return shortly with his charts.
Elena sat beside him again, holding his hand between both of hers. "How do you feel?"
Her father blinked slowly, his expression soft. "Like I got hit by a train."
"You kind of did," she said with a teary chuckle.
His lips curved into a small smile. "What happened? The last thing I remember… your uncle… and those men—"
"Don't think about that now," she interrupted gently. "You're safe. That's what matters. I'm okay too. They didn't hurt me."
His brows furrowed in worry. "They took you. I couldn't stop them. I—I should've—"
"No," she said firmly, squeezing his hand. "Don't blame yourself. You tried. You fought for me. And the police are already after them. They'll be caught. I promise."
A silence fell over them again, filled with nothing but the rhythmic beeping of the monitor beside him.
Then she asked, "Do you feel like eating something?"
He nodded faintly. "Maybe just… an apple."
Elena smiled, her heart aching with relief. "Coming right up."
She reached into the bag she had brought earlier, pulling out a crisp red apple and a small fruit knife. She peeled it slowly, her hands more practiced than she realized, slicing it into small neat wedges.
He chewed the first piece with a faint smile. "You always peeled my apples just like this when you were little."
"I remember," she said, handing him another slice. "You'd act like I was the best chef in the world."
"You were," he said with a grin, the spark of life slowly returning to his face.
They sat in quiet contentment for a while, eating the apple between soft exchanges—how he felt, how long he'd been unconscious, how lucky they were that the clinic helped him in time.
Then, her tone shifted slightly.
"Dad…" she said, hesitating for just a moment. "If you had the chance to get your company back… would you take it?"
He paused mid-chew and looked at her carefully. "Carter Industries?"
She nodded.
His voice was solemn. "Of course I would. I built that company with my blood and sweat. Watching it fall… it crushed me."
She looked down. "What if someone offered to bring it back? To give it to you again… legally, cleanly. Would you do anything for it?"
He looked at her more closely now, sensing something behind her words. "Elena… why are you asking me this?"
She forced a smile. "Because… I want you to have it back. I want to see you happy again. I want you to live without regrets."
His eyes softened, but his voice stayed strong. "The only regret I live with is seeing you suffer because of my failures."
"Don't say that—"
"I mean it," he interrupted. "If I could rebuild the business, I'd do it not for myself—but for you. So you could have choices. Comfort. Security. You've already sacrificed too much."
Her eyes burned with tears again.
She didn't tell him about the contract. Not yet. Not while he was recovering. But in that moment, a knot tightened in her chest. Because now she had no doubt.
If signing that paper meant getting her father's company back… she'd say yes. Without hesitation.
But what about her?
What would signing it mean for her?
She swallowed hard and gave him another apple slice, brushing the thought away—for now.