I FELL ASLEEP HOLDING A PARALYZED BILLIONAIRE’S HAND - THEN HE ASKED FOR MY SON BEFORE HIS OWN FAMILY COULD TAKE EVERYTHING FROM HIM

"HE'S IN ARREST!" I screamed, turning instantly to the bed.

Adrian’s face had gone gray. His eyes were rolled back, his lips turning a faint shade of blue as the monitor displayed a terrifying, flat green line across the screen.

"Father!" Julian gasped, stepping back in genuine shock. He wanted his father dead, but not in front of Marcus and a legal proxy where an immediate autopsy would be ordered by the state coroner.

"Get out!" I roared at Julian, grabbing the bag-valve mask from the wall unit and placing it over Adrian’s nose and mouth. "Marcus, call an ambulance! NOW!"

Julian panicked. If Adrian died right here with his blood pressure spiked and Marcus witnessing the argument, a homicide investigation would be opened within the hour.

"We're leaving!" Julian barked to his guards, backing out of the room. "Let the nurse try to save him! If he dies, she's the one who was handling his medication!"

Julian and his men turned and rushed down the grand hallway, their heavy footsteps fading into the distance.

The second the door slammed shut, the flatline tone suddenly stopped.

The green line on the monitor bounced back into a rhythmic, steady 72 beats per minute.

Adrian slowly opened his amber eyes, looking directly at me with a sharp, brilliant glint of triumph.

I stood there holding the resuscitation bag, my mouth hanging open in absolute disbelief. "You... you faked a cardiac arrest?"

Marcus let out a wild, breathless laugh from the corner. "The pacemaker! Adrian has a remote-controlled cardiac device installed three years ago! He has a magnet switch built into the underside of his right index finger ring!"

Adrian clicked his throat softly, a faint, rare trace of humor dancing in his eyes.

A-C-T-O-R.

"You brilliant old man," I breathed, letting out a weeping laugh of sheer relief as I collapsed into the chair beside his bed. "You scared ten years off my life!"

Adrian’s expression quickly turned deadly serious again. He looked at Marcus, then at me, spelling out his next directive with frantic speed.

S-A-V-E.

L-E-O.

M-A-R-C-U-S.

T-A-K-E.

C-L-A-R-A.

"He's right," Marcus said, pulling a set of car keys from his pocket. "Julian lied about having men at your house right now—he was trying to break your resolve. But now that he thinks Adrian is dying, he will send them to secure Leo before morning. We have to get to your kids first!"

I looked down at Adrian. "I can't leave you alone here. Eleanor or Julian could come back."

Adrian looked at Marcus, then blinked once—a firm, command signal.

A-M.

R-E-A-D-Y.

B-R-I-N-G.