The Billionaire Was Declared Brain Dead—But His Maid’s Crying Toddler Refused to Leave His Side
Chapter 3
By the afternoon, the hospital corridor was filled with lawyers.
Adrian Blackwell had no shortage of people ready to discuss what happened after his death.
That fact disturbed Claire more than anything.
His death wasn’t even twenty-four hours old.
Yet everyone already knew who would inherit what.
Marcus Reed arrived at noon in a tailored black suit.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
“Claire.”
She turned.
Marcus had always been polite to her.
That was what made him unsettling.
“I heard you’re staying at the hospital.”
“I am.”
“I know this is difficult.”
“You came quickly.”
He glanced toward the ICU.
“We all have responsibilities.”
Claire watched him.
“Do you?”
Marcus frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“You requested my housing termination before Adrian was even buried.”
His jaw tightened.
“That was an administrative procedure.”
“Already?”
Marcus sighed.
“Mr. Blackwell’s affairs must be handled properly.”
“He isn’t dead.”
Marcus stared at her.
“Claire.”
“Don’t.”
She stepped closer.
“I saw him move.”
“You’re exhausted.”
“I know what I saw.”
Marcus’s eyes briefly shifted toward the ICU.
Then toward Liam.
The toddler was asleep in Claire’s arms.
Marcus stared at him for several seconds.
“That’s your son?”
“Yes.”
“He seems attached to Adrian.”
“He is.”
Marcus’s expression changed for just an instant.
Something like fear.
Then it disappeared.
“What happened between them?”
Claire’s suspicion sharpened.
“Why are you asking?”
“I was simply curious.”
“No.”
Marcus smiled thinly.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
He handed her an envelope.
“There is a severance payment.”
Claire didn’t open it.
“I don’t want your money.”
“It’s not charity.”
“Then what is it?”
“Enough to make your transition easier.”
Claire looked at him.
“Why do you want me gone?”
His smile disappeared.
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you trying to remove me from the estate?”
Marcus leaned closer.
“Because when someone dies, everything changes.”
“My employer hasn’t died.”
Marcus turned away.
Before he left, he paused.
“Sometimes people need to accept reality.”
Claire watched him disappear down the corridor.
Five minutes later, a nurse came rushing from Adrian’s room.
“Miss Bennett!”
Claire jumped up.
“What happened?”
“The monitor showed a significant response again.”
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
“Is he waking up?”
The nurse shook her head.
“Not exactly.”
“What then?”
“His brainstem tests remain negative.”
Claire’s hope dropped.
“But…”
“But the response pattern is unusual.”
Claire stepped into the ICU.
Liam woke in her arms.
His eyes immediately went to Adrian.
Then he stretched his hands toward the bed.
Claire whispered, “Okay.”
She walked closer.
The moment Liam touched Adrian’s fingers, his tiny face relaxed.
The monitor changed again.
Claire stared at the screen.
A number appeared.
Then another.
Then the line became erratic.
The nurse called for a doctor.
Claire looked down.
Something hard pressed against her son’s hand.
She gently moved Liam’s fingers.
Adrian’s wedding ring wasn’t there.
But beneath his hand was a thin silver chain.
Claire recognized it.
She had seen Adrian wear it once before.
It held a tiny black key.
She looked at the key.
Her pulse quickened.
Why would a billionaire dying in an ICU have a hidden key beneath his hand?
And why had nobody else noticed it?
