Chapter 7 - The Billionaire’s UltimatumTwenty-four hours later, the private VIP wing of St. Jude’s Hospital looked less like a medical facility and more like a high-security fortress.
Outside Claire’s room, a phalanx of private security guards stood in crisp black suits, keeping reporters, photographers, and curious onlookers completely away. Inside, the room was silent except for the rhythmic, steady beep of the heart monitor and the gentle hiss of oxygen flowing into Claire’s nose.
Claire lay sleeping, her color slowly returning under the influence of intravenous antibiotics and heavy fluids. The bandage on her temple was clean and white.
Sitting in a leather armchair beside the bed was Edward Blake. He hadn't slept. He hadn't changed his clothes, though someone had managed to clean the mud from his shoes. In his lap sat a silver locket he had pried open—inside was the exact same photograph of Claire at twenty-two, alongside a tiny, newborn hospital picture of Maya.
The door to the VIP suite clicked open softly.
A tall, impeccably dressed man in his late sixties stepped inside. It was Arthur Vance—Edward’s chief legal counsel and his oldest, most ruthless business partner of forty years.
“Edward,” Arthur said quietly, closing the door behind him. “The board is in an uproar. Word leaked that you liquidated three major asset portfolios this morning to establish a multi-billion-dollar trust fund in the name of an unknown child. Stockholders are panicking. They want to know if your health is failing.”
Edward didn’t look up from Claire’s face. He slowly closed the silver locket and set it down on the bedside table.
“Let them panic, Arthur,” Edward said, his voice cold, flat, and absolute.
Arthur sighed, walking closer to the bed and glancing down at Claire. “I know you’re shaken up by finding your daughter living like this, Ed. But liquidating the Blake Corporation’s primary liquidity reserves? You’re handing our competitors leverage on a silver platter. The board is calling an emergency vote for tomorrow morning to strip you of your CEO title.”
Edward finally raised his head. When his eyes locked onto Arthur’s, the veteran lawyer involuntarily took a half-step back. The man sitting in that chair was no longer just an eccentric billionaire; he was a cornered apex predator whose only cub had just been dragged from the jaws of death.
“Let them try,” Edward whispered, his voice dangerously low. “Tell the board that Edward Blake is stepping down voluntarily. I am officially naming Claire Blake as sole heir and chairperson of the board, effective immediately. And as for my personal shares—every single cent, every building, every stock, and every overseas asset is now legally locked behind a trust managed exclusively by Maya Blake.”
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Arthur stared at him in horror. “Ed, you’re out of your mind! Claire hates the business! She’ll dismantle the entire empire in twenty-four hours!”
“Good,” Edward said, a faint, cold smile touching his lips. “It’s about time someone burned down the cage.”
