The grip around my wrist was like iron, born of three years of accumulated agony, sleepless nights, and a desperate, burning obsession that had consumed one of the richest men in the world. Ethan Carter’s face was inches from mine, his eyes bloodshot, wide, and wild with a terrifying mix of fury and agonizing hope.

Ethan descended the stairs like an avalanche, his sheer physical presence forcing Marcus to take a half-step back.

"Leave," Ethan commanded, his voice a low, vibrating growl. "And if you ever speak to my staff—or mention anyone in this household again—I will strip you of your executive shares and throw you out of Carter Industries before the sun sets."

Marcus’s polite facade slipped for a split second, revealing a flash of genuine venom. He adjusted his silk tie, chuckling darkly. "You're slipping, Ethan. Grief has made you soft. While you're playing house with a broke nursing dropout, the board is looking at Section 9 of your father's original trust. If a CEO is deemed mentally unstable or unfit to manage estate assets due to emotional trauma, a unanimous vote can remove him." He leaned in, whispering loud enough for both of us to hear. "The vote is tomorrow morning, cousin. See you at the tower."

With that, Marcus spun on his heel and strode out into the Dallas heat, slamming the heavy oak doors behind him.

I stood frozen in the foyer, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Mr. Carter... I'm sorry. Because of me, he found out—"

"He didn't find out because of you," Ethan interrupted sharply, though his tone softened when he saw the panic in my eyes. He walked over, standing close enough that I could smell the faint scent of rain and coffee on his jacket. "Marcus has had private investigators digging into everyone who enters this house for years. He wants my seat, Elena. And he thinks my grief is his golden ticket."

"Can he actually remove you?" I asked, my professional nursing instincts kicking in—assessing a crisis, identifying the threat, finding the vital pulse.

"Legally? Only if he can prove I'm incapacitated," Ethan said, running a hand through his dark hair, staring out the glass double doors. "And for three years, I gave him all the ammunition he needed. I locked myself away. I stopped attending shareholder meetings in person. I left the company vulnerable." He turned to me, his dark eyes burning with a fierce, renewed fire. "Until today. Until you walked in and reminded me of what it means to be alive."

"Then we don't let him win," I said without thinking.

Ethan blinked, surprised by my sudden boldness. A slow, rare smile touched the corners of his lips—a smile that completely transformed his handsome face.

"And how do you propose we do that, Ms. Salgado?"

"You go to that boardroom tomorrow morning, Mr. Carter," I said, my voice steady and resolute. "You walk in there wearing your best suit, head held high, and you show them that the titan of Dallas is back. And as for your legal defense... I happen to know where all your old hospital records and midnight incident logs are kept."