Chapter 2 - The Devil’s BargainThe door swung open with a dry, metallic click that made the pulse oximeter stutter.
Inside, the sterile air smelled of antiseptic and fading life. I rushed to the side of the cot, dropping to my knees so my face was level with Leo’s pale, translucent cheek. His eyelashes fluttered—long, dark fans against bruised skin. When his blue eyes cracked open, they looked too big for his sunken face, clouded with a feverish haze that broke my heart into a thousand jagged pieces.
"Mommy..." His voice was a dry rasp, barely louder than the hum of the fluorescent lights. "Is the bad man gone?"
Before I could answer, Nico’s heavy footsteps echoed across the linoleum as he stepped into the room. He didn’t try to play the doting father. Men like Nico Hayes didn’t know how to love; they only knew how to possess. He stood over the bed, looking down at his son with the detached calculation of an investor examining a failing asset.
"He’s not a bad man, sweetheart," I lied, my voice shaking as I brushed a damp curl away from Leo’s forehead.
Nico pulled a heavy leather armchair closer to the bed, sat down with slow, deliberate grace, and steepled his fingers. He pulled a thick manila folder from beneath his arm, dropping it onto the metal tray table with a dull thud.
"Dr. Vance will be here in five minutes," Nico said, his eyes locking onto mine with chilling clarity. "She brings the clearance forms for the synthetic marrow transfer. The only one in the country. The one cleared exclusively for the Hayes family lineage."
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I froze, my blood running cold. "You... you already secured the dosage?"
"Of course I did," Nico replied smoothly. "I am a prudent man, Claire. But experimental procedures of this magnitude require parental consensus. Both signatures. Mine... and yours." He leaned forward, resting his chin on his steepled fingers. "And signatures from a man like me always come with a price."
