Chapter 176: Luke collapsed again
On the other end, Max grew restless. He called his father.
"Dad, how long do I have to stay here?" he asked urgently the moment the call connected. "I’m tired of being here."
Luke rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t bring Max back. He knew Matteo and Felix wouldn’t like it.
"Don’t think about coming back," he said sternly. "Stay there. I’ll help you open a clinic there."
"I don’t want that," Max snapped. "I already established a clinic there. I invested my sweat and blood into that clinic. The establishment, the clients, the hospitals I had ties with—all I built painstakingly. I can’t leave them all."
"Your reputation has been ruined," Luke exclaimed in a frenzy. "Do you think the hospitals here will still want you? Give up the idea of coming back. Make your career there. I’ll help you."
Max felt as if his head would explode in anger. His jaw twitched. "You are always like this. You abandoned my mother and me back then. We suffered all those years. But you never cared about us. You never came to see us – not even once. When my mother died, I tried to contact you. But your wife received that call. She told me never to bother you again."
When he recalled the past, his blood boiled. "I stayed away. I never asked anything from you. I built up my career on my own. That clinic is everything to me. And you want me to abandon it?"
"Why don’t you understand the simple thing?" Luke snapped loudly. His chest hurt, his throat scratchy.
He clutched his chest, breathing heavily. "Your scandal had ruined your image. Your career is finished here. If you come here, all you get is humiliation."
Max’s fingers tightened around the phone. He couldn’t believe it. All the years of his hard work had been ruined just because of one article.
’It’s all because of Mila,’ he thought hatefully. ’I’ll never forgive her.’
"I know I wasn’t fair with you," Luke added regretfully. "I have wronged you and your mother. But I’ll help you build your career again. Just don’t come back."
"Why?" Max thundered. "That’s my home. Why can’t I go back?"
"You fool," Luke roared, even though his throat hurt. He clutched his aching chest even harder. "If you come here, you will die. Matteo and Felix won’t let you come back. They will kill you the moment you arrive here."
"So you want me to hide forever?"
"I want you to survive." Luke started coughing. But he forced out the words between the coughs. "Don’t cause trouble. Stay in Greece and build a new life. Forget about the past. This is for your betterment."
"For my betterment?" Max sneered. "Actually, you are afraid I’ll snatch everything from your sons. All your kindness is fake. You never cared about me. You never treated me as your son. So, from now on, I’ll stop considering you as my father."
"Max..." Luke coughed violently. He could barely utter a word.
The call was disconnected.
"Max, you idiot." He coughed so hard that his face turned red.
Hearing the sound, Celeste rushed into the room. "Oh, my God... What happened? Why are you coughing again?"
Luke coughed up blood again. His chest was so tight that he could barely breathe.
"I-I can’t breathe," he rasped.
Celeste’s eyes widened. Inwardly, she was delighted with the thought that he was about to die. But outwardly, she made a worried look.
"Help," she cried out. "Someone, come here. Help me take him to the hospital."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke was rushed to the hospital.
Celeste called her sons to inform them about Luke’s condition. Then she dialed Dominic.
Dominic was with Mila when his phone rang. He stepped toward the window before answering.
"Hello?"
"Luke had another episode," Celeste said in a calm yet icy voice. "He coughed up blood again. He has been hospitalized."
Dominic remained silent. Only the faint curl of his lips betrayed his reaction.
"How long is this going to last?" Celeste asked impatiently. "I want this to end soon."
"You need to stay calm, Mrs. Bellini," Dominic said quietly. "The last thing you want is to arouse suspicion."
Celeste glanced around the empty corridor before lowering her voice.
"How much longer do I have to wait? My sons still haven’t secured the positions they deserve. And I’m afraid Max will come back and take everything."
Dominic’s expression remained unreadable.
"Relax. Your sons will get what they want. Luke’s body is failing him. He is no longer fit to remain the company’s president."
He slipped one hand into his pocket.
"The board has already noticed his repeated collapses at work. They’ve been discussing replacing him with Matteo. After today’s incident, they’ll have even more reason to push for the transition."
"Really?" Celeste asked eagerly. "You are telling me the truth?"
Dominic lifted his chin. "Just wait for the good news. In the meantime, prepare yourself to persuade Luke to hand the presidency over to his eldest son."
A delighted smile spread across Celeste’s face. "Leave that to me."
The call ended.
Dominic slipped his phone into his pocket and turned around, only to find Mila sitting up in bed, quietly watching him. His cold expression softened instantly.
"Did I wake you?" he asked as he walked over.
Mila studied him for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "No. I just woke up and saw you speaking on the phone."
Dominic smiled gently. Cupping her face, he kissed her forehead.
"I need to go."
"Where?" she asked, panic flashing across her face. "Stay with me a little longer. I need you. Our baby needs you."
She clasped his hand tightly. "I don’t want to be apart from you anymore. Please, Dominic... don’t disappear on me again."
His eyes softened even more. Caressing her cheek with his thumb, he whispered, "I won’t. Trust me. But there are still a few things I need to take care of. Once they are finished, we’ll be together. No one will ever separate us again."
Mila wrapped her arms around him. She wasn’t ready to let him go, not even for a moment.
"I just gave birth to our baby," she whispered hoarsely. "All I want is for you to stay with me a little longer."
Dominic held her close, resting his chin atop her head. "Don’t cry. I’ll stay with you for a while."
Only then did Mila finally calm down. She believed he wasn’t leaving just yet. But she was wrong.
Dominic’s phone rang again. This time, it was a call from the office. He hesitated briefly before looking at Mila.
"Luke Bellini has been hospitalized," he explained. "The company is in chaos. I need to be there."
Hearing that, Mila couldn’t ask him to stay. She nodded reluctantly.
"Alright. Go."
"Lara will be here soon. She’ll take you home. Wait for me there. I’ll come as soon as I can."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead one last time before leaving the hospital.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that day...
Dominic entered Luke’s hospital room.
Luke looked pale and frail, as though every drop of blood had been drained from his body.
"Mr. Bellini," Dominic greeted politely. "How are you feeling?"
Luke shot him a bitter look.
"You must be enjoying this," he sneered. "Seeing me weak and useless."
Bracing himself against the bed, he forced himself upright.
"Now that I’m vulnerable, are you planning to betray me? Are you going to join forces with Mathius?"
Dominic remained perfectly calm.
"Mr. Bellini, you are worrying for nothing. You saved my life. I could never betray you."
Luke let out a weary sigh and sank back against the pillow. His hollow eyes drifted to the ceiling.
’As long as Dominic stays on my side, Mathius can’t touch me.’
Closing his eyes briefly, he gathered his strength. When he opened them again, determination burned within them.
"I’m sick... but I’m not dead yet. I’ll keep fighting until I destroy Mathius."
Dominic watched him quietly.
Luke’s stubbornness hadn’t diminished despite his failing health. But Dominic had already decided how this game would end.
"Mathius’s businesses are suffering massive losses," he said evenly. "Clients are abandoning him. His shipping empire is on the verge of collapse. Once that falls, the rest of his business won’t survive for long."
Luke considered his words before nodding. He knew the shipping business generated nearly half of Mathius’s profits. Without it, the empire would crumble.
"Good." He drew a labored breath. "Destroy him quickly. I’m getting weaker every day. I don’t know if I’ll ever regain my strength."
Pain tightened around his chest. Even breathing had become difficult. Still, he forced himself to continue.
"You must secure my sons’ positions." He stretched out a trembling hand. "You must protect them."
Dominic stepped forward and clasped it.
"Promise me," Luke rasped. "Protect my sons. Don’t let anyone hurt them. You owe me that. I saved you. I protected Mila and her child. Now it’s your turn to repay me."
Dominic sneered inwardly.
’You were the one who orchestrated everything. You ordered the attack on my gang. You tried to destroy my family. Then you staged a rescue and manipulated me into becoming your weapon against Mathius.’
His calm mask almost cracked. ’Do you really think you can fool me forever?’
Suppressing the surge of hatred, Dominic tightened his grip. "Don’t worry. I’ll repay your kindness generously."
Luke had orchestrated Alejandro’s assassination. He had destroyed Dominic’s gang. He had nearly killed Mila and their unborn child.
Dominic had forgotten none of it.
"You’ve done so much for me," he said with a meaningful smile. "I’ll make sure every favor is repaid."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a stack of documents.
"The board has decided to appoint Matteo as the new president. These are the transfer papers."
Comments