Alyssa POV

The shrill ring of my phone cut through the silence of the afternoon. I reached for it, my pulse quickening when I saw the name flashing across the screen.

MORGAN.

My father's attorney never called without reason.

I pressed the phone to my ear. "Morgan?"

His voice was tight and urgent. "Alyssa, listen carefully. There's been an accident. Your father's car was hit on the highway. He's alive, but it's serious. They've taken him to St. Jude's. He's in a coma."

The words hit me like a blow, Morgan didn't pause. "The rest of the family is already on their way. You need to get there now. Don't let them push you aside."

The line went dead before I could respond.

For a moment I stood frozen, the phone heavy in my hand, the world tilting around me. Then panic jolted me into motion. I grabbed my keys, shoved my feet into the nearest pair of heels, and ran out of the east wing of the mansion. The sun outside was blinding, the air thick with heat, but I barely noticed. My hands trembled against the steering wheel as I drove, every red light feeling like a personal attack.

The hospital smelled of antiseptic and money. The private wing was quiet, but the tension was suffocating. Perfume clung to the air, expensive and cloying, masking the sterile scent of disinfectant.

The elevator doors slid open, and I stepped into the waiting area.

They were already there.

Victoria Sterling, my father's wife, stood in the center like a queen in mourning, though her eyes were dry. Her children, Madison and Laura, flanked her, whispering until they saw me.

The room froze.

"What is she doing here?" Laura's voice was sharp, dripping with disdain.

Victoria's gaze swept over me, cool and deliberate. "Alyssa, your presence is inappropriate. The press is already circling downstairs. We don't need a reminder of your father's mistakes today."

I swallowed hard, forcing my chin up. "He's my father too."

Madison stepped forward, his smirk cutting like a blade. "He's the Chairman. You're nothing but a mistake to him. When he wakes up- if he wakes up, you won't matter. The board meets tomorrow. Sterling Jewelry Group belongs to us."

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words died before they could leave. There was no point arguing with Madison. He had spent years convincing himself that everything my father owned already belonged to him. In his eyes, I was nothing more than the consequence of a scandal everyone wished had never happened. No matter what I said, he would never see me as his sister.

Before I could answer, the ICU doors opened. Morgan appeared, pale and tense, his suit rumpled as if he'd been running.

Victoria rushed toward him, her voice suddenly soft, almost trembling. "Morgan! How is my husband? Can we see him? Madison needs to coordinate with the board."

Morgan raised a hand, his expression firm. "The Chairman is stable but still in a coma. Only one visitor at a time."

"Then I'll go first," Victoria said, already moving toward the doors.

Morgan's gaze shifted to me. "Actually, Mrs. Sterling, your husband left specific instructions. Alyssa is to be consulted first."

The room erupted.

Laura let out a shocked gasp, while Madison took an angry step forward. "That's impossible. My father would never choose her over his own family."

"I am following the Chairman's written instructions," Morgan replied calmly. "If you have a problem with them, take it up with him when he wakes up."

Victoria's face hardened. For a brief second, the carefully maintained image of the grieving wife slipped, revealing the anger underneath. She looked at me with so much hatred that I instinctively looked away.

Morgan gestured for me to follow him, and without another word, I walked through the ICU doors. I could still hear Madison's voice echoing down the hallway, demanding answers, but the heavy doors closed behind us, shutting out the chaos.

Inside, machines hummed softly, their rhythmic beeps filling the silence. My father lay pale against the white sheets, wires and tubes tethering him to life. Seeing him like this, powerless, fragile, broke something inside me.

For as long as I could remember, my father had always looked larger than life. Every room he walked into seemed to belong to him. Board members respected him. Employees admired him. Even Victoria and her children, despite everything, never dared challenge him openly. Yet the man lying before me looked nothing like the Chairman of Sterling Jewelry Group. His face was bruised, his head wrapped in thick white bandages, and his chest rose and fell with the help of machines.

I moved closer, my fingers brushing his cold hand. "Dad..." My voice cracked, barely a whisper.

The warmth I expected wasn't there.

His hand felt strangely lifeless in mine, and for the first time since Morgan's phone call, the reality of everything crashed into me. I wasn't ready to lose him. He wasn't a perfect father, but he had never abandoned me. He had given me a home when everyone else wanted me gone. As long as he was alive, I still had someone in my corner.

I blinked quickly, refusing to let the tears fall.

Morgan quietly closed the door behind us, shutting out the noise of the waiting room. His usual calm was gone, replaced by something heavier.

"He can't hear you, Alyssa," Morgan said quietly. "But you need to listen to me. We don't have much time before Victoria finds a way in."

I turned to him, my heart pounding. "What's happening?"

Morgan pulled a black leather folio from his jacket, his grip tight. "Your father knew what they'd do. He came to my office three weeks ago. He changed everything."

My breath caught. "Change what?"

Morgan's eyes locked on mine, steady and unflinching.

"He drafted a new will. If he doesn't wake up, you're not being cast out. Alyssa... he named you the heiress of Sterling Jewelry Group."