CHAPTER 4: THE BILLIONAIRE WHO WAS STILL AWAKE
Sterling Kane had mastered one thing better than anyone else.
The art of pretending.
He could smile while destroying someone.
He could shake a hand while planning a betrayal.
He could stand beside a person and convince the world he loved them while waiting for them to disappear.
That was why Willa hated the expression on his face.
Because it was not anger.
It was not suspicion.
It was confidence.
The confidence of a man who believed he already knew the ending.
The security guards remained near the doorway.
Sterling walked into Everett’s room slowly.
His eyes moved across everything.
The machines.
The medical equipment.
The woman standing beside the bed.
His cousin lying motionless.
Every detail.
Every weakness.
Every opportunity.
“Willa.”
She hated the way he said her name.
Like he owned it.
“You seem nervous.”
She crossed her arms.
“You came into my husband’s room with security after midnight.”
A small smile appeared.
“Your husband?”
The words carried a hidden insult.
Willa did not react.
Sterling walked closer to Everett.
“Interesting.”
“What is?”
“You.”
She frowned.
“What about me?”
“When we found you, you were sleeping in a broken car.”
His eyes moved toward her.
“You were desperate.”
A pause.
“Desperate people are predictable.”
Willa stared at him.
“But you aren’t.”
The room became silent.
Sterling studied her carefully.
Three days ago, he had seen a woman with no money.
No connections.
No power.
Someone who would accept any deal to save her mother.
Now he saw something different.
A woman who questioned doctors.
A woman who watched details.
A woman who stood in front of Everett Kane like she had nothing to lose.
And people with nothing to lose were dangerous.
“You know what I find strange?” Sterling asked.
Willa said nothing.
“You married a man you never met.”
“That was your offer.”
“And yet you seem very protective of him.”
Her expression remained calm.
“He’s a human being.”
Sterling laughed quietly.
“In this family, that belief will get you hurt.”
Willa looked at Everett.
“Maybe that’s the problem with this family.”
Sterling’s smile faded.
“You think you understand the Kanes?”
“No.”
She looked back at him.
“I think I understand people.”
That answer bothered him.
Because Sterling understood money.
Power.
Control.
But people?
People were unpredictable.
After Sterling left, Willa locked the door.
For the first time since arriving at Kane Estate, she felt truly trapped.
The walls were beautiful.
The furniture was priceless.
But none of it mattered.
This mansion was a cage.
And Everett was the prisoner.
She sat beside him.
“Your cousin is terrifying.”
No response.
“But not because he’s powerful.”
She looked at the machines.
“Because he thinks he already won.”
Inside the darkness...
Everett listened.
He had heard Sterling.
Every word.
Every threat.
And now he understood something.
Sterling was not trying to hide anymore.
He was getting impatient.
That meant time was running out.
The next morning, Willa started her investigation.
Quietly.
Carefully.
She searched everything she could access.
Medical records.
Medication schedules.
Nursing notes.
Anything.
Then she noticed something strange.
A pattern.
Every time Everett showed signs of improvement...
A new medication appeared.
Every time his brain activity increased...
The dosage changed.
Someone was monitoring his recovery.
Someone was actively stopping him from waking up.
But why?
Keeping Everett alive made sense.
Keeping him unconscious made even more sense.
A dead man could not be questioned.
But a living man who could not speak?
Perfect.
That afternoon, Willa found something hidden inside Everett’s medical file.
A handwritten note.
Not from Whitfield.
Not from a nurse.
From Everett himself.
The handwriting was weak.
Almost impossible to read.
But the date shocked her.
It was written two days before the accident.
The note contained only four words.
“Trust nobody. Especially family.”
Willa stared at it.
Her heart started racing.
Everett knew something was wrong before the accident.
The accident was not the beginning.
It was the result.
Someone had been planning this.
That night, she sat beside Everett.
She held the note.
“I found this.”
Her voice was low.
“You knew.”
Everett wanted to move.
He wanted to tell her everything.
About Sterling.
About the company.
About the threats.
About the meeting he discovered before the accident.
A meeting where people discussed removing him permanently.
But his body remained silent.
Willa looked at him.
“You were investigating someone.”
A pause.
“Your family?”
His heart rate changed.
Only slightly.
But Willa noticed.
Because she was watching.
Always watching.
“Sterling?”
The monitor reacted.
Beep.
Faster.
Willa froze.
She leaned closer.
“Everett…”
Another heartbeat.
Another signal.
Her eyes widened.
“You can answer me.”
Everett tried again.
Yes.
No.
Anything.
His finger moved.
Once.
Willa stared.
“One movement means yes?”
The finger moved again.
Her breath caught.
“You can hear me.”
Again.
The finger moved.
A strange emotion appeared on her face.
Relief.
Fear.
Hope.
All at once.
“Oh my God…”
She covered her mouth.
“You’ve been awake this entire time.”
Everett wanted to cry.
But he could not.
For eight months, nobody knew.
Nobody cared.
But this woman...
This stranger who became his wife...
Had found him.
Then the lights went out.
The entire mansion fell into darkness.
The machines switched to emergency power.
Willa immediately stood.
“What happened?”
No answer.
Then the door handle moved.
Slowly.
Someone was outside.
Trying to enter.
Willa stepped between the door and Everett.
The lock clicked.
Someone had a key.
The door opened.
A figure entered.
Willa could not see the face.
Only the silhouette.
Tall.
Silent.
Dangerous.
The person walked toward Everett.
Willa grabbed the nearest object.
“Stop.”
The figure ignored her.
One step.
Two steps.
Closer.
Then the person whispered:
“Move away from him.”
Willa tightened her grip.
“Who are you?”
The figure stepped into the emergency light.
And Willa’s blood turned cold.
Because the person standing in front of her...
May you like
Was someone who should have been dead.
END OF CHAPTER 4
