Chapter 10 - The Vanguard Heir
The chaotic, violent energy of my family's ruin faded into nothingness. The pediatric ICU was quiet again, save for the rhythmic, steady beep of the heart monitor.
At 11:00 p.m., the attending doctor walked into the room with a genuine, relieved smile.
“The new antibiotics are working,” the doctor announced. “His fever has broken. The oxygen levels are stabilizing. He’s going to be just fine.”
I let out a massive, shuddering breath, completely collapsing into Patrick’s arms. The billionaire CEO didn't care about his wrinkled flannel shirt or the tears soaking into his collar. He just held me tightly, kissing the top of my head as we both wept with sheer, unadulterated relief.
A week later, Leo walked out of the hospital, perfectly healthy, holding his father's hand.
We didn't go back to the small apartment. A sleek, armored black Maybach was idling at the hospital entrance, waiting to drive us to the private jet that would take us to our new estate in Aspen.
My mother and Bianca were completely blacklisted from high society. The frozen credit lines forced them to sell the Hamptons house and file for bankruptcy. They tried to reach out to me through lawyers, begging for forgiveness, begging for a fraction of the Vanguard wealth.
I never answered a single letter.
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I sat on the private jet, watching Leo excitedly look out the window at the clouds. I leaned my head on Patrick’s shoulder, realizing that true wealth had absolutely nothing to do with money. It had to do with the man who was willing to burn the world to the ground just to protect his family.
If you were in my shoes, would you have ever given your mother a second chance to apologize, or did she deserve to lose her entire empire in the dark?
