Victoria admitted she had intercepted Elena's letters to protect the Blackwell succession. Adrian heard the explanation without interrupting, which frightened his mother more than anger would have. He removed her voting authority with one call, then placed his phone in Elena's hand and told her she could decide what happened next.
Elena did not forgive him. She ordered him to sit beside Theo's empty bed and wait like everyone else. For the first time in his life, Adrian had no assistant to chase certainty and no amount of money that could make the operating-room light turn green.
At dawn, the surgeon returned. Theo had survived the procedure, but a rare blood complication required a direct family donor. Adrian was a match. As the nurse prepared the needle, Damian arrived carrying coffee and a small velvet ring box. Elena saw it. So did Adrian.
Damian looked through the glass at Theo, then at the man giving him blood. “When this is over,” he told Elena, “you still have a choice to make.”