Chapter 2 - THE PATIENT WHO WASN'T SUPPOSED TO RECOVER
For several seconds, Adrien could hear nothing except the faint hum of the air-conditioning system. His daughter sat beside him, completely unaware that the words she had repeated might have changed the direction of his entire life.
Sophie was the first to move.
She crouched beside the bed and gently took Lila's hand.
"Sweetheart, did you hear anything else?"
Lila shook her head.
"Uncle Victor saw me, so I ran."
Adrien felt something cold spread through his chest.
"Did he speak to you?"
"He asked why I was out of bed."
"And what did you say?"
"I told him I wanted hot chocolate."
Lila lowered her eyes.
"Am I in trouble?"
Adrien immediately pulled her close.
"No, sweetheart. You haven't done anything wrong."
He kissed the top of her head.
"You did exactly the right thing by telling me."
But while he held her, his mind raced.
Lila had been staying in the hospital's family accommodation wing since his accident. Her mother, Émilie, had died three years earlier, and Adrien had refused to send his daughter away during his recovery.
He had believed the hospital was the safest place for her.
Now he wasn't certain.
Dr. Morel moved toward the door.
"I'm going to ask hospital security to preserve the corridor footage and restrict nonessential access to this room."
Adrien nodded.
"Don't tell Victor."
"I won't discuss this with anyone who isn't directly involved in your care or the investigation."
After Morel left, Sophie helped Lila settle into the adjoining family room, where a trusted childcare worker was waiting.
When Sophie returned, Adrien was staring at his phone.
"Victor called me four times today," he said.
"Did you answer?"
"No."
He turned the screen toward her.
A message had arrived thirty minutes earlier.
How are you feeling, cousin? Gabriel says your recovery may require a longer rehabilitation period. Don't worry about the company. I've got everything under control.
Adrien read the final sentence twice.
I've got everything under control.
For years, those words had reassured him.
Now they sounded like a threat.
He called his attorney, Claire Beaumont.
Claire had served as the Valmont family's legal counsel for more than a decade. She was meticulous, discreet, and almost impossible to intimidate.
When Adrien explained the documents, she interrupted him.
"Do not confront Victor."
"Everyone keeps telling me that."
"Because you're angry, and angry people make predictable mistakes."
Adrien looked toward the adjoining room.
"My daughter may be in danger."
Claire's voice changed.
"Then protecting her comes first. I'll arrange independent security and contact the appropriate authorities. Preserve the original documents, and don't let anyone outside the investigative team handle them."
"What about the company?"
"I'm reviewing the emergency management provisions right now."
She paused.
"Adrien, there is something you need to understand. Your medical condition may be directly connected to Victor's legal authority."
"Explain."
"When the board appointed him acting chief executive, the resolution required independent confirmation that you were medically unable to perform your duties."
"Gabriel signed that confirmation."
"Yes."
Adrien closed his eyes.
"And if Gabriel continues declaring me unfit?"
"Victor may be able to extend his temporary authority, subject to the board's approval."
Adrien understood immediately.
His injury had not merely removed him from the office.
It had created a legal mechanism through which Victor could control the company.
And the longer Adrien remained incapacitated, the more deeply Victor could entrench himself.
Claire continued.
"I've also discovered that Victor has requested an extraordinary board meeting."
"When?"
"Friday."
Adrien looked at the calendar.
Three days away.
"What's on the agenda?"
"The acquisition of a private medical technology company called Asterion Biomedical."
Adrien frowned.
"I've never approved an acquisition."
"You haven't."
"How much?"
"Four hundred and eighty million dollars."
The number struck him like a physical blow.
The Valmont Group had the resources to make such an acquisition, but any transaction of that size required extensive due diligence.
"What does Asterion manufacture?"
"Orthopedic implants, rehabilitation devices, and surgical support equipment."
Adrien looked toward his injured leg.
A disturbing coincidence.
Or perhaps not a coincidence at all.
"Who owns it?"
"That's what I'm investigating."
After ending the call, Adrien asked Sophie to bring him his laptop.
She hesitated.
"You need rest."
"I need answers more."
Sophie sat beside him while he searched through the company's internal files.
His executive credentials still worked, although several financial folders had been restricted.
He found a preliminary acquisition presentation.
Asterion Biomedical.
Projected revenue growth.
International expansion.
Patented orthopedic systems.
Everything appeared impressive.
Too impressive.
Adrien had spent twenty years evaluating acquisitions. He recognized the familiar language of inflated projections and conveniently vague financial disclosures.
Then he found the company's shareholder summary.
Most ownership was attributed to investment funds.
But one entity stood out.
Northbridge Capital Partners.
Adrien had seen that name before.
He searched his archived correspondence.
An email appeared from eighteen months earlier.
It concerned a proposed investment his father had rejected shortly before his death.
The sender was Gabriel Delacroix.
Adrien opened it.
Your father believed Northbridge represented an unacceptable conflict of interest. I strongly advise you to reconsider his position.
Adrien stared at the screen.
"Why would my doctor be advising me about investments?"
Sophie leaned closer.
"Was Gabriel involved in the company?"
"I don't know."
Adrien scrolled further.
At the bottom of the email was a copied recipient.
Victor Vasseur.
A second message followed.
Adrien, your father's objections were based on incomplete information. Victor can explain the strategic benefits.
Adrien felt a sickening realization forming.
Gabriel had been influencing business decisions long before the accident.
He opened the attachment.
A scanned document appeared.
It was an investment proposal bearing his father's handwritten rejection.
Across the bottom, Étienne Valmont had written:
Do not proceed. Investigate beneficial ownership. Possible undisclosed family connection.
Adrien whispered the words.
"Undisclosed family connection."
Sophie looked at him.
"What does that mean?"
Before he could answer, his phone rang.
Unknown number.
Adrien answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
A woman's voice spoke quickly.
"Mr. Valmont, my name is Nora Bellamy. I worked for Dr. Delacroix."
Adrien sat straighter.
"Why are you calling?"
"Because I saw your name on a payment authorization, and I think something terrible has happened."
"Where are you?"
"I can't tell you over the phone."
"Then tell me what you know."
The woman began crying.
"Your medical records were changed after your accident."
Adrien gripped the phone.
"Changed how?"
"Your original scans were replaced in the hospital's outside consultation file. Someone wanted your injury to appear more severe than it was."
Adrien felt his pulse hammering.
"Who ordered that?"
There was a sound in the background.
A door opening.
The woman gasped.
"Oh, God. He's here."
"Nora?"
Her voice dropped to a terrified whisper.
"Don't trust the accident report. The person who arranged the crash wasn't Victor."
May you like
Then the connection ended.
END OF CHAPTER 2
