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Chapter 263
After two days of barely seeing each other except during evening treatments, Adam and Irene found themselves swept into an unexpected crisis.
The meeting room hummed with energy as Adam and García prepared to close their deal. Papers lay spread across the polished table, executives leaned forward eagerly, and coffee cups stood forgotten as everyone focused on the milestone about to be reached.
“This deal is going to shake things up,” García said, thumbing through papers. He rubbed his temple but kept smiling. “My sellers plus your tech–nobody can touch us.”
Adam nodded, watching García carefully. “Your team ready to start next quarter?”
“Already hiring,” García winked. His eyes suddenly lost focus mid–sentence, darting around as if searching for something.
Adam leaned forward“You okay?”
The pen slipped from García’s fingers. His face went slack before he could answer, body crumpling to the floor like a cut marionette.
Everyone froze for a split second. Then chaos erupted–people shouting, jumping up, knocking chairs over.
“Everyone QUIET!” Adam’s voice sliced through the panic. He didn’t raise his volume much, but something in his tone made the room fall silent instantly. “Someone call an ambulance. Now.”
As people backed away, Adam wheeled closer to García, checking his pulse with practiced movements. His mind was already ten steps ahead, focused on one name–the only person he trusted with something this critical.
Rain tapped against hospital windows as Adam sat perfectly still outside the examination room. The doctor emerged, face grim, clutching a folder.
“Mr. García has a growth in his brain,” he said quietly. “He needs surgery right away, but…” He paused, running a hand through his hair. “Our head doctor is at a meeting overseas. This is tricky surgery even for experts.”
Adam didn’t hesitate. “Thomas, go get Dr. Sterling from the hotel.”
Thomas nodded once and disappeared.
The doctor frowned. “Sir, even if your doctor is qualified-”
“Dr. Sterling is the best,” Adam cut him off, voice brooking no argument. “Get the operating room ready.”
Hours crawled by. Adam refused every suggestion to leave, his wheelchair parked outside the operating room like a sentinel. Thomas appeared hourly with fresh coffee, saying nothing about the growing stack of cups or the messages piling up on Adam’s phone.
García’s assistant slumped in a chair nearby, occasionally glancing at Adam with a mixture of worry and respect. The steady rain outside matched the rhythm of the wall clock’s ticking.
Adam’s mind drifted to Irene–the way her eyes narrowed when concentrating, how she’d laughed at the golf course despite herself, her fingers working magic during his treatments. She’d somehow become essential to his world without either of them planning it.
Thomas found Irene eurled up reading, bare feet tucked under her, hair loose around her shoulders.
‘García collapsed, Thomas said, cutting to the chase. “Brain problem Hospital can’t handle it. He needs you.”
Irene was grabbing her bag before he finished speaking. “Let’s go.”
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Chapter 263
Hospital corridors echoed with her quick footsteps. Spotting Adam waiting at the end of the hallway sent an unexpected wave of relief through her.
“Hey, she said, slightly breathless. “What happened?”
Adam’s eyes locked with hers. “García collapsed during the meeting. They found something in his brain.” He paused. “Can you help?
I trust you.”
Simple words, but the weight behind them wasn’t lost on her.
“Of course.” She took the file he held out. “Let me see.”
She looked through the pictures, her eyes narrowing as she studied each one. “Tricky spot. But I can do it.”
Before she disappeared into the surgical suite, their eyes met briefly his filled with absolute faith, hers with quiet determination.
Dawn was breaking when the surgery light finally switched off. Irene came out looking completely drained. Hair falling loose, dark circles under her eyes shoulders drooping with tiredness. But Adam could tell it had gone well just by looking at her face.
García’s assistant jumped up. “How is he?”
“Got it all out,” Irene’s voice was rough and scratchy. “Everything important still works fine. He’ll be good as new.”
The assistant grabbed Irene’s hands, eyes shining. “Thank you so much!”
Irene managed a weak smile, swaying slightly on her feet.
Adam moved beside her, noticing how she braced herself against the wall. “You did it,” he said softly.
The smile she gave him made his chest tighten in a way he wasn’t prepared for.
“Let’s get you back,” he said. “You need rest.”
She nodded, too spent for words.
In the car, Irene slumped against the window, eyes falling shut despite her efforts. Adam watched the exhaustion etched across her face, feeling an unfamiliar twist of guilt.
“Sorry,” he said after a while. “You came here for a break. Not to save lives.”
He grabbed a water bottle, twisted the cap off, and held
it
out. “Your voice sounds rough.”
Irene blinked slowly, taking the bottle and drinking half in one go. Don’t be silly,” she rasped, her tired eyes meeting his. “That’s what friends do, right? I’m happy to help you.”
Adam studied her face, something shifting behind his eyes. Without overthinking it, he reached over and gently guided her head to rest against his shoulder.
“Better than the window,” he said quietly.
Irene stiffened for a heartbeat, then relaxed against him. The scent of his cologne mingled with the lingering hospital smell on her
skin.
“Kay, she murmured, too tired to question the boundary they’d just crossed.
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ON 78%
Chapter 263
As the car glided through early morning streets, Irene’s breathing deepened. Adam carefully shifted to make her more comfortable, ignoring the numbness creeping through his shoulder. In the rearview mirror, Thomas caught the tender moment but kept his face carefully neutral.
Two hours later, the car pulled up to their hotel. Irene remained asleep, her face relaxed in a way Adam rarely saw.
“Give us a minute,” he told Thomas, who nodded and slipped out with the briefcase.
Adam stayed perfectly still despite his screaming muscles, unwilling to disturb her rest..Sunlight streamed through the windows, catching in her hair and warming her face.
She stirred, eyes fluttering open in confusion before widening in realization. She bolted upright.
“We’re here? Why didn’t you wake me?” Her gaze darted to the hotel entrance, then back to him. “How long have we-”
“You were out cold, he said simply. “Didn’t seem right to wake you.”
He rotated his shoulder slightly, unable to hide a small wince.
Irene guilt was immediate. “Your shoulder’s completely numb, isn’t it? Here-” Without asking permission, she shifted closer, her hands finding his shoulder with practiced ease. Her fingers worked the knotted muscles, her touch both clinical and intimate.
“Better?” she asked, voice softer than she intended.
Adam nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. “Much.” He paused, something unspoken hovering between them. “Tonight was unforgettable.”
She caught his meaning instantly. Her fingers paused on his shoulder, her cheeks turning pink as something changed in the air
between them.
“We should go inside,” she said softly, her hands slowly slipping from his shoulder. “Thomas is waiting.”
Her hand moved toward the door, but she stopped when she saw his eyes–open, warm, wanting. For a long moment, they just looked at each other, pulled together by something neither was ready to name but both could feel.
The morning sunlight played on their faces as Irene looked at Adam and said with a smile, “Let me push you back.”
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