Falling For The True Heiress

"You can head back to the company, Matt," Dad said. "Take care of anything that needs my attention."

Mr. Matt gave a respectful nod. "Yes, Chairman."

He turned and walked toward the door. With one last nod to everyone in the room, he quietly let himself out.

Click.

The room fell silent.

Mom rested her hand on the briefcase Matt had given her, her brows knitting together in confusion.

She looked up at Dad.

"Sweetheart..." Her voice was gentle. "What’s in this?"

Dad’s smile faded, replaced by something much more serious.

"It’s everything they’ve uncovered about my accident."

He stared at the briefcase for a moment before returning to Mom.

"It looks like someone tampered with my car."

The words hit the room like a stone dropped into still water.

Mom stared at him, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"You mean..." She swallowed. "Someone planned all of this?"

Dad gave a slow nod. "I’m afraid so."

I felt my fingers tighten around the edge of the mattress without realizing it.

Mom lowered her gaze to the briefcase and slowly unclasped the locks.

Click.

Click.

She lifted the lid.

Inside were several neatly arranged folders.

As Dad shifted to get a better look, Sylvia immediately stood and helped him sit up properly.

I moved beside them and gently adjusted the pillows behind his back, taking extra care not to pull on the IV line connected to his hand.

"Is that better?" I asked.

Dad smiled faintly. "Much better."

Mom carefully lifted three folders from the briefcase and placed them on her lap. Before opening the first one, she looked at Dad as though asking for permission.

Dad gave a small nod. "Go ahead."

She took a quiet breath and opened the folder.

The only sound in the room was the soft rustle of paper as she turned one page after another.

Sylvia and I remained seated beside Dad, silently watching her expression.

The longer she read...

The more serious her face became.

After a few minutes, she finally broke the silence.

"The car really was tampered with."

Her voice was low, almost disbelieving. She continued reading before finally lifting her head.

This time, her eyes settled on me.

"You knew, didn’t you?"

I didn’t answer immediately. There was no point pretending.

I lowered my eyes before nodding. "I did."

A small frown appeared on her face. "Then why didn’t you tell me?"

I met her eyes.

"Mom..." I spoke gently. "You weren’t in the right state to hear it. You were worried about Dad. You barely slept. You barely ate."

I lowered my voice. "If I had told you then..."

"I was afraid it would’ve broken you."

Mom looked at me quietly. For a long moment, she didn’t say a word. Then she lowered her eyes again.

She sighed softly and turned another page before reaching for the second folder.

No one interrupted her. The atmosphere in the room had changed completely.

A knock broke the silence.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Everyone turned toward the door.

"Come in," Mom called.

The door opened, and the attending doctor stepped inside. Three nurses followed behind him. One carried a tray of medications; another held Dad’s chart, while the third wheeled in a small trolley with fresh IV fluids and other supplies.

Mom quietly gathered the folders and slipped them back into the briefcase before setting it aside.

"Good evening, Mr. Winston," the doctor greeted with a warm smile. "How are we feeling today?"

Dad smiled and lifted his hand slightly.

"As you can see... much better than the last time you saw me."

"I can already tell."

I stepped aside to give them enough room.

"Good evening, Doctor."

"Good evening."

The doctor moved to Dad’s bedside and slipped his stethoscope around his neck before placing the earpieces in.

"Take a deep breath for me."

Dad inhaled slowly.

"And again."

The doctor listened carefully to his chest, then his back. He checked his pulse, examined the healing wound, and glanced at the monitor beside the bed.

"Hmm..." He gave a satisfied nod. "Your lungs sound clear, your heartbeat is steady, and your blood pressure has improved."

He reached for a syringe from the tray and injected the medication into the IV port.

"This is your next dose of antibiotics. It’ll continue protecting you from infection while your body heals."

After flushing the line, he turned toward the nurses.

"Nurse Cassa, check his blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, and temperature every four hours. If there’s any sudden change, notify me immediately."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Nurse Helen, replace the IV fluids once this bag is finished, and keep a close eye on the surgical site. I don’t want any signs of bleeding, swelling, or infection to go unnoticed."

"Understood, Doctor."

He looked at the third nurse.

"And Nurse Helen..."

He glanced at Dad before continuing.

Administer the pain medication only if he complains of discomfort. If his pain remains mild, let him continue without it."

"Yes, Doctor."

He paused for a moment before adding,

"Encourage him to use the incentive spirometer every two hours while he’s awake. I also want him sitting up as much as he can tolerate. If his condition remains stable overnight, we’ll have him take a short walk around the ward tomorrow morning."

The nurses nodded, making notes as they listened.

The doctor removed his stethoscope and smiled at Dad.

"You’re recovering faster than I expected."

Dad laughed softly. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

"You should."

The doctor smiled. "If your progress continues like this, we can start discussing discharge in the next few days."

A smile spread across Mom’s face.

"Really?"

The doctor nodded.

"He’s responding well to treatment. His vital signs are stable, the wound is healing nicely, and there haven’t been any complications."

He looked at Dad again. "But don’t let that make you stubborn."

"No unnecessary stress. No trying to sneak back to work. And absolutely no pretending you’re stronger than you actually are."

Dad raised both hands in surrender. "I’ll behave."

The doctor laughed softly. "I’ll believe that when I see it."

The room, which had felt so heavy only moments ago, filled with quiet laughter once again.

"I’ll take my leave now," the doctor said, offering us a courteous smile.

"Thank you, Doctor," Mom replied warmly.

He waved a hand dismissively.

"It’s no trouble at all. I’ll check on him again later this evening."

He turned and walked toward the door. The three nurses followed behind him, and a second later, the door closed softly.

Mom turned to Dad, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

"You’d better do everything the doctor said."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "I want you well enough to come home soon..."

She leaned in slightly. "...so I can finally cuddle my husband again."

"Oww, Mom."

I covered my face dramatically.

"Do you really have to say things like that in front of us?"

Dad burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking as he looked from Mom to me.

Sylvia laughed beside me before slipping her arm around my shoulders.

"Don’t be jealous, Minnie."

She pulled me a little closer. "You’ve got me."

I turned to look at her, trying to hide my smile.

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Mhm."

She nodded confidently. "I’ll cuddle you as much as you want."

She smiled mischievously. "Leave Dad to Mom."

Mom clicked her tongue and laughed.

"Listen to her."

She looked at Sylvia with mock disbelief.

"Do you expect me to share my husband with you girls too?"

Sylvia grinned. "Never."

"Good."

Mom folded her arms with exaggerated pride before slipping her hand back into Dad’s.

"This handsome man belongs to me."

Dad laughed so hard he had to shake his head.

"I see I don’t get a say in this."

"Nope," Mom answered immediately. "Not at all."

Dad could only shake his head, laughing helplessly at all of us.

Even the heaviness that had been hanging over us for days seemed to disappear, if only for a little while.

For the first time since the accident...

The room wasn’t filled with fear. It was filled with laughter.

And somehow...

That felt like the best medicine Dad could have asked for.

"Fine. I surrender," I said, laughing hard.

Mom smiled before turning to look at Sylvia and me.

"How about you girls head back?" she said, worry evident on her face. "I know you’re both tired."

She looked at us gently. "You need to get some rest, alright? I’ll stay here and take care of your dad."

I looked at Dad before my gaze shifted to Sylvia.

Only then did I truly notice how exhausted she looked.

There were faint shadows beneath her eyes, and although she still wore that gentle smile, I could tell she was running on nothing but determination.

She had spent the whole morning at her book launch, standing for hours, meeting readers, signing books, and smiling through every conversation.

The moment it ended, she had come straight to me.

Since then, she hadn’t stopped taking care of me.

She had comforted me, stayed by my side, brought me here to see Dad, and never once complained about being tired.

Even now, she was trying to hide it behind that same reassuring smile.

She needed to rest properly.

I stood up and gave Mom a small nod.

"Okay, then. We’ll head home."

Mom smiled with relief. "Good."

"Drive safely. And make sure both of you get some proper sleep."

"We will," I replied with a small nod.

Dad smiled as he looked at us. "Come back tomorrow."

"I will," I answered almost immediately.

"So you can get rid of me that quickly?" Dad teased.

I laughed. "Never."

"I just... missed you too much."

Dad’s smile softened.

"I missed you too, sweetheart."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!