Early in the morning, James had the driver pick up Adrian from the mansion.
He'd assumed his boss might be in poor shape after last night's drinking and was already preparing to reschedule some appointments.
Last night's meeting was with a senior tax official - an old devil who lived for his drinks and insisted on "negotiating over alcohol." With the corporation's rapid expansion, some connections were necessary. Thomas had taken many drinks for Adrian and was still so dizzy he'd called in sick for the day.
But Adrian got into the car just after 8 AM. As he slid his long legs into the spacious back seat, he remained silent. James sensed his boss seemed surprisingly... energetic?
Then he noticed something unusual: Adrian had fresh scratch marks on his right hand and below his neck. They were bright red, slightly breaking the skin, as if made just this morning.
Without hesitation, James grabbed the spare antiseptic and cotton balls from the car's supplies to treat the scratches.
...Those marks could only have been made by a woman's nails.
Just looking at them, he was certain his boss was indeed quite energetic.
As the car slowly pulled out of the mansion's garage, James sat in the front passenger seat and began reporting the day's schedule:
"Boss, since you're 20 minutes later than usual this morning, today's schedule will be delayed by about half an hour. The Curatorial Department submitted four exhibition proposals for the biennales, including prime spaces in Venice and Basel, plus next month's auction list from Sotheby's London headquarters - these need your review this morning."
"For lunch, you have invitations from the Qatar Royal Art Foundation, the Louvre's Asian Department, and Getty Museum board members. All restaurants are in Mayfair, and you can choose one."
"In the afternoon, the Metropolitan Museum's board has invited you to Wembley Golf Club - the chairman and his wife will be there. "
"Also, Mr. Harrison Astor has invited you to his bachelor party tonight. He's taken over club Elysium - all three floors. The party will include almost all of the city's elite young singles, and he's using your name as a draw. Your old friends have all received invitations and confirmed they're coming."
Adrian silently listened to the report, then raised his hand, his long fingers swiping away two lunch appointments on the Pad James had handed him.
James had expected Adrian to decline Harrison's invitation. His boss usually despised such occasions - countless women would try to throw themselves at him at every opportunity. Thomas had chased away more women than he could count, and James, who stayed closest to Adrian, had dealt with even more. Adrian never needed to handle these situations himself - typically, they'd just increase security and widen the protective circle around him.
But if Harrison was personally sending women Adrian's way... well, that would depend entirely on Adrian's own wishes.
After a moment of silence, Adrian spoke: "Tell Harrison I'll be there later."
James quickly arranged it on the Pad, then hesitated before adding:
"Also... last night, Ethan's chief physician called. He wants to discuss Ethan's surgery options with you. He has two operations this afternoon, so he asked about your availability first."
"Go now."
"Yes, boss. I'll let him know you're coming. He's in his office now."
Through the car window, Adrian watched the mansion disappear from view.
On the third floor, second room, the curtains were drawn tight. Christine was probably still asleep.
"Is the box ready?" he turned back to ask James.
The man nodded, speaking softly: "All prepared. When would you like it delivered to the house?"
"When she wakes up."
Forty minutes later, they arrived at the hospital.
Adrian and James took the elevator to the top floor. When they pushed open the office door, Rebecca was already there. She looked eagerly at her eldest son, but Adrian only gave her a cold nod in greeting.
Ethan's doctor was the state's leading leukemia specialist. The experienced elderly physician sat behind his desk, his expression grave.
"Let me be direct with you both, Mrs. Sinclair, Mr. Blackwood. Ethan's condition is... not optimistic."
He sighed, showing Adrian Ethan's latest blood work. Adrian glanced at it - almost all indicators were well below normal levels.
"Acute leukemia is complex, potentially caused by genetics, environment, radiation exposure, and other factors. The tests show that the leukemia cells in Mr. Blackwood's bone marrow are multiplying rapidly, severely suppressing normal blood cell production. We can maintain his vital signs for now, but the treatment plan is crucial. There are two main options: conservative treatment while waiting for stem cell transplant, or chemotherapy."
"No chemotherapy! Absolutely not!" Rebecca cried out.
Since Ethan's diagnosis, she had firmly supported only conservative treatment, fearing her son's suffering and chemotherapy's terrible side effects. Now that Christine was pregnant, she placed all her hopes on the unborn child.
"I'm afraid..." the elderly doctor frowned, choosing his words carefully.
"Given Ethan's condition and the international blood bank's current situation, finding a suitable match would take at least six months. While Mrs. Christine's pregnancy is wonderful news, even with a biological child, there's no guarantee of a perfect match."
The implication was clear: without chemotherapy, if the match failed after eight months, Ethan would have no chance of survival.
Rebecca was too conservative, and if the hospital wanted to proceed with the more successful chemotherapy treatment, they needed Adrian's support.
Rebecca nearly broke down in tears, burying her face in her hands, speechless.
"If you agree to chemotherapy, I promise our team will do everything possible. Please reconsider."
The doctor looked at Adrian, who had remained silent throughout. He stood like a statue, deep in thought.
Indeed, ultimately, only Adrian could make this decision - he was the only one who could afford Ethan's treatment.
It was nearly noon when they left the chief's office.
He followed Rebecca to Ethan's room and saw Christine inside from a distance. Through the glass walls, behind the oxygen mask, she was kissing her beloved sleeping husband.
Adrian turned away and left the hospital.