Chapter 279

LUCAS POV

I stood outside the hospital room, watching over my father's frail, sleeping form.

My thoughts were a mix of different emotions.

After talking with the police for a few hours, Shana and I finally left to visit my father in the hospital. He had undergone several tests and the doctors worked tirelessly to rid him of the poison in his body.

Unfortunately, he was in a state of unconsciousness and the doctors couldn't determine when he would wake again.

They managed to remove the poison from his body, but he was severely dehydrated and malnourished. He had a tube connected to him that was providing his body with fluids.

It was difficult to see my father like this, so helpless and lifeless. It wasn't like the strong, stern man I knew.

A part of it scared me. I knew that life should never be taken for granted.

After Shana lost her father so suddenly, I realized that the same could happen to me.

My father could die... How would I be able to live with myself if that were to happen?

The two of us had been on the worst of terms as of late, and thinking that those could have been our last moments or memories together made me feel horrible.

Shana stood beside me, her presence a source of comfort in the midst of my turmoil.

I glanced at her, grateful for her support during this time.

"It's hard to see him like this," I murmured, my voice heavy with emotion. "He's always been so strong, so... invincible."

Shana squeezed my hand gently, offering a wordless gesture of comfort. "He's a fighter, Lucas. You know how he is. He'll pull through this."

I nodded, hoping against hope that she was right. But deep down, the fear of losing my father loomed large in my mind, a relentless fear haunting my every thought.

"I just wish... I wish I had the chance to make things right with him," I admitted, my voice wavering with regret. "I never imagined it would come to this."

Shana's gaze softened with understanding, her eyes reflecting the pain that mirrored my own. "We can't change the past, Lucas. All we can do is wait for him to recover now, which he will. Being here for him is the best we can do."

Her words struck a chord within me, a reminder of the importance in seizing every moment we're given.

"I can't believe Edwin and his father would do this," I said with a shake of my head.

Moments ago, the police had informed me that Bradford, my uncle, had been taken into the police station for questioning. When I asked where Edwin was and why he wasn't taken into custody either, the police told me that Bradford essentially confessed for the crime.

Which meant that Edwin was free.

I knew that Bradford couldn't have poisoned my father all on his own. He had help from his son.

"It's sickening," Shana murmured, her voice echoing my sentiments. "To think they would stoop so low..."

I clenched my fists, my jaw set in a grim line. "I won't let them get away with this."

Shana reached out, her touch a soothing balm against the seething anger that threatened to consume me. "We'll find a way to make them pay, Lucas. We have to."

I nodded, a resolve hardening within me. "They won't escape justice. Not this time."

But even as I spoke those words, doubt gnawed at the edges of my certainty.

How could we prove Edwin's involvement when there was no concrete evidence linking him to the crime?

And with Bradford taking the fall, it seemed increasingly unlikely that we would uncover the truth...

To make matters worse, a single worry had been eating away at me. I was notified earlier that my father had taken me off his will.

I was no longer the heir, and all responsibilities for the Busch Empire now fell to Edwin. He was in charge, not me.

The weight of this revelation settled over me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.

All those years of hard work, dedication, and loyalty to the family business seemed to mean nothing in the end.

"I can't believe this," I muttered, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "How could he do this to me?"

Shana placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, her expression sympathetic. "I'm so sorry, Lucas. This is just... unfair."

Unfair didn't even begin to cover it. The realization that Edwin, of all people, now held control over the company filled me with rage.

What did he know about running a business? He has never sat in a business meeting in his entire life. He hasn't been forced to learn everything about the company like I have for the past several years.

He was only going to fail, and I couldn't stand to see it happen.

The worst realization was that my father would be unable to stop it, unless he woke up. But with the state he was in currently, it seemed unlikely that he would be waking up anytime soon.

His body was too weak, and he needed more time to recover.

Edwin was not only unfit to run the company, but this was his plan all along. He would've done anything to get his way.

How could my father be so stupid? Was this just his way of getting back at me for disobeying him, or did he actually want Edwin to have the company?

I couldn't understand his reasoning.

Edwin was completely incapable of handling such responsibility, and I couldn't bear the thought of him running my father's business into the ground.

"We have to do something," I said, my voice firm with resolve. "I can't let Edwin destroy everything my father built."

Shana's expression mirrored my own as she shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe your father actually changed the order of inheritance like that. And to put Edwin above you..."

I had always dismissed his threats as empty promises, never truly believing that he would betray me in such a profound way.

"It's like everything I've worked for... everything I've sacrificed for him... it means nothing now," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

Shana reached out, her hand finding mine in a gesture of solidarity. "We'll figure this out, Lucas. We'll find a way to set things right."

But deep down, I couldn't shake the sinking feeling in my gut.

Edwin may have seized control of the company, but he was woefully unprepared to handle the responsibilities that came with it.

And as much as I despised the idea, I knew that he would eventually come looking for me to stabilize Kendrick's business empire.

I was sure that a small part of Edwin knew that he wasn't ready to take on such control.

He would crumble under the pressure.

As I watched my father's chest rise and fall, I knew that this battle with my cousin was far from over.

But for now, all I could do was stand by my father's side and pray for his swift recovery.

It was then that I made a silent vow to myself... I needed to make amends and rebuild whatever had been broken.