Chapter 3

Henry was transferred to a regular room, but he still hadn't woken up.

I didn't go home. I stayed right by his bedside.

Early the next morning, my phone rang. It was Daniel Fairfax.

I barely answered before his obnoxiously confident voice came through the speaker. "Lydia, you've had all night to cool off. Have you thought things through?"

let out a cold laugh. "Thought what through?"

"Oh, come on, drop the act." Daniel chuckled. He sounded like a guy who thought he held all the cards. "I know you're probably kicking yourself right now.

"You didn't mean what you said last night, did you?

"Look, out of respect for your dad, I'm throwing you a bone.

"I booked a private suite at the Grand Royale for lunch. Come over, buy Isabella a drink to apologize, and we'll pretend none of this ever happened."

My grip on the phone tightened. "Buy Isabella a drink? Are you out of your damn mind, Daniel?"

"Lydia!" His voice dropped, taking on a warning tone. "Don't push your luck. Isabella was in tears this morning.

"She said she thought of you as her best friend, and you completely broke her heart.

"You know she's straightforward and doesn't have a malicious bone in her body. You're the Sinclair heiress. Can't you just be the bigger person?"

I actually laughed out loud at that. "Straightforward? Is that what you call stuffing her face with fried chicken while the man who saved my life was in surgery?

"Daniel, you're not just arrogant. You're genuinely stupid."

Dead silence hung on the line for a few seconds before Daniel exploded. "How dare you speak to me like that, Lydia?

"Did you forget about the Northside Project? The Prescott Group wouldn't even stand a chance without Fairfax Group backing it.

"Are you seriously going to bankrupt your own family over some bodyguard?"

I took a deep breath. When I spoke, my voice was dead calm. "We're dropping the project."

"What did you just say?"

"I said, we're dropping it. I don't need your family's backing."

I hung up and immediately blocked his number.

In my old life, Daniel used that exact project to slowly swallow up the Prescott fortune, ultimately causing the heart attack that killed my father.

This time around, I would rather cut off my own arm to survive. He wasn't touching a single dime of my family's money.

Before I could even catch my breath, the hospital room door swung open.

Isabella strutted in, wearing a designer tracksuit. She was carrying a fruit basket, which she carelessly tossed onto the table with a loud thud.

"Wow, Lydia. You're really still playing nurse?" She wandered over to Henry's bed, looking down at his face with absolute disgust. "Yikes. He looks like a ghost.

"Your taste in men is really going downhill."

I glared at her. "Who let you in?"

"Oh, chill out. You know I just say whatever's on my mind. I missed you, so I came to visit."

Isabella pulled up a chair uninvited and started peeling an orange. "Seriously though, Daniel told me everything.

"Are you actually breaking up with him over a bodyguard?

"Are you stupid? Guys with Daniel's money and status have women lining up around the block, and you're just pushing him away?"

She leaned in close, dropping her voice to a malicious whisper. "Or maybe... this bodyguard is just really good in bed, and you can't get enough?"

I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

Her head snapped to the side, sending orange wedges scattering across the floor.

She grabbed her cheek, staring at me in total shock. "Did you just hit me?"

"You bet I did." I shook out my stinging hand, my eyes locked on hers. "Save your 'one of the guys' routine for someone who cares, Isabella.

"It makes me sick. You want Daniel so bad? Take him. He's trash, and flies like you love buzzing around garbage."

Her face flushed, then paled, before she somehow managed to squeeze out a few tears. "You're taking this way too far, Lydia!

"I was just worried about you, and this is how you treat me? Daniel and I are strictly platonic. How could you say something so disgusting?"

She ran out of the room crying, slamming right into Daniel, who had just arrived.

"Daniel! Lydia hit me!" Isabella threw herself into his arms, sobbing dramatically.

Seeing the red mark on her cheek, Daniel lost his temper entirely.

He stormed into the room and raised his hand to strike me. "You crazy bitch! I think you need to be taught a lesson."

I stood perfectly still, meeting his furious gaze with absolute ice.

"Do it." I pointed to my own cheek. "If you lay a finger on me, the whole city will know by tomorrow morning that the golden boy of the Fairfax family beat up his fiancée in a hospital over his female bestie."

His hand froze in midair. He cared about his reputation more than anything, and he couldn't afford a scandal like that.

"You've got a lot of nerve," he hissed, slowly lowering his hand. His eyes were dangerously dark. "You really think I wouldn't touch you?

"Fine. If you want to play hardball, let's play. We'll see how long Prescott Group's stock stays afloat."

He wrapped an arm around Isabella and turned to leave. She rested her chin on his shoulder, flashing me a wicked, triumphant smirk.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I watched them walk away.

Was I scared? Maybe a little.

But mostly, I was thrilled. I felt the rush of finally tearing down the facade and preparing for war.

Suddenly, Henry's fingers twitched.

I immediately grabbed his hand. "Henry, please wake up. Just wake up, and I'll give you anything you want. I'd give you my life."