Chapter 5 - The Man Who Pretended to Be Gone
The next forty-eight hours became a silent war.
Nobody spoke openly.
Nobody trusted anyone.
But everyone watched.
Prentice increased security.
Changed medical schedules.
Moved Cyrus’s documents.
He was searching for something.
Or someone.
Imara knew she had to act quickly.
Because Prentice was no longer waiting.
He was hunting.
---
That night, Houston stopped her outside the medical room.
“Imara.”
She turned.
“What?”
His face was serious.
“I worked for Mr. Aldaine for fifteen years.”
She waited.
“I’ve seen him destroy companies. Beat impossible odds. Walk into rooms where everyone wanted him to fail.”
He looked toward the bedroom.
“He doesn’t give up.”
Imara nodded.
“I know.”
Houston lowered his voice.
“But neither does the man trying to replace him.”
---
Inside the room, Imara sat beside Cyrus.
“We’re running out of time.”
His finger moved.
No.
She looked at him.
“No?”
Again.
No.
“What?”
His finger moved slowly.
Then stopped.
Imara understood.
He wasn’t telling her they were out of time.
He was telling her:
Don’t run.
She stared at him.
“You want to fight.”
One finger.
Yes.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“Of course you do.”
For the first time in months...
Cyrus Aldaine looked less like a victim.
And more like the man who built an empire.
---
The next morning, Imara made a dangerous decision.
She invited Prentice into the room.
He arrived smiling.
“I assume you wanted to talk.”
“Yes.”
“About what?”
She looked at Cyrus.
“About your brother.”
Prentice’s expression remained calm.
“What about him?”
Imara stepped closer.
“He knows.”
The smile disappeared.
Only for a moment.
But she saw it.
“You should choose your words carefully.”
“I think you know exactly what I mean.”
Silence.
Then Prentice laughed softly.
“You’re just a nurse.”
Imara looked directly at him.
“No.”
She glanced at Cyrus.
“I’m the person who noticed the man everyone ignored.”
Prentice’s eyes darkened.
And for the first time...
He looked afraid.
Because he realized something.
Cyrus Aldaine was not alone anymore.
He had someone who believed him.
May you like
And that was more dangerous than anything.
---
