Mary was lying in a ICU bed just thirty feet away, her breathing kept steady only by a machine.

And this man on the phone was talking about valuations and lock-up periods.

“You had no right,” Ethan said.

“I had every right to protect my investment,” Richard said.

“You were too soft back then, Ethan. You still are.”

“I am going to destroy you for this,” Ethan said.

His voice didn’t shake, but his eyes were wide and bloodshot.

A nurse pushed a cart of medicine bottles past us, the small glass vials clinking together.

She looked at us suspicously, but Ethan didn’t even notice her.

“You won’t do anything,” Richard said.

The line went quiet for a second, save for the hum of the hospital’s ventilation system.

“What did you say?” Ethan asked.

“I said you won’t do a thing,” Richard repeated.

“Because if you try to remove me, or if you bring this little family drama into the light, I will make sure everyone knows.”

“Knows what?” Ethan demanded.

“The press loves a story about a billionaire who ignored his dying mistress and his starving child,” Richard said.