He was wearing a bespoke charcoal suit, his tie loosened. The moment he saw Claire running toward him, the temperature in his eyes dropped to absolute zero.

He pushed off the wall and closed the distance between them in three massive strides.

Before Claire could speak, his large hand shot out and clamped around her wrist.

He shoved her backward. Her spine slammed hard against the solid marble wall. A sharp, involuntary grunt of pain escaped her lips as the impact rattled her bones.

Cooper leaned in, pressing his body weight against hers, trapping her completely in his shadow. The scent of stale coffee and pure rage rolled off him.

"Did you do this?" he hissed, his face inches from hers, his teeth bared. "Did you leak the divorce to the press to stress him out? Is this your sick way of stalling?"

Claire gritted her teeth against the agonizing pressure on her wrist. She forced herself to look straight into his furious, dark eyes.

"I didn't say a word to anyone," she whispered fiercely.

Cooper let out a dark, ugly laugh. "Liar."

Before he could tighten his grip, the red light above the resuscitation room flicked off. The heavy doors pushed open, and the Chief of Cardiology stepped out, pulling off his surgical mask.

Cooper instantly dropped Claire's wrist. He turned his back on her and walked quickly to the doctor.

"He's stabilized," the doctor said quietly, wiping sweat from his forehead. "But his heart is failing. Another spike in his blood pressure, another emotional shock, and we will lose him. He wants to see both of you. Now."

Cooper and Claire walked into the dim, machine-filled room, keeping a wide distance between them.

The rhythmic, high-pitched beep of the EKG monitor dominated the silence. Sterling lay on the bed, looking incredibly small, a clear oxygen mask strapped to his pale face.

As they approached, Sterling slowly opened his eyes. He reached up with a trembling hand and pulled the oxygen mask down to his chin.

"Listen to me," the old man wheezed, his voice weak but laced with undeniable authority. He looked directly at Cooper. "If you divorce her... I will strip your voting rights in the family trust. You will lose the company."

Cooper's jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek.

"And," Sterling continued, coughing weakly. "I want an heir. I want you two to start trying for a baby. Immediately."

"Grandpa, you can't be serious," Cooper snapped, his voice rising. "She is a-"

Beep-beep-beep-beep!

The EKG monitor suddenly spiked, the green lines jumping erratically across the screen as Sterling's chest he heave with sudden agitation.

Panic seized Claire. She lunged forward.

Without thinking, she grabbed Cooper's large hand, lacing her fingers tightly through his.

"We aren't divorcing, Grandpa!" Claire said loudly, forcing a bright, desperate smile onto her face. "We just had a stupid fight. We love each other. We'll do exactly what you want. Just please, calm down."

The moment her skin touched his, Cooper's entire body went rigid. He looked down at their joined hands as if she had just handed him a venomous snake. His stomach physically rolled with revulsion.

But the EKG monitor was still screaming. He couldn't pull away. He stood there, frozen, letting her hold his hand.

Sterling stared at their joined hands. Slowly, the tension left his frail shoulders. The monitor's beeping returned to a steady, rhythmic pace. The old man closed his eyes and drifted into a medically induced sleep.

The second they stepped out of the hospital room and the door clicked shut, Cooper violently ripped his hand out of Claire's grip.

He stumbled back a step, plunging his hand into his pocket to retrieve his handkerchief. He scrubbed the back of his hand frantically, his face twisted in absolute disgust.

"You make me sick," he breathed, glaring at her. "You think you won today? I promise you, I will make every second of your life in that apartment a living hell."

Chapter 4

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