Page 87 of Beautiful Revenge

But she’s cut off. Her complexion pales, and her hand flies to her mouth as tears fill her eyes. “Really? When?”

Janie and I both wait on bated breath.

Harlow’s tears quickly overflow and race down her cheeks. “I can’t believe it.”

“What happened? It’s Patrick, isn’t it?” Janie spits. “Did he die?”

Harlow’s eyes squeeze shut, and she swipes the tears on her face. I can’t take it another moment. I pull her into my chest and wrap my arms around her. “Baby.”

Harlow continues to talk to Chrissie. “Thank you. I’ll call you back and we can decide where to go from here.”

I slide my hand into her hair and press my lips to the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Harlow.”

“He’s dead,” Janie expels on an exhale. “He’s really dead.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

AMENABLE WAY

Harlow

Iremember the day I got the call that Dad was rushed to the hospital.

It was just over seven months ago.

Just a few weeks before I met Albert.

I was on my way to the airport to take the Stonebridge Capital plane back to New York. There had been a hurricane ravaged area, and the foundation was helping in any way we could.

Dad hadn’t been feeling well for a few weeks. The last time I talked to him, I made him promise me he’d make an appointment with his doctor.

Like so many times before, that promise ended up being empty. He was too busy, too distracted, and too consumed by his empire.

This wasn’t anything new.

He built this business from the ground up and preached to me the weight of his obligations, not only to shareholders, but his own employees. Stonebridge has never gone through layoffs. Dad said that scenario kept him up at night. His employees worked hard for him, and in his words,he would make damn sure their jobs were safe and sound.

And he did just that. He worked so hard, he collapsed.

From exhaustion? A raredisease? Stress?

No one knew.

What we did know was that his body was not able to keep up with his ambition.

That was the last time we spoke, and the last time I saw my dad awake and responsive. I was devastated and wouldn’t leave his side. I was listed as his medical power of attorney. He wanted it that way.

But in the thick of things, Janie made the argument that I wasn’t emotionally capable of making decisions, and the best way to honor him and my mom was to continue to focus on the foundation while the doctors worked to figure out what was wrong and make him healthy again.

And since Janie doesn’t work, not a day in her life, it made sense at the time. She promised me the power of attorney was on paper only, and that she would keep me in the loop for all decisions made.

Dad never woke up.

Janie lied and cut me out.

And I’ll never forgive myself for giving up that control.

It didn’t make sense, and the doctors had no answers. When Janie insisted on moving him home to be treated by a private team of physicians, I thought I was going to lose my mind. Money can buy you the best care, but when the so-calledbest careis based on Janie’s sole opinion, I had enough.