Chapter 16 - The Billionaire on the Floor
For once, Alexander Blackwood was the person on the floor.
His collapse wasn't dramatic.
No shouting.
No warning.
One moment he was reviewing financial reports.
The next, his assistant found him unconscious beside his desk.
At the hospital, doctors told us he had suffered a cardiac event but had received treatment quickly.
I sat beside his bed through the night.
When he woke, he looked annoyed.
“You're supposed to be working.”
I laughed and cried at the same time.
“You nearly died.”
“Exaggeration.”
“The cardiologist disagrees.”
He sighed.
Then reached for my hand.
For all his wealth and power, my father suddenly looked like what he really was.
A man getting older.
A father.
“You know,” he whispered, “I was wrong about your experiment.”
“Which part?”
“All of it.”
I smiled.
“You hated the uniform.”
“I still hate the uniform.”
“Why?”
“Pink isn't your color.”
I laughed.
Then his expression became serious.
“You changed the company.”
“We changed it.”
“No.”
He squeezed my hand.
“You listened.”
That word mattered more than any title.
When Alexander returned home, hundreds of Blackwood employees sent cards.
One came from Elena.
One from Rosa.
One from Mia.
And one from Vanessa.
My father read Vanessa's twice.
“What does it say?” I asked.
He handed it to me.
Only one sentence was written inside.
Thank you for stopping me when everyone else was afraid to.
My father looked toward the window.
“Maybe ten seconds was enough after all.”
“No,” I said.
“It took longer than that.”
May you like
Real change always does.
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