Anna drove to Bennett's Enterprise and headed straight for Hugo's office, her chest tight with a feeling she couldn't name. The urgency in her mother's call had left no room for hesitation.
She found Roseline sitting beside Hugo on the couch.
The second Roseline noticed her, she rose and walked toward her. "Look, Anna—look at what has happened to your father," she said, her voice trembling, her worried eyes darting back to Hugo. "Daniel and his aunt have destroyed him."
Hugo sat with his head lowered, his shoulders slumped in a way Anna had never seen before. The man who once filled every room with his presence now looked… defeated.
"Dad?" Anna whispered.
Slowly, Hugo lifted his head.
There was something restless in his eyes—something that made Anna's breath hitch. It wasn't grief. It was need.
"Anna, my child," he said softly.
The words alone stunned her.
