The Day I Walked Away My Empire Began novel Chapter 268

“Grandpa, you have to wake up,” Lucie whispered, her palm pressed against the cold glass of the hospital room. “You’re all I have left. Please don’t leave me…”

Her phone buzzed, shattering the quiet. “Hello, Ruby?”

Ruby’s voice was serious. “Ms. Anderson, I just sent over the draft for the divorce announcement. Can you check if there’s anything you want to change?”

“If you’re good with it, I’ll have legal put it out.”

Lucie opened the message.

Statement:

Lucie Anderson and Steven Heath finalized their divorce at the end of October. The split was amicable, and they remain friends. We kindly ask everyone to avoid speculation and spreading rumors. Thank you for your concern.

Short and clear. Nothing needed changing.

“It’s fine. Go ahead and release it.”

“Should I run it by Mr. Heath one more time? Or send him a copy?” Ruby asked.

Lucie’s brow furrowed. “Just post it.”

“Understood, Ms. Anderson.”

She ended the call. When they first split, Steven had wanted to wait until after the holidays to make it public. But she couldn’t keep dragging it out. If she did, people would really start believing she was the one who cheated.

“Madison, Rose, please keep an eye on Grandpa,” Lucie told the two nurses. “I need to run to the studio and catch up on some work before the upcoming event. If anything changes, call me right away.”

“Of course, miss.”

After a few more instructions, Lucie left the hospital. Lately, everything had been chaos. She’d lost so much time, her restoration projects were behind, and the big convention was just around the corner. It was already December seventh and her to-do list was endless.

The elevator doors slid open to the parking garage. Lucie headed for her car—only to spot Steven and Bria coming her way at the exact same moment.

They all stopped, startled to run into each other.

With Bria gone, Steven dropped all pretense. He stormed over to Lucie’s car, his face tight with frustration.

Lucie had just climbed in when he slammed his hand down on the hood, staring at her through the windshield. Steven was usually good at keeping his cool, but lately he was always on edge—like he could explode at any second.

“Steven, what are you doing?” Lucie asked, not bothering to hide her annoyance.

“Get out of the car. We need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you. Move.”

Steven’s patience snapped. He forced a crooked, bitter smile. “What did you and Elio do last night? You really had the nerve to kiss him right in front of me. Tell me, have you already slept with him?”

The words were sharp and ugly, jealousy pouring out of him without any filter. Even Steven was shocked at how petty he sounded.

Lucie glared at him, her hand tight on the door handle. “You’re out of your mind. This has nothing to do with you. Move, or I’ll drive.”

She’d brought plenty of bodyguards, but they were all waiting at the hospital entrance to avoid causing a scene. Right now, she was on her own.