THE PROXY HEIR

Chapter 2 The Coma Code

The freezing cold river flowed through the car, punched the air right out of James' lungs, and darkness swallowed the car fast. James tried to break free from the jammed seatbelt, his muscles grew weak out of exhaustion, and he became terrified and fought weakly for his own life. He looked at Vivian lying helpless on the steering wheel next to him, James couldn't just leave her, seeing her helpless situation he gained strength.

He grabbed the heavy metal sculpture he used on the glass earlier, it was still with him. He smashed the seatbelt buckle until they broke free. He pulled her out through the broken windshield and tried swimming with her.

The river current been against their direction dragged them hardly to it's direction, but a hand held James' jacket,The old caregiver with lungs like a whale and arms and feet like fin and gills, he dragged themselves onto the muddy riverbank, shivering James coughed up river water.

Arthur pulled out a tablet wrapped in a waterproof bag and tried to call a friend for possible rescue. Suddenly a notification popped up from a live news channel; the news read “ live meeting at Wences Corporation.”

“The morning meeting had started early,” Arthur said.

Uncle Charles stood at the head of the long glass table in place of the executive President of the Golden Corporation, before the board members and executives of the Wences Corporation and the world, he tried to pitch a hostile takeover, with his face masked with fake grief, he said

“It's a tragedy, my nephew Edward ran away to the woods to hide his theft last night, when his sports car ran off the bridge into a river, no survival.

The board members whispered in shock “Edward gone?”

Charles continued, slamming a heavy file folder on the table

“And his father is still brain-dead in Saint John Hospital, I'm initiating a total buyout. We liquidate Edward's shares by noon. "

James didn't care about the corporate shares, all he cares about is the girl lying unconscious in the mud. He looked at Arthur, a loyal servant losing everything.

This isn't just a mistake anymore, it now feels like a purpose, a destiny, James had to choose between walking away to his safe, poor life or stepping into a dead man's shoes to fight a monster for the sake of love.

“How do we stop him?” James asked, his voice suddenly cold.

“We didn't go to the boardroom meeting,” Arthur whispered, checking Vivian's pulse.

“We will go to the hospital where your father is lying in a coma,” Arthur added, looking at James.

“We may walk into a trap,” James said opposing the idea

We have no other option, Arthur said. The secret to defeating him before the other board members is the answer to the seventy million dollars, the funds you were accused of embezzling. Arthur added.

The one person who knows and who can help is your father and your uncle Charles is drugging him to be brain-dead. If we can change the poisoned drip Intravenous bag, it will help him regain consciousness, and seeing you too can help his brain process faster.

An hour later, James was wearing a stolen doctor's coat and walking down the hospital hallway, which smelled like bleach. He entered ICU Room 101,the old billionaire lay there, with wires attached to his chest, the heart monitor beeped slowly

Beep! Beep! Beep!

James approached the bed and looked down at the man who looked like he could be his own father. Suddenly, the old man's eyes snapped open, they were wide and bloodshot. He grabbed James' wrist with terrifying strength.

He didn't look at James like a son he looked at him with pure horror and pointed a shaking finger at the door behind James,

“He is behind you.” Immediately, without warning, the lights cut out, leaving only a dim emergency ray of light

James spun around, his heart hammering against his ribs. A tall shadow blocked the light from the hospital hallway and the cold click of the door lock echoed through the small room.

A figure stepped out of the darkness, holding a weapon pointed steadily at James. The intruder's face remained obscured, but the malice in their posture was unmistakable.

The shadow moved closer with the gun not wavering, the hospital room felt smaller by the second. James' hands sweated inside his stolen latex gloves, he looked at the old man in the bed, his eyes wide with a terror that made James' stomach churn.

“This isn't just a corporate game, it's life and death, " James said to himself.

“Step away from the patient,” a female voice spoke from the shadows.

“It's not Uncle Charles's hitman, it's a woman,” James said to himself.

The light hit her face, James recognised her immediately.

She was still damp from the river mud, her expensive clothes ruined and she had a small pistol, which she held like a pro.

She looked at James, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“You are not Edward,” she whispered, her voice deadly quiet.

“ Edward has a scar on his left wrist from a polo match. Who the hell are you?”

James didn't blink, he had to think fast. He remembers Arthur's words about the moral struggle. If he lies now, he is no better than Uncle Charles.

“I'm the guy who pulled you out of the sinking car,” he said with an unsteady voice. And right now, I'm the only thing standing between Uncle Charles and the destruction of The Golden Group Company.

Vivian hesitated, the gun lowered just an inch.

“ What do you mean?”

“Uncle Charles is in the Golden boardroom right now,” James explained, stepping closer to the intravenous stand. He's telling your family's board that Edward is dead. He is trying to force a buyout by noon today. If he does, Wence's corporation gets swallowed whole by the Goldens' debts.

The old man on the bed let out a horrible breath.

“The… the....fluid, he croaked. He reached a shaking hand toward the clear tube hooked to his arm.

“Change….the……” the old man said.

James didn't wait for Vivian's permission; he grabbed the intravenous bag Arthur had given him earlier, the one containing the neutralizing agent. He flipped the plastic valve and the liquid began to drip rapidly into the old man's vein.

Instantly, the heart monitor's steady beep went wild.

“What did you do?” Vivian yelled, her eyes widening in suspicion, she pointed the gun back at James' chest.

“You are killing him!!”

“I'm waking him up!!!” James shouted back.

The old man's chest heaved, the monitor continued to raise alarms and the emergency light in the hallway began to flash red.

Outside the room, heavy footsteps ran towards the door, Charles' hired security guards had arrived. They tried forcing the locked door open.

Suddenly, the old man grabbed James tightly, pulled him down until their faces were inches apart. The father's strength was unnatural, fueled by pure adrenaline. He did not look at James as an impostor anymore, he looked at him as a saviour.

“The seventy million,” the father whispered into James' ear, his breath smelling of medicine and decay. It's not money, it's the password to the vault under the main terminal. Code name…..PROXY

The door gave way with a loud crash, three armed men in dark suits burst into the room. Vivian fired a shot into the ceiling to force them into taking cover.

“We have to go!” She screamed, grabbing James' arm, they both tried to escape through the window. He looked back at the hospital bed, the old man's hand had fallen limp, and the monitor was a flat solid line.

Stepping into the room was Uncle Charles, he looked at James, then at the heart monitor, and then raised a silenced gun directly at James’ head.