Bought By The Billionaire

Chapter 15: The Call to the Devil

William walked to the far end of the hospital hallway, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the sound of Maria’s family crying. The fluorescent lights buzzed softly above him, and for a moment he just stood there, staring at his phone in his trembling hand.

Calling his father felt like swallowing broken glass. It meant admitting he couldn’t fix this on his own. It meant stepping back into the shadow of the man who had destroyed David Blackwell’s life.

But Hazel didn’t have time for his pride.

William inhaled sharply and pressed the call button. The line connected on the first ring, as if his father had been expecting it.

“William.”

Arthur Thorne’s voice was deep, calm, and completely empty of warmth. “I heard about the scandal. You’ve really made a mess this time.”

William clenched his jaw. “I don’t care about the scandal, Father,” he said, struggling to keep his voice steady. “Silas used Nero-7 on a fifteen-year-old girl. She’s in the ICU. The doctors say she has less than two hours.”

There was a pause on the other end — not shocked, not angry. Just thoughtful.

“Silas was always a bit… overzealous,” Arthur replied at last, sounding mildly annoyed rather than concerned. “He was supposed to scare her, not kill her. This kind of mistake is bad for business.”

William’s hand tightened around the phone until his knuckles turned white. Rage burned in his chest, hot and suffocating.

“Give me the code to the vault in the North Warehouse, Arthur,” he said through gritted teeth, deliberately using his father’s first name for the first time in his life. “Now. Or I swear to God, I will walk straight into the District Attorney’s office and hand them every offshore account number tied to your logistics skimming. I’ll burn the Thorne name to the ground — with you still inside it.”

The silence that followed was heavy, stretching for several seconds.

“You wouldn’t,” Arthur said finally, his voice smooth and certain. “You’d destroy yourself too.”

William let out a hollow laugh that echoed down the empty corridor. “I’ve already lost everything!” he shouted, his voice cracking as it bounced off the hospital walls. A few nurses glanced over in alarm, but he didn’t care. “I don’t care about the money anymore. I don’t care about the legacy. Just give me the code, or I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you die in a prison cell.”

The line went quiet again. For a moment, William thought his father had hung up.

Then, in a low voice, Arthur spoke.

“Seven… two… nine… four… Alpha. The antidote is in a blue case.”

William closed his eyes, relief and fury mixing painfully in his chest.

“But William,” Arthur continued, his tone turning cold as ice, “the moment you use that code, you are no longer my son. You’ll be a traitor to this family.”

William opened his eyes and stared down the long, sterile hallway — at the doors that led back to Maria, to Hazel fighting for her life, to the only people who had ever made him feel human.

“I stopped being your son the day I met Maria,” he said quietly.

Then he ended the call.

The Last Hope

William ran back to Maria, breath coming in short bursts. He grabbed her by the shoulders, his hands trembling slightly.

“I’ve got the code,” he said quickly. “The warehouse is about twenty minutes away. I’m going there now. Sarah is staying here with the specialists.”

Maria didn’t even hesitate. Her eyes were fierce, filled with the same stubborn fire he had seen a thousand times before.

“I’m coming with you.”

“No,” William said, shaking his head. “Stay here with your parents. They need you right now.”

“They have Sia,” Maria shot back, not moving an inch. “Hazel needs her sister more than she needs me. And I’m not letting you go back into that world alone. We’re going together.”

For a second, William looked like he might argue, but he knew that tone. Once Maria made up her mind, there was no changing it. He let out a frustrated breath and simply nodded.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

They rushed toward the exit, their footsteps echoing across the hospital lobby. Just as they reached the doors, they nearly ran into Victoria Thorne, who had just walked in.

Victoria’s sharp eyes swept over William’s disheveled clothes, his wet hair, and the way he was openly holding Maria’s hand. Her lips curled in visible disgust.

“William!” she snapped. “Where do you think you’re going? The board meeting is in an hour. If you leave now—”

William didn’t stop. He didn’t even look at her. It was as if she wasn’t there at all. He just kept running, pulling Maria along with him, leaving his mother standing frozen in the middle of the crowded lobby—powerless, ignored, like a queen who had suddenly lost her throne.

Outside, the rain was still pouring down in thick sheets. By the time they reached the car, they were both soaked. William yanked the door open and slid into the driver’s seat while Maria climbed in beside him, shivering.

The engine roared to life.

Just as William was about to drive off, Maria’s phone buzzed in her hand. The sound was small, but in that moment it felt deafening.

She glanced at the screen and her stomach dropped. Unknown number. The same one as before.

Her fingers shook as she opened the message.

Tick-tock, Mar. The roses are wilting. Do you think he can drive faster than the poison can kill?

Maria’s grip tightened on the seat, her knuckles turning white.

“He’s watching us,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Silas… he’s still out there.”

William’s jaw clenched. He shifted the car into gear and slammed his foot on the accelerator. The tires screeched as the car shot out of the parking lot, cutting through the rain-soaked streets.

“Let him watch,” William said, his voice low and dangerous. “Because if she dies… he’s going to find out exactly what kind of monster a Thorne can be.”

The car sped into the night, rain pounding against the windshield, both of them silent—each thinking of Hazel, and of the man somewhere in the shadows who was counting down the seconds.