Alfie ended the board meeting and went straight to his corner office.
“Don’t disturb me,” he told his receptionist before shutting the door.
Casey had left the hospital that morning. No call. No message. But why would she reach out? He hadn’t entered her room—only sat outside, asking everyone else about her well-being like some nervous student. Maybe she thought he wasn’t interested.
But when Alfie heard she fainted, he had rushed there immediately, canceling every meeting and event. If she knew that—would it matter?
He pressed his face into his hands. He’d caught a glimpse of her once, pale and unconscious as the door opened for his mother. In that moment, he realized it wasn’t only her body he cared about. Something inside him shifted.
The phone buzzed.
“What?” he growled.
“You ha
