The executive floor of Sovereign was unusually quiet.
Most employees were already working, but the top floor always carried a different atmosphere.
Conversations were quieter.
Footsteps were softer.
Even the phones seemed to ring less often.
Through the glass walls of his office, Sebastian sat alone behind his desk.
A stack of reports lay open in front of him.
He wasn't reading them.
At least not properly.
His eyes moved over the words, but nothing was really sinking in.
For the third time in ten minutes, he found himself staring at the same page.
His jaw tightened.
Annoyed with himself.
Annoyed with his body.
Annoyed with everything.
He rubbed a hand over his face before glancing at the clock.
10:17 AM.
It felt like he'd already lived an entire day.
The truth was he hadn't slept.
Not really.
He'd gone home after leaving Lillian's apartment.
He'd tried to sleep.
Tried being the important word.
Every time he closed his eyes he saw the same things.
A little blonde-haired girl.
Blue eyes.
Photos.
Birthday parties.
Christmas mornings.
Three years.
Three years.
Three years.
The number refused to leave him alone.
His daughter.
A daughter he hadn't known existed.
A daughter who was already three years old.
Sebastian leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly.
Immediately another image surfaced.
Ellie sitting on the kitchen counter.
Telling him he was making pancakes wrong.
The memory made something ache inside his chest.
A knock interrupted his thoughts.
Chloe entered carrying a folder.
"You're supposed to be resting."
Sebastian opened his eyes.
"Good morning to you too."
Chloe crossed her arms.
"I mean it."
"I'm working."
"You're barely functioning."
"I'm functioning enough."
Chloe gave him a look.
The kind of look that clearly said she wasn't buying any of it.
"Did you sleep?"
Sebastian didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
"Sebastian."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not."
He sighed.
"Do we have to do this?"
"Apparently."
A long silence followed.
Finally Chloe placed the folder on his desk.
"You have a board review at noon."
"I know."
"You cancelled your hospital observation."
"I know."
"You ignored your doctor's calls."
Sebastian looked back at his computer.
"I know."
Chloe stared at him.
Then shook her head.
"You're impossible."
"That's what everyone keeps telling me."
"Maybe because it's true."
For the briefest moment, Sebastian almost smiled.
Almost.
Then Chloe left the office.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Silence returned.
Sebastian stared at the reports again.
His hand slipped into his suit jacket.
The flask was still there.
Cold metal.
Familiar.
He pulled it out.
For several seconds he simply looked at it.
He knew exactly what the doctors would say.
He knew exactly what Lillian would say.
He knew exactly what Chloe would say.
None of it stopped him.
Unscrewing the cap, he took a small drink.
The burn hit his throat immediately.
Followed by temporary relief.
Not much.
Just enough.
The flask disappeared back into his pocket.
Then he forced himself back to work.
Minutes passed.
Maybe twenty.
Maybe thirty.
Sebastian wasn't entirely sure.
Time felt strange lately.
His head hurt.
His eyes burned.
The lack of sleep was catching up with him.
He reached for another report.
Then froze.
A strange warmth trickled beneath his nose.
Slowly, he raised a hand.
When he pulled it away, blood stained his fingers.
Sebastian stared at it.
A nosebleed.
For a moment he simply sat there.
The doctor's warning surfaced immediately.
"Because of your liver failure, spontaneous bleeding may become more common."
His jaw clenched.
"Wonderful."
He pressed his hand against his nose.
A few drops landed on the paperwork anyway.
Perfect.
Just what he needed.
He stood.
The tissue box on the coffee table across the room would be easier.
A minor inconvenience.
Nothing more.
At least that's what he told himself.
The moment he took his first step, the room shifted.
Sebastian stopped.
The floor suddenly felt unsteady beneath him.
Like the entire office had tilted slightly.
He frowned.
"Not now."
He took another step.
Then another.
His vision blurred unexpectedly.
The edges of the room becoming indistinct.
Something wasn't right.
His heartbeat felt strange.
Too fast.
Too loud.
He reached the coffee table.
His hand stretched toward the tissues.
Then everything happened at once.
A violent wave of dizziness hit him.
His muscles suddenly refused to cooperate.
The tissue box slipped from his fingers.
Sebastian's knees buckled.
The world dropped out beneath him.
He hit the floor hard.
The impact echoed through the office.
Outside, Chloe looked up immediately.
Her eyes widened.
"Sebastian?"
Through the glass wall she saw him collapse.
For half a second she froze.
Then Sebastian's body jerked violently.
And her blood ran cold.
"Sebastian!"
She shot out of her chair.
The office around her erupted into confusion as she ran toward the glass doors.
Inside, Sebastian barely registered the sound.
His entire body had locked up.
His muscles tightening uncontrollably.
The world fractured into flashes.
Noise.
Light.
Pain.
Then nothing coherent at all.
His body convulsed against the floor.
The seizure taking complete control.
Chloe burst into the office.
"Oh my God."
She dropped to her knees beside him.
"Sebastian!"
His body shook violently.
One arm striking against the carpet.
His head turning slightly.
Completely unaware of his surroundings.
Chloe's face drained of color.
She had never seen him like this.
Never.
"Call an ambulance!" she screamed.
Her voice echoed through the executive floor.
"NOW!"
Employees immediately sprang into action.
Someone grabbed a phone.
Another person ran toward security.
Panic spread rapidly.
But Chloe remained where she was.
Keeping a safe distance from Sebastian while trying to make sure he didn't injure himself.
"It's okay," she said, even though she was shaking herself.
"It's okay. Help is coming."
His seizure continued.
Every second felt endless.
The blood from his nose had stained part of the carpet.
The sight made Chloe feel sick.
"Come on, Sebastian."
Her voice cracked.
"Come on."
A nearby employee appeared in the doorway.
"The ambulance is on the way."
"Good."
Chloe didn't take her eyes off him.
"Tell them it's a seizure."
The employee nodded and disappeared.
The office had become eerily silent.
Nobody knew what to do.
Nobody knew what to say.
All they could do was watch.
Several terrifying minutes later, the seizure finally began to slow.
Sebastian's body gradually stopped convulsing.
His breathing was ragged.
Uneven.
His eyes remained unfocused.
Confused.
Disoriented.
"Sebastian?"
Chloe spoke carefully.
No response.
His gaze drifted somewhere beyond her.
The seizure had left him exhausted.
Barely conscious.
Then the elevator doors opened.
Paramedics rushed onto the floor.
Equipment in hand.
Moving quickly.
"What happened?"
"He collapsed and started seizing," Chloe answered immediately.
"He has liver failure."
The lead paramedic nodded.
"Thank you."
The team immediately got to work.
Checking his airway.
Checking his pulse.
Monitoring his breathing.
Professional.
Efficient.
Calm.
Exactly what everyone else wasn't.
One paramedic spoke gently to Sebastian.
"Sir, can you hear me?"
A weak reaction.
Nothing more.
"Good."
The medic looked at his colleagues.
"Let's get him stabilized."
Chloe stepped back as they worked.
Her hands trembled.
She hadn't even realized she'd started crying until she wiped her cheek.
The realization annoyed her.
But she couldn't stop it.
Because despite everything—
Despite how stubborn he was.
Despite how frustrating he was.
Despite how much she wanted to strangle him half the time.
She cared about him.
A lot.
And seeing him lying on the floor like that had terrified her.
A stretcher was brought in.
Carefully, the paramedics transferred Sebastian onto it.
One of them adjusted an oxygen mask.
Another secured monitoring equipment.
Everything happened quickly.
Yet somehow still felt slow.
As they prepared to leave, Sebastian's eyes opened slightly.
Only slightly.
His gaze drifted across the room.
Confused.
Distant.
Not entirely aware.
For a brief moment his eyes landed on Chloe.
Recognition flickered.
Then vanished again.
The medication and exhaustion pulled him under.
"Let's move."
The stretcher began rolling toward the elevator.
Chloe followed them all the way to the lobby.
The entire building seemed to be watching.
Employees stood aside.
Whispering quietly.
Concern written across every face.
The CEO of Sovereign looked invincible.
Until moments like this.
Then he looked frighteningly human.
The ambulance doors closed.
Seconds later the vehicle disappeared into traffic.
Gone.
Chloe stood there for a long moment.
Staring after it.
Then slowly turned and walked back inside.
The elevator ride to the executive floor felt endless.
When she reached her desk again, everything felt wrong.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
Sebastian's office door remained open.
The sight made her chest tighten.
She sat down heavily.
For several minutes she did absolutely nothing.
Just stared at her desk.
Thinking.
Worrying.
Trying not to imagine worst-case scenarios.
Eventually she picked up her phone.
There was only one person she wanted to tell.
One person who deserved to know.
Lillian.
Opening her messages, Chloe hesitated briefly.
Then typed.
Sebastian collapsed at work.
She stared at the words.
Then added another line.
He had a seizure. The ambulance took him to the hospital.
A third line followed.
They're treating him now.
Chloe looked at the message.
Took a breath.
Then hit send.
The screen changed to delivered.
And suddenly all she could do was wait.
Wait for a reply.
Wait for hospital updates.
Wait for news.
Wait to find out whether Sebastian would wake up and ignore medical advice all over again.
Because if there was one thing everyone knew about Sebastian Wolfe —
It was that surviving wasn't the same thing as learning.