Chapter 5 - THE THORNE NAME

Richard Thorne arrived at the hospital shortly after midnight.

At seventy-one, Marcus’s father still carried himself like the man who had built a regional shipping company into a global empire.

Gray hair.

Custom navy suit.

Gold cuff links.

No visible panic.

When he stepped from the private elevator, Marcus was waiting.

“You knew.”

Richard removed his gloves slowly.

“That’s a broad accusation.”

“Khloe’s signature.”

Richard stopped.

Marcus watched his father’s face carefully.

“You knew it was forged.”

Richard looked down the corridor.

“Where is my daughter-in-law?”

“Don’t.”

“Is the baby safe?”

“She’s stable.”

Richard exhaled.

“That’s what matters tonight.”

Marcus grabbed his father’s arm.

“Did you forge Khloe’s name?”

Richard looked at the hand on his sleeve.

Marcus released him.

“No.”

Richard answered calmly.

“I did not forge anything.”

“Did you know?”

Richard did not answer quickly enough.

Marcus stepped back.

“My God.”

“Keep your voice down.”

“You knew.”

“I knew the authorization process had irregularities.”

“Irregularities?”

“Don’t be dramatic.”

“My wife owned those shares.”

“Those shares were threatening the survival of the company.”

“So you stole them?”

“I protected an institution that employs forty thousand people.”

Marcus stared at him.

Richard’s voice remained controlled.

“You were there, Marcus.”

“You know how close we came to a collapse.”

“I didn’t know Khloe’s signature was fake.”

“And if you had known?”

Marcus opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

Richard gave him a tired look.

“That is what I thought.”

Marcus felt physically ill.

He remembered that winter.

The emergency meetings.

The banks.

The investors.

His father telling him that the family could lose everything within weeks.

Then Isabella had appeared with a solution.

Rossi Meridian would extend credit if the Thorne trust structure were altered.

Marcus had seen Khloe’s signature.

He had wanted it to be real.

So he had not asked questions.

Now he understood the ugliest part.

Maybe he truly had not known.

But he had chosen not to know.

Richard walked toward Khloe’s room.

Marcus blocked him.

“She doesn’t want anyone from my family inside.”

“Move.”

“No.”

Richard’s eyes hardened.

“I am still your father.”

“And she is still my wife.”

“For how long?”

The question struck harder than Marcus expected.

Richard continued.

“If she learns everything, she will destroy you in court.”

“She already knows enough.”

“She knows about Isabella?”

Marcus nodded.

Richard looked disappointed.

Not horrified.

Not shocked.

Disappointed.

“You were careless.”

Marcus stared at him.

“That’s what you have to say?”

“You chose a woman who wanted something from you.”

“No.”

“I chose a woman I wanted.”

“Worse.”

Marcus stepped closer.

“What did Isabella want from you?”

Richard’s expression barely changed.

That was enough.

Marcus suddenly understood there was another layer.

“You had a deal with her.”

Richard said nothing.

“What did you promise her?”

“Go home, Marcus.”

“What did you promise?”

Richard lowered his voice.

“A position.”

“Where?”

“On the board.”

Marcus laughed in disbelief.

“You were going to put her on the board after removing Khloe?”

“I was restructuring.”

“You were replacing my wife with my mistress.”

“I didn’t know she was your mistress when discussions began.”

“When did you find out?”

“Later.”

“And you continued anyway.”

Richard looked directly at him.

“You did too.”

Marcus had no answer.

Inside the hospital room twenty yards away, Khloe stood quietly behind the partially opened door.

She had heard almost everything.

Julian had tried to stop her from getting out of bed.

She had insisted.

Now she rested one hand on her belly.

The other gripped the doorframe.

She had spent years believing Marcus was the dangerous Thorne.

She had been wrong.

His father had taught him everything.

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And Khloe was suddenly done being afraid of either of them.

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