Rex Thompson looked at Mabel Thompson with a hint of doubt and asked, "Did he come back on his own? No one convinced him to?"
"Of course, he's your son! You're sick, and he rushed back the moment he found out. What do you expect?" Mabel replied, smiling with trust in their son.
"Hmph," Rex grunted, pretending to be unimpressed. "I think he's just back for the show, nothing more."
"Come on, stop acting like the strict dad. He's back, so relax a little. Don't be so hard on him," Mabel said, gently patting Rex's shoulder.
"Hmph," Rex grunted again, but his expression softened slightly.
Then he turned to Vera Thompson, his face turning serious. "What's going on with the company? What's the situation now?"
Vera walked over to the bedside, her brows furrowed as she softly said, "Dad, just focus on getting better. We'll handle the company."
"This company is my life's work. How can I not worry about it?" Rex's voice grew more intense. "I've known Elijah Porter for years, and I can't believe he'd stab me in the back like this, teaming up with the Morgan family to take me down."
"Dad, please, don't get so worked up. It's bad for your health," Vera quickly tried to calm him. "Get well first, then we'll handle the company stuff."
"The Morgan family has always had their eyes on our company," Rex said, his tone sharp. "Now they've teamed up with Porter, probably to grab control at the shareholder meeting. I can't let them get away with this!" He clenched his fists, his eyes full of determination.
At this point, Aiden Thompson, who had been quietly standing to the side, spoke up. "Dad, just leave it to me. I'll head back to the office tomorrow and check on things."
Rex looked at Aiden, feeling some relief, but still couldn't help but make a sarcastic comment. "You've only been out in the real world for a couple of years. You really think you can handle those sly old foxes at the office?"
Aiden was used to his father's sharp tongue and calmly shot back, "So, do you want me to go or not?"
Rex was momentarily stumped, about to snap back, but Mabel quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, Aiden, your dad just woke up. You two don't need to bicker right now."
Rex took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He recalled how his outburst at the board meeting had triggered his illness, and he felt regretful. He softened his tone and seriously advised, "When you get back to the office, if you're unsure about anything, ask your sister. David's got plenty of experience too, so you can rely on his advice. The office is in a fragile state right now, so be careful and don't trust just anyone."
"Got it, I'll be careful," Aiden nodded.
Just then, a doctor in a white coat entered, politely reminding, "Mr. Thompson, your condition is still weak. Visiting hours are limited to ten minutes."
After hearing this, Rex turned to the others. "It's getting late. You should head home and rest. I've got a nurse here, I'll be fine."
Mabel explained, "Your dad just doesn't want you two to be tired for work tomorrow. Go home and get some rest. I'll stay here with him."
Vera quickly said, "Mom, I'll stay. You go home and rest."
Rex waved his hand, signaling them to leave. "The nurses here are professionals. They'll take good care of me. Just listen to me, go home now."
Mabel reluctantly agreed and turned to the siblings. "Alright, you two head out now."
Aiden didn't say anything more, turning to leave the room, and Vera followed him out. "Straight home?" she asked.
"Yeah," Aiden replied.
Aiden got into Vera's car and sat in the front passenger seat. The car fell into a quiet, comfortable silence as the siblings both got lost in their own thoughts.
After a while, Aiden's phone rang. It was Grace Li calling.
He pressed the answer button, and Grace's gentle voice came through the speaker. "Aiden, how's your dad doing?"
Grace's voice instantly relaxed Aiden, who had been feeling tense. "He's out of danger now," he replied.
"That's good to hear. You've finally made it home, so make sure to spend some time with him," Grace said with concern.
"Yeah, I will." Aiden had originally planned to come home just to check on his dad, but after learning about the crisis facing the family business, he decided to stay and deal with it. "Grace, I might be staying in LA a bit longer. Can you handle things at the company for me?"
"No problem, Ryan will be coming in a couple of days. I've got it covered, so you can focus on taking care of family matters," Grace responded cheerfully.
"Make sure you stay in touch with Jonny Dawson. If anything comes up, let me know right away," Aiden said, a bit worried.
"Got it. Don't worry. It's late, so you should get some rest."
"Alright, goodnight."
After hanging up, Vera couldn't help but ask, "That's Grace Li, right?"
Aiden nodded. "Yeah."
"I'm really curious—what's she like? I can't believe she's got you, my usually serious brother, all turned around." Vera teased with a laugh.
Aiden rested one hand on the window, a soft expression on his face as he said, "She's really amazing. Independent, strong, and so kind-hearted. Most importantly, we click on every level. When I'm with her, I feel totally at ease—like I can forget about all my worries."
Vera had never heard Aiden speak so highly of anyone, so she pressed on, "Is she pretty?"
"In my eyes, she's the most beautiful woman in the world," Aiden answered without hesitation.
Vera couldn't help but laugh. "I honestly thought you'd be single forever! Never thought I'd see the day you got caught up in love."
Aiden didn't deny it. He hadn't expected to fall so deep into love either. He used to not understand couples who were madly in love until he met Grace. Then, he finally understood that feeling of soul-deep connection.
Vera asked again, "One more question, a little personal... What does her family do?"
Aiden frowned slightly but still explained patiently, "Her family background doesn't mean much. She's incredibly capable and has built her career entirely on her own hard work."
"I really respect people who've made it on their own. You've got me curious now; I can't wait to meet her." Vera added, "But you know Dad's not easy to please. He's going to have high standards for your future wife. You might want to hold off on mentioning her to him for now—find the right time to bring it up."
Aiden silently nodded, agreeing with her.
Back at the house, which he hadn't seen in over a year, Aiden looked around the empty, quiet villa and felt an unexpected wave of loneliness. The housekeeper, hearing the noise, hurried out. When she saw Aiden, her eyes lit up with surprise. "Young Master Aiden, you're finally back!"
Her eyes welled up a bit, and she quickly ran upstairs to get his room ready, making the bed for him. The room had been kept spotless, and she soon finished tidying up.
It was already past 1 AM. After a shower, Aiden sat down on the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window in his room, gazing out at the night sky, wide awake.
Having been away for over a year, returning to this familiar yet strange place brought back a flood of memories.
When he left, he thought his dad was tyrannical and unreasonable. The two of them could never communicate. But seeing his father lying weakly in the hospital bed today, his heart softened, and those childhood memories started coming back.
When he was young, Rex had been strict, but his love for Aiden was clear. He'd proudly show off Aiden's grades to his friends, take him to baseball games on weekends, and sit by his bed, taking care of him whenever he was sick.
Even after Aiden went abroad for school, every time his mother called, Rex would always chime in from the side. His tone was still as stiff as ever, but Aiden could hear the longing in his words.
After all, they were father and son. No matter how many conflicts they'd had in the past, the bond of blood was something that couldn't be broken.