Forty Five

Zach was visibly anxious, clenching his fists and hunching his back as he stared down at the floor. I approached him and informed him that his grandfather was in the ICU. "What really happened?" he asked, looking up at me with tears in his eyes.

"Aldridge even went to pick up Arrabella, who was at a beach resort in the city," I added.

Tears streamed down Zach's face as I asked, "What happened? Aldridge only told me that Grandfather collapsed."

I hugged him, and his head rested on my stomach. "It's not just a simple collapse, Cairen. Someone shot him in the back while he was boarding his private plane. The authorities are still trying to track down the perpetrator."

My mouth dropped when I heard it. "Who can do this? Why?"

"That's why I don't know who could do such a shameless thing. Grandfather was critically ill as a result of blood loss. I don't want to lose him, he was the only family I had that cared for me and my little sister," Zach said in a wavering, raspy voice. "I don't