His Regret Arrived Three Days Late novel Chapter 20

When Annika refused his offer only to get into Tyler’s car, Hank felt a pang of disappointment. As he walked back into the ballroom, he was met with Conrad’s icy expression, a face as cold as a winter frost. His heart sank. He followed Conrad’s gaze and saw the spot where Tyler’s car had just disappeared.

By the time Hank looked back, Conrad had already turned away from the door, his face so impassive that Hank almost believed he had imagined the flicker of loss in his boss's eyes. But the chilling smile that touched Conrad’s lips sent a shiver down his spine. He knew Conrad too well; the calmer he appeared, the more furious he was inside. Hank couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread for Annika.

...

Tyler drove Annika to the hospital, insisting he should go up and pay his respects to Marcus, but Annika politely declined.

“Alright,” Tyler sighed, “I’ll come by to visit your father tomorrow, then.”

After he left, Annika went back to the hospital room. The shock of Serena being alive, a living, breathing person, was still difficult to process. Her return had severed the last thread of hope Annika had for her marriage to Conrad. It was impossible now.

“Annika…”

A weak voice interrupted her thoughts as she sat by the bed, silently crying.

Annika looked up. Her father’s eyes were open. “Dad!” she cried out, overjoyed.

The tear tracks on his daughter’s face caused a sharp pain in Marcus’s heart. He raised a trembling hand, an IV needle taped to the back of it, wanting to wipe her tears away.

Annika quickly dried her own eyes and clasped his hand, pressing his warm palm against her cheek. “I’m just so happy to see you awake,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

Marcus knew his daughter, whom he had raised like a princess, knew nothing about business. But Conrad was different. He had shown an extraordinary business acumen from a young age, which was why Zoltan had groomed him to be his successor. That talent was one of the main reasons Marcus had agreed to the marriage. With Conrad involved, he felt he could rest easy.

Once her father was asleep, Annika went straight to the Sargent Group headquarters. There was a mountain of problems waiting for her. She and Harvey worked late into the night, tackling the company's massive debts. Exhausted, she eventually fell asleep in her office chair.

When she woke, the sky outside was already bright. Suddenly, the cheerful ring of her phone pierced the silence.

The moment she answered, she heard Lana’s frantic, tearful voice. “Annika, you have to come back! Mr. Sargent… he’s not going to make it!”

Annika didn’t even have time to grab her coat. She sprinted out of the office and raced to the hospital. She burst through the doors just in time to see a team of medical staff rushing her father on a gurney toward the operating room.