Vengeful Billionaire and His Lovers (Jerome Howard) novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13 When Business Gets Personal 

Rosalie finally stepped aside. Selena had eyes for no one else as she knelt by the hospital bed, trying to grab Henry’s hand. Choking up, she said, “Mr. Zeigler, what happened? You were fine just a few days ago, how did it come to this?” 

Henry felt the warmth of her touch and gently pulled his hand away without thinking. Smiling, he said, “I’m okay. How did you even know I was here?” 

No one had been told he was in the hospital, so almost no one had come to visit. Not even the school-he had simply sent in his resignation notice. 

Selena had been chatting with him on WhatsApp these past few days, but he hadn’t told her where he was. So he was genuinely surprised she had found him. 

“One of our classmates, Adam-you’ve met him-he works at the local police department now. He told me someone turned themselves in…” Selena explained between sobs, recounting the whole story. 

Then Henry understood. 

Turns out the case involving William had landed on Adam’s desk, and since he knew Henry, he passed the news on to Selena. 

“Alright, enough with the tears. I’m not dead,” Henry said. 

Selena replied, “Mr. Zeigler, you’ve had such a hard life! You’re such a good person, so talented and kind. Why does stuff like this keep happening to you? That William guy is seriously awful.” 

“It’s just a bit of hardship. Life goes on,” Henry said with a chuckle. 

Selena looked at him for a long moment before finally breaking into a smile. “Mr. Zeigler, I really admire your attitude.” 

Then something seemed to cross her mind. Blushing a little, she added, “But just so you know, I don’t think any less of you.” 

Henry pretended not to hear that last part. “I’m really glad you came to see me. I’m getting discharged this afternoon, and I’ve got a lot to take care of. Once I’m out, let’s grab a bite, I might need your help with something. Don’t turn me down.” 

“Oh, stop it. Mr. Zeigler, you know I’d never say no to you. Whatever it is, just tell me,” Selena said, half teasing, half serious. 

Hearing that he needed her help made her secretly happy. 

Henry’s eyes lit up slightly. “Perfect. Can you ask Adam if he can get me William’s file?” 

“Alright.” 

Selena agreed without even thinking about it. 

Not long after she left, Luciana walked in. 

Something seemed off, she looked a little worn out, with faint dark circles under her eyes. 

She was pushing a sleek, high-end wheelchair, clearly knowing Henry was being discharged soon. 

“You didn’t sleep well?” Henry glanced at her and asked flatly. 

“Couldn’t sleep. Missed you too much,” she said. 

Henry turned his head and spat, “Ugh.” 

Luciana flared up. “Henry! Are you seriously acting like I’m gross?” 

“You’ve got lipstick,” he muttered. 

Luciana didn’t bother listening. She grabbed his face with both hands and peppered his lips with bright red kisses like a rainstorm. 

She kept at it for a while until Henry finally begged for mercy. 

When she was done, she said, “About that project, I really think you should talk to your little Selena. Let’s set up a meeting. We all know each other, there’s no need to compete, we could work together!” 

Henry felt a pang of dismay. No wonder Luciana was being so affectionate today-she needed something. He said, “So what, you’re not confident you can beat Selena in the bid?” 

Luciana sighed. “It’s tough. There are connections on both sides. But when it comes to qualifications, her firm-Horizon Architects -already has experience building the Southward Nursing Home, so the city’s probably leaning in her direction.” 

Now Henry understood. 

“Well, there’s not much I can do. She’s running a business. She’s in it to make money,” he said. 

“You can talk to her, she listens to you.” 

Luciana was confident. “If you bring it up, I’m sure it can work out. Just think about it, if our two firms partner up, we could go after even bigger projects. It’s a win-win! I’m doing this for us. I want to make enough money faster, then we can have a baby. Don’t you think you owe it to your future son to help out with the formula money?”