Ch 460 - Visiting Hour

The news of Alex's arrival spread quickly, and the whole family hastened to the parlor to receive him. When he came into the room, they had already taken their seats. Every eye in the room was on him, but his full attention was on his grandfather. He knew that no one else would allow themselves to react to seeing him until they knew what Lincoln had to say.

Alex approached his grandfather with slow steps and a deferential posture. When he reached Lincoln's chair, he lowered his eyes. He only said a single word. "Grandfather."

"Is that all you have to say, Alex?" Lincoln asked in an apprehensive tone. As soon as said it, everyone understood that Alex expulsion would not be taken back so easily.

Nathan was relieved. He cared nothing for what had happened to his Aunt Flora, and it didn't matter to him whether Alex could be of help to the family. The only thing he cared about was that Alex should remain estranged from them, and Lincoln's reaction had rekindled his hopes.

"Grandfather, what did Alex ever do to make you treat him like this?" Nelly asked from her seat in the corner. Of all the things she didn't understand about her new family, their treatment of Alex was by far the most perplexing.

"Be quiet," Lincoln barked at her, and his eyes shone with irritation. Everyone was silent. Even if anyone had wanted to speak for Alex, they wouldn't dare.

Alex remained standing with his eyes firmly on the ground. As anxious as he was to see his mother, he knew that he needed Lincoln's approval to do so. Getting back into his grandfather's good graces was a different matter, and it wasn't nearly as important to Alex just then.

"Grandfather," he repeated. "I know that I have no right to ask to be part of this family again. I'm only here to see my mother. After that, I'll leave. I need to make someone pay for what's happened."

"Of course," Lincoln said. His voice was suddenly full of sympathy. "We're all deeply sorry for you, Alex. You should go and see your mother now." 

"Thank you, Grandfather," Alex said as he looked up and met Lincoln's gaze for the first time. He could see no animosity in his eyes. There was only sympathy, respect, and the glimmer of a faint hope. He turned and walked out of the room. As the rest of the family watched him go, their sadness mingled with a sense of relief. Lincoln had allowed Alex to come to the island, and he had chosen to receive him without conflict. It was progress. Someday soon, Alex might be welcomed back into the family.

**

In the hospital wing of the Fairview Island complex, Flora lay unconscious in her bed. She had fallen from the helicopter while it was still in the air, and she had been badly wounded.  She was lucky to be alive. Gideon sat by her bedside, and when Alex arrived, they embraced and cried in each other's arms.

"I'm here, Mom," Alex said as he took his mother's hand. "I've come to save you. You'll make it through this, and you'll live a long and happy life. Happier than anyone else's. I promise." He turned to his father. "Don't worry, Dad. I promise you Mom's gonna be okay."

As he was talking, Gustave Glover, the Ambrose's private physician, came into the room. He had a grave look on his face. "I appreciate your words, young Alex," he said. "But your mother doesn't have long. I'm sorry, but we need to prepare ourselves for the inevitable."

Alex gave him a sympathetic look. "I know that's what you think, Doctor," he said. "But the medical sciences don't have all the answers. If you and my father would please leave the room, I'll show you what other ways can do."

"All right," Gustave said in a sad voice. Alex still had hope, and he didn't want to be the one to destroy it. He put his hand on Gideon's shoulder, and the two walked out together.

**

About an hour later, Alex walked out of the hospital wing. His mother's situation had improved dramatically, and it wouldn't be long before she was fully restored. As much as Alex trusted and respected the doctor and his staff, he had known that modern medicine might not be enough to save his mother. But his healing herbs had done the trick. Flora would not only recover, but her vigor would be stronger than before.

But Alex didn't have time to stay with her as she recovered. He wanted to stay, but he was needed elsewhere. Someone had gone after his family, and he needed to set an example. He needed revenge. 

Gideon arranged a helicopter for him, and this time he had it looked over three times for any irregularities. When it was deemed safe for travel, Gideon and Justin followed Alex down to the helicopter. Alex hugged his father goodbye and jumped in. With one final look back at his father and cousin, he signaled to the pilot to take off, and the helicopter lifted into the air. Gideon and Justin were left standing on the platform, staring out across the water as Alex disappeared over the horizon.

**

Dominic Mitchell's private residence was a luxurious villa outside Baltimore, though it could more properly be called a palace. Its grounds covered a vast expanse of land, and its gardens were so large that newcomers often got lost in them. The gardens contained lawns so large that they could be used as football fields, and many of the rooms of the villa could be used as concert halls.

The whole estate was a symbol of the wealth and power of the Mitchell family, and it wasn't just where Dominic lived. It was also where he did most of his work, held important meetings, and received official visitors. Anyone who saw it realized immediately that the Mitchells were not a family to be crossed lightly.

The villa was the center of power for DominiCorp, the large conglomerate through which Dominic did all his business, and all the members of its senior management had gathered there to discuss their present situation.

Among the members of the Mitchell family, there was Austin, Francis, Basil, and Eugene, all of whom were in Dominic's inner circle. The rest of the assembled group was made up of core executives from DominiCorp, as well as members of the Palmer family, who did business with DominiCorp and had close ties to many other important families.

They had all gathered in the main dining hall. Dominic himself stood in front of the large panoramic windows that overlooked the gardens, his hands behind his back and facing away from them all. At the other end of the room, behind all the guests, stood Dominic's faithful old housekeeper, Theo. He was fiercely loyal to his employer and only left his side when absolutely necessary.

They had gathered to coordinate their long-awaited assault on the Ambroses. Dominic had finally chosen to make his move, and news was trickling in about the progress of his plans. He had proven himself to be the more capable commander, and it was clear to everyone that Lincoln could do very little but react to whichever moves Dominic made. Everyone in the room sat waiting to hear what his newest instructions might be.

While they sat there, more news began to trickle in. Most of it was beneficial to the Ambroses. There were rumors that the Ambrose Group would recommence business operations within two days. Then word arrived that several key figures in the company were no longer being faced with criminal charges. Worse yet, a large stock of capital had salvaged the company's liquidity from out of nowhere.

The only piece of good news was the confirmation of a helicopter crash on Fairview Island, but Gideon Ambrose had not been on it as expected. Instead, his wife Flora had been put into a coma. She was not expected to survive.

Dominic's face remained unchanged at this onslaught of bad news, and his mind remained unclouded. As the room began to grow unsettled, his own confidence in himself only seemed to increase.

"I had anticipated this chain of events," he said in a lighthearted tone. "The Ambroses are scrambling to save themselves, but this is only the beginning of what I have in store for them. We couldn't expect them to go down after a single blow, could we?"

Most of the men in the room nodded along with his words. While many of them had hoped for a swift victory, they knew that it would be unreasonable to expect the Ambrose Group to crumble immediately.

"The Ambroses have a fatal weakness," Dominic continued. "They never thought that anyone would notice, but I have. And it will guarantee their downfall. Have any of you ever wondered why Aiden Ambrose is the only member of the family who actually holds an official position in their own company?"

"I have," Dominic's brother Basil responded. "But why does that matter?"

Dominic turned around and faced the room. "It matters because Lincoln Ambrose thinks he's too good to be officially involved in his own company. He thinks that it's better to keep his distance, and the rest of the family thinks the same. Sure, there are benefits to that arrangement, but it also creates a weak spot. I have seen it, and I intend to use it to bring them down."

Dominic stretched himself as tall as he could stand, swelling with pride at his own brilliance. His executives nodded along and looked at him with flattering eyes. He basked in their adoring gazes and prepared to once again bathe them in the light of his intellect, but he stopped himself. He had noticed that his son Connor wasn't in the room.

"What about Connor?" he said in a frustrated tone. "Where is he?"