Helpless Arthur

They met Alicia standing behind the door as they walked out of the penthouse. She looked at them, confused. Alicia wore a black dress with white stilettos, her hair tied back in a neat bun. Ashton could see the worry lines etched on her face and tell she was just as concerned as he was about the meeting.

Alicia's forced smile faded as she saw Arthur's stern expression. The worry lines on her face deepened, her eyes narrowed in fear, and her mouth turned into a frown. She seemed aware that something was wrong and that her luck was running out - a sign of her difficult situation.

"Son, I'm here," she looked at Daniel beside Arthur. "Where are you going?"

"Listen, Alicia, pray to God there's nothing serious happened to Nathan, or else you'll pay for it. Mark my word."

"Arthur, I don't understand," Alicia said, narrowing his eyebrows. "Son. What's happening?"

"Stop playing clueless, Alicia. We'll schedule a meeting next time, and you'll answer all my questions," Arthur said sternly.

Alicia was left dumbfounded as Arthur and Daniel went to the elevator.

Arthur couldn't wait to check Nathan's situation in the drug abuse rehabilitation center. Arthur talked to one of the doctors attending to Nathan before they left his penthouse, and the doctor wanted to talk to Arthur in person. The anticipation was killing him.

He wants to ensure his brother gets the best care possible. But he was also worried about what he might find. The doctor said Nathan has been in rehab for a few months already. He couldn't help but blame himself for not seeing it sooner.

As they waited for the elevator, Daniel looked at Arthur with concern. "Do you really think Alicia had something to do with Nathan's drug abuse?"

Arthur sighed deeply. "I don't know, Daniel. But something doesn't add up. Nathan's been struggling with addiction for months, and Alicia has been acting strange lately. She never mentions Nathan to me. The last thing I knew was that Robert and Alicia had been trying hard to train Nathan to get into the business so he could follow in Robert's footsteps. I just can't shake off this feeling that she's involved somehow."

The elevator dinged as it arrived, and the two men stepped inside. Arthur pushed the button for the ground floor, his mind racing with thoughts of his brother and his suspicions about Alicia.

As they walked out of the building, Arthur's phone rang. It was the rehab center. "Hello?" Arthur answered, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Mr. Hendricks, this is Dr. Collins from the rehabilitation center. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Arthur's heart sank. "What is it?"

"It's Nathan. He's had a relapse."

Arthur closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. "What happened?"

"We're not sure. Nathan was found in his room with a needle in his arm. We revived him, but he's in a critical condition. We need you to come here as soon as possible."

Arthur felt a wave of anger and sadness wash over him. He couldn't believe his brother had relapsed, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that Alicia had something to do with it.

"I'm on my way," Arthur said, ending the call. He turned to Daniel, who looked at him with concern.

"What's happened?"

Arthur took a deep breath. "Nathan had a relapse. We must go to the rehab center as quickly as possible."

Daniel nodded, and they headed towards Arthur's car. Arthur's mind was racing with thoughts of his brother and what he might find at the rehab center.

The ride to the hospital was filled with tense silence, both men lost in their thoughts. Daniel offered to use his car as he knew Daniel was not in the right state to drive after what he had learned about Nathan.

When they arrived at the rehab center, they rushed to Nathan's room and met with Dr. Mendez. Arthur's heart sank as he saw his younger brother lying in bed, hooked up to machines. He felt a sense of guilt wash over him, knowing he could have done more to prevent this. He turned to the doctor attending to Nathan, a stern look on his face.

"What happened, doctor?"

"We're not sure," Dr. Mendez said, his voice shaky. "Nathan's condition is critical, and we're doing everything possible to stabilize him. But, we need to run some tests to determine the cause of his relapse."

Arthur clenched his fists, his anger boiling over. He turned to Daniel, who looked at him with concern.

"Arthur, we need to calm down and let the doctors do their job," Daniel said, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. He knew Daniel was right but couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He turned to the doctor and demanded to speak with the staff overseeing Nathan's care.

"I need to speak with the staff in charge of my brother's care," Arthur said, his voice firm. "Now."

The doctor nodded and led Arthur and Daniel to a room where the staff awaited them. Arthur's eyes scanned the room, looking for any signs of incompetence or neglect. He couldn't let his guard down, not when his brother's life was on the line.

"Mr. Hendricks, I'm Dr. Collins, the head of Nathan's care team," a tall man in a white coat said, extending his hand toward Arthur. "I was the one you talked to on the phone."

Arthur shook his hand, eyes scanning Dr. Collins' face for any signs of deception. "What happened to my brother?"

Dr. Collins looked at Arthur with a sad expression. "We're still trying to determine the cause of his relapse. But I assure you, Mr. Hendricks, that we are doing everything possible to stabilize him."

Arthur's anger boiled over. "I need answers, doctor. What kind of care is my brother receiving? "

Dr. Collins looked at Arthur with a stern expression. "Mr. Hendricks, we are doing everything we can."

"And what was the needle on his arm? Can you explain it? How did my brother have a needle?"

Dr. Collins sighed deeply, knowing he had to tell Arthur the truth. "It appears that Nathan injected himself with heroin. We found the needle in his arm when we arrived."

Arthur felt a sense of disbelief wash over him. "How come he had heroin while under your care? Who brought it to him? Your facility is supposed to have tight security."

Dr. Collins sighed deeply, knowing he had to tell Arthur the truth. "We're still investigating, Mr. Hendricks," Dr. Collins said calmly. "But I can assure you that we take our security measures very seriously. We have strict protocols to prevent unauthorized substances from entering our facility."

Arthur wasn't convinced. "And yet, someone infiltrated your supposed-to-be tight strict security protocols. I want to see the security footage. I want to know who brought the heroin to my brother."

Dr. Collins nodded. "Of course, Mr. Hendricks. We will provide you with the footage as soon as possible."

Arthur and Daniel went to Nathan's room to accompany him. As he sat by Nathan's bedside, Arthur couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt and responsibility. He knew he had to do everything he could to help his brother discover the truth about what happened. But he also knew that he couldn't do it alone. He turned to Daniel, who was standing by his side.

"I need your help, Daniel. We need to find out what happened to Nathan and who's responsible for his addiction and relapse."

Daniel nodded, a determined look on his face. Arthur is like a brother to him and would do anything to help in this difficult situation. Seeing Arthur looking hopeless as he stared at Nathan lying on the bed breaks his heart.