Chapter Eighteen
RIVEN
The lawyer’s office was located right in the heart of downtown. It was all glass and steel with expensive views of the skyline, the kind of place that seemed to charge you just for walking through the door.
I had reached out to August separately and asked him to come along. This conversation needed both of us to be present. It was about the hospital and the family issues we had been avoiding ever since our father passed away.
August was already there when I walked in. He was standing by the window in his usual expensive suit, his jaw set, his posture deliberately composed.
“Riven,” he greeted me.
“August,” I replied.
We didn't bother shaking hands or pretending this was a friendly social visit.
Sebastian Cole entered the room shortly after. He was in his sixties with graying hair and patient eyes. He had been managing the estate for nine months while I ignored every single one of his phone calls.
“Gentlemen, please take a seat.” He pointed toward the large conference table. “I'm honestly glad we're finally sitting down to have this talk.”
We sat down on opposite sides of the table, with Sebastian at the head. He began spreading out a variety of folders and legal documents.
“Let’s start with the basics.” Sebastian opened the first file. “Your father was the sole owner of Obsidian Hospital. He bought it thirty years ago when it was failing and turned it into the institution today. According to the will, ownership now transfers to you, Riven, as the eldest son.”
The words landed like physical weight against my chest. I officially owned a hospital. I technically owned it for nine months, but I had refused to acknowledge the responsibility or accept what it actually meant for my life.
“There are also various investments, properties, and other assets.” Sebastian slid several papers across the table toward me. I saw long lists of numbers, bank statements, and property deeds. “The total value of the estate is substantial. It’s likely much more than you have ever considered.”
I looked at the figures and tried to process them. My father had built a massive empire, brick by brick and surgery by surgery. Now, I had inherited all of it.
I pressed my palms flat against the table and forced a slow breath through my nose.
“Why are you doing this now?” August asked. His voice was steady and measured. “You have spent nine months avoiding this room. I want to know what finally changed your mind.”
That was a fair question. I could tell him the absolute truth. I could say that the woman I loved was facing a career-ending investigation because of me. I could admit that I needed this power to protect her.
However, that felt far too personal and raw to share with him.
“I have my own reasons for being here,” I said.
“That isn't a real answer, Riven.”
"It's the only one you’ll ever have."
August’s eyes narrowed slightly. He could probably guess what it was. But he didn't push me further, at least not yet.
Sebastian cleared his throat to break the tension. “Perhaps we should focus on the practical matters first. We can save the emotional talk for another time.”
But August wasn't ready to move on. “You let this estate sit in a legal limbo for months. The hospital needed a leader to make decisions about expansion and hiring. You ignored all of those responsibilities.”
“Yes, I did,” I admitted.
“I want to know why.”
That question demanded a level of honesty I wasn't sure I had. I looked at August and really saw him. He was my father’s brother and the man who had helped build the hospital from the ground up. He had been around during all those years when my father was absent.
“Because claiming this felt like I was finally accepting him,” I said slowly. “It felt like I was saying our relationship was good enough. I didn't want to act like the way he raised us was okay, or how he treated Emma.”
“And you clearly aren't okay with any of it.”
“No, I’m not. He was never there for us.
He measured my entire worth based on my surgical records and my ability to be perfect.
” I gripped the edge of the table until my knuckles turned white.
“He left me an inheritance that feels like a demand for gratitude. Taking it felt like saying everything was fine when it never was.”
A long silence filled the room after I spoke. August looked down at his own hands, which looked older than I remembered.
“He was not a good father,” August's voice had dropped low, stripped of its usual polished edge.
“No, he wasn't.”
“He had standards that were impossible to meet. He made both of us feel like we would never be enough for him.” August paused, rubbing his thumb along the edge of the table. “I was his brother and you were his son, but neither of us could ever measure up to his expectations.”
“I know that,” I replied.
“But he still built something that matters.” August met my eyes again.
“This hospital saves hundreds of lives every single week. The money he left is funding research that’s changing how we handle heart care.
Regardless of his failures as a man, the legacy itself has value that goes beyond our personal pain. ”
Intellectually, I knew he was right. I understood the logic behind his words. But emotionally, taking the money still felt like I was betraying my own principles.
“I’m aware of that,” I said.
“Are you? Because you have spent nine months treating this inheritance like it was poison. You acted like touching it would somehow ruin you.”
He was right about that, too. I had viewed my father’s legacy as something toxic that I needed to avoid at all costs. But maybe Cassian was right when he said my father was just a dead man now. The inheritance was just property and power that I could use for something good if I chose to.
“I think I can separate the emotional baggage from the practical responsibility,” I said, testing out how the words felt.
“Are you sure you can do that?”
“Well, I’m sitting here today, aren't I?”
“You’re here, but are you ready to lead? Or are you going to sign these papers and then vanish for another three years?”
I held his stare.
“I’m ready,” I told him. “I would not have called this meeting if I wasn't serious about it.”
Sebastian spoke up again. “There’s another detail we need to cover.
August has a share of the properties, for example his private hospital.
According to him and the documents provided, he has a claim to at most fifty percent to these properties, including the private hospital.
As you claim your inheritance, will you be giving him what belongs to him? ”
I saw the tension in August’s shoulders when Sebastian mentioned the properties. This was clearly very important to him.
“Consider it done,” I said immediately.
He looked surprised. “Just like that?”
“Yes, just like that.” I turned my attention to Sebastian. “I want you to give to him all that belongs to him.”
August chuckled, shaking his head. “Thank you.”
“You built this together with my father, August. It's rightfully yours.” I leaned back in my chair.
August studied me for a long moment, trying to figure out what was happening. “What’s really going on with you?”
“I'm making a choice that I should’ve made a long time ago.”
“And what choice is that?”
“I’m going to become the CEO of Obsidian Hospital.”
The room went still. Sebastian stopped writing and looked up at me. “CEO?”
“Yes. I’m going to step back from my daily work in the operating room. I’ll still consult on the most difficult cases, but my main focus will be running the hospital.”
August stared at me in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m serious.”
“But why would you do that?” He sounded genuinely confused. “You love being a surgeon. You’re one of the best I’ve ever seen in an OR. Why would you ever give that up for a desk job?”
I didn't tell him that it was because Mireya’s career was being ruined by the power dynamic I created. I didn't say that becoming the CEO would make the ethics investigation irrelevant nor did I admit that I love her more than I loved my surgical career.
“I have my own personal reasons,” I said.
“Personal reasons don't make a man like you quit surgery. It has been your entire life since you were a teenager.”
“Things are different now, August.”
“What things have changed?”
“Important things.”
August leaned over the table. “This is about Mireya Rosen, isn't it?”
It wasn't a question, but I didn't offer an answer anyway. I didn't need to. Sebastian was already busy making notes on his pad.
“This transition will solve a lot of problems with the board,” Sebastian noted. “They have been looking for a clear leader since your father passed away. If you become the CEO, it fulfills that requirement.”
“How fast can we make this official?” I asked.
“It will take about two weeks for the paperwork and the restructuring.” He looked at me over his glasses. “Is there a reason for the rush?”
“There’s an ethics review happening right now,” I explained. “It involves a relationship between a doctor and a nurse. If I'm no longer her direct superior, the whole foundation of that review disappears.”
Sebastian nodded as he understood the strategy. “I see your point.”
“Will this stop the investigation?”
“It should. Those concerns are based on the workplace hierarchy. If you change the organization so that hierarchy no longer exists, there’s no reason for the review to continue.” He kept writing. “Both of you would be cleared once the change is permanent.”
I felt a massive wave of relief wash over me.
“Two weeks,” I said again.
“I can speed it up for you, at least a few days,” Sebastian confirmed.
“Thank you.”
August was still watching me closely. “Well, I suppose personal decisions are yours to make. ”
He adjusted his cufflinks slightly. “Just be certain you understand the consequences of what you’re choosing.”
“I'm taking on a responsibility that I should’ve accepted a long time ago. She's part of the reason, but she isn't the only one.”
August gave a small nod, as if the matter was settled. “I trust you’ll make the right decision.”
“I already did.”