room to boardroom, building his billion-dollars company from scratch. But hours after he had taken Anna to the hospi

d another folder among the others that crowded hi

dn't help studying them. The detail was remarkable. It was not just anatomically correct, but

pansion, not obsessing over an artist. But try as he might, the tension he'd seen in her shoulders and the dark circles under her eyes nagged him. Something was tro

sonal profile section. Annabelle Bennett graduated top of her class from university of Berkeley. The only child of

de sense. She was dro

His mind began to work on possibilities. He wanted to help her,

em. That leaves one to wonder why she had been rejected by publishers countless times. Still pondering, his phone rang and he saw his mother's caller ID flash

himself she's breathing perfectly well even though the monitors would have sounde

re aw

, her eyes widening on recognizing him.

, you're s

ag connected to her left hand, realization settling in. She

uld read her mind. "Doctor said it'

lf to look at him. She imagined he would see her as a n

t. I'm glad I could help." He couldn't tell her he knew the ca

nk y

t, focusing on how to get money for her mother's treatment. The last thing she had was coffee and a few pieces of

st open again. Anna turned, thinking it was the doctor, but inste

re a cream-colored Chanel dress, the fabric flowing around her as she moved. Diamond studs shined f

than's. Only that her own did not have

Anna's hospital room, lingering on the IV drip.

ent dry. "I'm s

r Hermès scarf fluttering against her

d to sit straighter, painfully

e is a misund

n since his sour breakup with Sophia, suddenly carries someone to the hospital himself instead

in horror. "I collapsed in his o

elieved Anna couldn't come up with a more ridiculous excuse. "Real

began to wonder why he would trouble himself to bring her to the hospital himself and even sta

siness meetings' with women,

th embarrassment. "Mrs.

Ethan stopped short at the

him a warm smile. "I was just tryin

ital bed?" His voice carried an

object. "Well, you can't blame me. When Patricia called to say you ru

He said in frustration and opened th

s this later." She patted Ethan on the back

thick silence. Anna twisted her hands in t

reflection fractured in the glass. "She's

r than a starving

you don't rate

, "My result

. She gave him a look that said

xamined her, said she still n

octor's order." Without a word,

to call? A friend who can mayb

them again. If Ethan was shocked by this, he didn't show it.

, his mind considering several options like

kills, seeing patterns others missed. He has to come up w

every stroke of her illustration, such an impressive understanding of both the medical and artistic aspects of her work, to his mother's suspicions about her being pregnant for him and

ent. He'd solved the problem with the same concentra

roblems. His lips curved slightly, she would have the money

e news will be. He half-expected her to disapprove, but it wouldn't mat

. But given her situation, there's a nin