The CEO's Secret Obsession-Chapter 111: The Accident(II)

For a moment, there was nothing.

No sound, no breath.

Then pain surged in—sharp and disorienting.

Alexander groaned, his head falling forward as the airbag deflated in front of him.

Smoke curled from the hood.

Somewhere, faintly, he heard Lucas shouting his name through the speakers.

"Alexander—Alexander, answer me!"

His vision blurred but he forced his eyes open.

Blood dripped warm along his temple and his chest burned every time he inhaled but he was conscious, barely.

"Lucas," he rasped with all the strength he could muster

Relief exploded through the speaker. "Oh thank God. Don’t move. Help is coming. I have already called it in."

Alexander swallowed, pain radiating through him as the reality settled in.

As sirens began to wail in the distance, he slowly closed his eyes letting the darkness consume him.

.....

[Carter Mansion]

Evelyn stepped into the living room, took off her coat and placed her bag down carefully, like she wasn’t sure how loud she was allowed to exist today.

Gregory looked up from the newspaper in his hand.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

It was a strange kind of silence. It wasn’t hostile or warm, it was just unfamiliar. Like two people who loved each other deeply but didn’t know where to stand anymore.

"You are back late" Gregory said finally, folding the paper with deliberate slowness.

"I stayed over at Alexander’s place, " Evelyn replied. "Margaret and Pauline dropped me home, Alexander had to leave, he had some meeting."

There was a pause and then Gregory nodded once. "Good."

Melissa watched the exchange from the sofa, amusement dancing quietly in her eyes. She had noticed these awkward pauses lately — the way father and daughter circled each other carefully, like one wrong word could reopen old wounds.

"Did you have breakfast?" Melissa asked lightly, trying to ease the stiffness.

"Yes," Evelyn said. "Alexander made—" She stopped herself and looked at her father.

Gregory’s brows lifted slightly. "He cooks?" The question wasn’t accusatory. Just curious.

Evelyn hesitated, then nodded. "When he has time."

"Hm." Gregory cleared his throat. "That’s good."

Melissa bit back a smile.

Evelyn shifted her weight. "I will go change."

She turned toward the stairs but Gregory spoke again.

"Evelyn."

She stopped.

He struggled for a moment, words clearly lining up wrong in his head. Then he said, "Tell him thank you for last night and taking care of you."

Her chest tightened at that not because of what he said, but because of how hard it was for him to say it.

"I will," she replied softly.

She took two steps up the staircase when Melissa suddenly laughed.

"Well," she said cheerfully, "this is progress if I have ever seen it."

Gregory shot her a look. "What?"

"You didn’t interrogate her. Didn’t threaten anyone or asked inappropriate questions," Melissa teased. "I am proud of you."

Gregory scoffed. "She is an adult."

"Yes," Melissa agreed, smiling knowingly. "And you are learning to act like her father, not her warden."

Evelyn smiled faintly to herself as she continued upstairs.

For a brief moment, the house felt peaceful and normal.

Then her phone rang.

She was halfway through the stairs when she glanced at the screen.

Lucas was calling her.

Her heart skipped not in excitement but with an instinctive fear.

She answered immediately. "Lucas?"

There was silence on the other end and it was too long.

"Lucas?" she said again, sharper now.

When he finally spoke, his voice didn’t sound like him at all.

"Evelyn," he swallowed. "You need to listen to me very carefully."

Her breath caught. "What happened?"

Downstairs, Melissa heard the change in her voice and stood up.

Gregory looked up sharply. "What is it?"

Evelyn didn’t answer them. She was gripping the phone so tightly her knuckles hurt.

"Alexander had an accident," Lucas said, the words tumbling out now. "They are taking him to the hospital and I am going there now. He is—"

The rest of the sentence dissolved into noise.

Evelyn’s world tilted violently.

Her legs gave way and she sank onto the edge of the bed, the phone slipping slightly in her hand.

"No," she whispered. "No, that’s not— I just— I just saw him."

Melissa was already at the stairs. "Evelyn?"

Gregory followed, dread crawling up his spine.

"What happened?" he demanded, reaching her just as she pressed the phone against her chest like it was the only thing holding her upright.

"He—" Evelyn’s voice broke. "Alexander— there was an accident."

Gregory didn’t ask another question.

He took the phone from her hand firmly. "Lucas," he said, voice calm but deadly serious. "This is Gregory Carter. Tell me exactly what happened."

Evelyn barely heard Lucas’s explanation. All she could hear was her own heartbeat — loud, frantic, unbearable.

Melissa wrapped her arms around her instinctively.

"Come on," Gregory said after ending the call, already reaching for his keys. "We are going. Now."

Evelyn didn’t argue, she didn’t speak.

She just stood, with her eyes hollow with fear and followed them out of the house.

Lucas’s words still echoed in her ears and the terrifying thought she couldn’t push away was what if she was already too late?

....

[City Hospital — Emergency Wing]

The automatic doors slid open with a sharp hiss.

Evelyn barely felt her feet hit the floor as she rushed inside, Gregory’s hand firm around her wrist, Melissa close behind.

The antiseptic smell hit her like a wall, cold and unforgiving.

Her eyes scanned frantically.

White coats, stretchers and nurses running around.

"Excuse me," Gregory said sharply to the nurse’s station, his voice controlled but tight. "Alexander Reid. He was brought in after a road accident."

The nurse typed rapidly, glanced up, then pointed. "Emergency trauma room three, family is waiting outside."

Evelyn was already moving.

Lucas was standing near the wall when she reached the corridor, his jacket still on, hair disheveled and face pale in a way she had never seen before.

"Lucas," she breathed.

He turned instantly. "Evelyn—"

She didn’t let him finish. "Where is he?"

Lucas swallowed. "Inside. Doctors are running tests. He was conscious when they brought him in, but—" His voice faltered just slightly. "They are being careful."

Her knees threatened to give out.

Gregory stepped forward at once, placing himself beside her like a shield. "What happened?"

Lucas dragged a hand down his face. "Brake failure. Complete failure and he realized too late."

Gregory’s jaw hardened. "That’s not an accident."

Before Lucas could say anything more, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.

.....