The woman my own family threw into the freezing snow was my wife, while my mother and sister celebrated inside the house they believed they had stolen from us. Their triumph lasted only until my father's attorney walked through the front door with a sealed trust—and the truth about the man they had underestimated turned their victory into the beginning of their downfall.

While my mother and sister were learning what real poverty felt like on the streets, I arrived at the St. Jude Private Medical Wing.

The top floor was completely locked down. Four of my elite operatives stood guard at the elevator doors, automatic sidearms concealed beneath their sharp suits.

I walked into the VIP suite. The room was warm, filled with fresh white roses. Claire was sitting up in bed, color finally returning to her soft cheeks. She wore a simple silk hospital gown, holding a warm cup of tea in her delicate hands.

When she saw me enter, her face lit up with a tender, relieved smile that instantly melted the ice around my heart.

"Ethan," she whispered, setting her cup down.

I walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed, and gently took her hand into mine. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"

"Much better," she said, her thumb tracing the lines of my palm. "The doctor said I can leave tomorrow. But... Ethan, what happened at the house? Where are your mother and Natalie?"

"They've been taken care of," I said softly, stroking her dark hair. "They will never step foot in our home again, Claire. The house belongs to you now. Legally, permanently."

Claire looked at me, confusion mingling with concern in her soft eyes. "To me? Ethan... I don't understand. Your mother said your father left everything to her. She had legal papers..."

"They were fake papers her crooked attorney drafted," I explained gently. "My father knew who she truly was. He loved you, Claire. He saw how purely you loved me, without caring about money or status. He made sure you were protected."

Before Claire could answer, my phone vibrated in my inner jacket pocket. I stepped out onto the private balcony to answer.

"Boss," Victor’s voice rasped through the line. "We have a situation. Victoria and Natalie didn't go to a hotel."

"Where did they go?"

"They went to the North District," Victor said, his tone darkening. "They met with Richard Sterling."

My eyes narrowed into slits of deadly focus.

Richard Sterling was a ruthless mob lieutenant who ran the city's illegal gambling houses and loan sharking rings. He had been trying to expand his territory into my shipping docks for three years, but my syndicate had systematically crushed every attempt he made.

"Sterling thinks he found his golden ticket," Victor continued. "Your mother promised him thirty percent of the Carter corporate stock if his syndicate helps her void the trust and force you to hand over the estate."

"Does Sterling know who I am?" I asked quietly.

"He knows you as Ethan Carter, the billionaire CEO," Victor replied with a dark chuckle. "He has no idea that 'Ethan Carter' is the ghost boss who ordered the liquidation of his docks last winter."

"Where are they meeting?"

"Sterling’s private club on 4th Street. He just dispatched eight of his enforcers to this hospital, boss. He's planning to kidnap Mrs. Carter to use her as leverage against you."

A cold, lethal silence settled over the line.

"Tell the hospital security team to let Sterling's men reach the 4th-floor lobby," I instructed smoothly. "And Victor?"