Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

As the fire burned through Ryan's mansion, the staff didn't leave immediately, they stayed around to make sure the fire didn't progress beyond Ryan's property before they dialed the emergency number.

Those in the neighboring houses also alerted the state's fire department of the fire, and they showed up in time to put it out.

The domestic staff stood around, watching as though they had no idea what had happened. When asked how the fire started, they said they had no idea.

When asked about the the occupants of the house, they said no one was inside since Genevieve had left early for her trip and Abigail had left for the office with Josh before the fire started.

Because of the strategic positions Abigail had set the fire, it had made a lot of impact, and effectively destroyed everything in Ryan's bedroom and study as she wanted before the fire department arrived.

Barry, who had been watching the whole thing through the security cameras he had hacked into before the fire destroyed some of them, immediately called Harry and alerted him of what Abigail had done.

Through the security cameras in the hallway leading to Ryan's study, he had seen Abigail walk in and out of the study with a candle in hand and a bag shortly before the fire started.

Harry asked him to permanently erase any footage or evidence that would show Abigail starting the fire, but instead of doing just that, Barry deleted the whole footage of that day from the security system.

It was one thing for them to know that Abigail started the fire, but it was an entirely different thing for them to have evidence of her committing the crime.

Almost as soon as Barry ended the call with Harry, one of his boys brought the phone they'd cloned as Ryan's, and handed it to him.

Ryan was receiving a phone call even though he was still unconscious. Recognizing the number as that of Ryan's private investigator in Husla, Barry ignored the call.

The last thing he wanted was for Ryan to ever realize that they'd hacked his devices and taking his call while he was unconscious and the phone was probably being kept by the hospital, might arouse suspicion.

Besides, as soon as the private investigator hears the news of Ryan's cardiac arrest, which Barry believed would be all over the place soon, he'd know he had spoken with someone else, not Ryan Harris.

The call came again, and when Barry ignored it one more time, a text came in next.

[I have Mr Callan's girlfriend here with me. I believe she can take us to him. I haven't said a word to her yet because I'm waiting for you to arrive so she can take you to him.]

Barry raised a brow as he read the text. It didn't sound like the girl was in danger, and there was little or nothing that could be done for her.

He was certain that if he ignored the text, the private investigator himself would release the girl when he finds out Ryan wasn't well enough to show up.

Away from there, Emily stood by the glass window overlooking the room where Ryan had been placed on intensive care.

He lay motionless, his face pale, his body still under heavy sedation. There were tubes and wires connected to him, beeping machines keeping watch over each breath and heartbeat.

Although her shift was long over now, she didn't leave. Not just because Jamal had asked her to keep an eye on him, but because somehow she still recognized the fact that he was Callan's biological father and so didn't want to leave.

"Do you know him personally?" A female resident asked behind her, startling her.

She jumped as she turned to face her. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly? That's not a yes or a no."

Emily nodded. "It's just that he has no one here. I heard they've been unable to reach his daughter. I figured I just stay in case he wakes up and needs someone."

The resident looked at her and then narrowed her eyes. "Why? Because he's a billionaire?"

Emily snorted. "Because he's human. What has his financial ability got to do with anything? I just want to stay, that's all."

"I see. That's very nice of you."

"Thanks. So, you were part of the team that performed his surgery, right? Is he going to be okay?" Emily changed the subject, and the resident sighed.

"He's stable now, but the damage to his heart was serious," the resident said softly, her arms folded across her chest as she stood beside Emily, her eyes scanning the steady rhythm on the monitor inside the room.

Emily nodded slowly, her gaze never leaving Ryan's unmoving figure. "That's what I figured, from the way everyone was rushing around earlier."

The resident exhaled and spoke again, more gently this time. "He has CAD. Advanced stage, from what we saw in the scans and test results."

Emily's breath caught in her throat. "Advanced?"

"Yes. The arteries around his heart are almost completely blocked. We suspect it's been like this for a while. The heart attack was just a matter of time."

Emily's brows drew together. "So, you're saying this was bound to happen?"

"Yeah. He had a bottle of pills in his pocket when he was brought in, so I guess he knew he had a heart condition," the resident replied. "He's lucky to even be alive right now. When he was wheeled in, we weren't sure he'd make it through the hour."

Emily glanced through the glass again, this time with more weight in her chest. Ryan looked human and vulnerable. Not like the powerful and scary man she had imagined all these while since she found out what he did to Abigail and her family.

Emily swallowed hard. "If he knew about his condition how come he let it get to this point?"

"We don't think he knew it was CAD. Or maybe he knew but wasn't treating it as he should. It's most likely he was walking around not knowing how bad it was. Or maybe he just didn't care."

Emily sighed deeply, not knowing what else to say or what to think.