Chapter 7 - THE MAN THEY WANTED TO DECLARE HELPLESS
"She set me up."
Emma stared at Vivian's handwritten instructions.
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
He looked at Mrs. Price.
"Did Vivian explain why she wanted the alarm activated?"
"She said Miss Carter had noticed unusual symptoms before and would respond quickly."
"And you didn't question it?"
Mrs. Price's eyes filled.
"Mr. Moretti, your sister has supervised the household whenever you've been ill. I thought I was following instructions meant to protect you."
Daniel studied her.
He could see she was genuinely ashamed.
"From now on, medical alerts come from me or the licensed care team. Nobody else."
Mrs. Price nodded.
Then Emma asked the question that mattered most.
"Why would Vivian want me found in your bedroom?"
Luke answered from behind them.
"Because it makes Daniel look vulnerable."
Daniel turned.
"Explain."
Luke placed a folder on the desk.
"Vivian has been speaking to several family business representatives about your ability to keep managing your affairs."
Daniel's expression darkened.
"Behind my back?"
"She says your pain episodes are affecting your judgment."
"Being in pain isn't the same as being incompetent."
"I know."
Luke hesitated.
"She's also been asking about temporary control of your voting authority."
The room fell silent.
Emma looked from one man to the other.
"So if people believe I took advantage of him..."
Luke nodded.
"Vivian can argue that Daniel can't protect himself or manage his own household."
Daniel stared toward the window.
For two years, people had been making decisions around him.
They selected his doctors.
They rearranged his schedule.
They discussed him as though he couldn't hear.
He had assumed those decisions came from concern.
Now he wasn't so certain.
The following morning, Daniel insisted on meeting an independent rehabilitation physician.
Dr. Helen Bennett arrived from a Chicago hospital.
She reviewed his medical history and current treatment plan, then spoke to him privately before asking permission for Luke and Emma to return.
Daniel described the nerve pain.
The sleepless nights.
The episodes when medication left him confused and exhausted.
Dr. Bennett examined his prescriptions.
"When was this medication changed?" she asked.
Daniel frowned.
"Which one?"
She showed him the record.
"A sedating medication was increased three months ago, while a treatment previously used for your nerve pain was reduced."
Daniel stared.
"I wasn't told."
"Do you remember discussing those changes with your prescriber?"
"No."
Dr. Bennett remained careful.
"I can't determine why they were made without the complete prescribing history. But I would recommend a proper medication review."
Daniel looked down at his hands.
"Do you think I can still make my own decisions?"
She met his eyes.
"Nothing I've seen today suggests otherwise."
His throat tightened.
It was an ordinary statement.
But after two years of being treated like a broken object, it felt extraordinary.
Dr. Bennett continued.
"Your spinal injury is real. Your disability is real. But neither removes your right to direct your own care."
Daniel looked away before anyone could see his eyes.
That afternoon, Vivian entered the study.
She was not pleased to discover Emma, Luke, and an independent physician's report waiting beside Daniel's desk.
"You've been busy," she remarked.
Daniel held up the handwritten alarm instruction.
"Explain this."
Vivian's smile faded.
"I wanted someone to check on you."
"Then why tell Mrs. Price to contact you before me?"
"Because you've been refusing help."
"And why accuse Emma of taking advantage of me?"
Vivian folded her arms.
"Because finding a young employee in your bed is concerning."
"Not when you arranged the circumstances."
Vivian said nothing.
Daniel placed the medical review beside the note.
"Who suggested changing my treatment?"
"I recommended a specialist."
"That wasn't my question."
For the first time, Vivian looked genuinely wounded.
"Everything I've done has been to keep this family functioning."
"Then why am I the last person you consult?"
She turned toward Emma.
"Ever since she arrived, you've been suspicious of everyone who loves you."
Emma stood.
"Don't put that on me."
Vivian's eyes narrowed.
"You have no idea what this family has sacrificed."
Emma held her gaze.
"I know what my mother sacrificed when nobody believed her."
Vivian's composure slipped.
Only for a second.
But Daniel saw it.
Then she looked back at him.
"If you're determined to distrust me, perhaps it's time the family considered someone else to manage the business."
Daniel remained perfectly still.
"Is that a threat?"
"It's reality."
Vivian left.
Luke waited until her footsteps faded.
Then he placed his phone on the desk.
"Daniel, you need to see this."
A formal notice had arrived from the family business committee.
Vivian had called an emergency meeting to consider suspending Daniel's management authority.
The meeting was scheduled for Friday at noon.
Less than forty-eight hours away.
Emma read the notice.
"Can she actually do that?"
Luke's expression was grim.
"If enough members believe Daniel can no longer manage his affairs, they can attempt to remove him from the family companies."
Daniel looked at the silver watch resting beside his father's photograph.
Two years earlier, a bullet had taken the use of his legs.
Now his own sister was preparing to take the life he'd built around what remained.
He slowly closed the folder.
"Then Friday is going to be a very interesting day."
But Luke wasn't finished.
"There's one more thing."
He handed Daniel a second notice.
It came from Rose Carter's memory-care facility.
Her assistance funding had been terminated by the Moretti Family Relief Fund.
And unless alternate payment arrangements were made, the facility would be unable to hold her room beyond the end of the month.
Emma covered her mouth.
Daniel looked at the signature authorizing the cancellation.
Vivian Moretti.
May you like
His sister was no longer merely threatening his power.
She was threatening the only person Emma couldn't bear to lose.
