My Ex-Husband Begged Me to Take Him Back - Chapter 160

Chapter 160: This is not your fate.

Nicholas kept his eyes closed, feeling Alex’s frustration. Despite the tension, he refused to waver. “Anything I do for her will never be enough to repay her kindness, Alex,” he murmured weakly. “Help me arrange a nice venue for tomorrow’s meeting. I don’t know how much time I have left, but I want to spend some of my best moments with her.”

“Don’t say that.” Alex’s throat tightened, his voice shaking with emotions. “I’m doing everything I can to find a donor.”

“I know, I know.” Nicholas clasped Alex’s hand, his faint smile visible even under the oxygen mask. “But don’t burden yourself with guilt. If a donor isn’t found, that’s my fate. I’ve made my peace with it.”

“No, this is not your fate. It can’t be. I’ll not let you die like this.” Unable to hold back his turmoil, Alex turned abruptly and strode toward the door. But he came to an abrupt halt at the doorstep, his eyes widening in shock.

Standing before him was a tall, imposing figure—a middle-aged man with a sharp gaze and an air of authority.

“Mr. Baker!” he mumbled in a daze. His face turned pale, and his mind raced with a flood of questions. ‘Why is he here? Has he found out about Nicholas’s condition?’

Elijah Baker’s piercing eyes narrowed as he regarded Alex with a mixture of indifference and disdain. “You’re blocking my way,” he said coldly. “Step aside.”

But Alex hesitated. He didn’t move from the doorway as he didn’t want Elijah to see Nicholas in such a vulnerable state. “Mr. Baker,” he said cautiously, bowing slightly. “I think you may have the wrong room. Allow me to assist you in finding the one you’re looking for.”

“I’m exactly where I need to be,” Elijah growled impatiently, pushing Alex aside and stepping inside the room.

As his gaze landed on Nicholas, lying frail and pale on the hospital bed with an oxygen mask on his face, Elijah’s expression shifted. For a fleeting moment, disbelief flashed across his features before his usual cold composure returned.

“So it’s true,” he muttered. “Your heart is failing.”

Nicholas sat up slowly, pulling out the mask from his face. His lips curled into a bitter sneer. “Are you satisfied now?” he asked sarcastically. “Take a good look. Your wish has been granted. The illegitimate son you despised so much is vanishing from this earth. Soon, there will be no one to contest your precious legitimate son’s inheritance.”

“Nicholas!” Elijah barked. But as his gaze lingered on the fragile figure before him, his anger faltered. The fire in his eyes dimmed, replaced by something more restrained concern.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Elijah asked coldly. “We Bakers are wealthy and powerful enough to arrange a heart for you. But you never told us anything about your condition. I learned it from an outsider.”

“Who told you?” Nicholas hissed, his fists clenching under the blanket. He had tried hard to keep his condition a secret, knowing full well how the Bakers would twist it to their advantage.

“Come on, Nicholas. Instead of worrying about your health, you want to know who told me about you. I am still your father.”

Nicholas glared at him, his fists trembling. “The greatest regret of my life is that I share your blood.”

Elijah’s face contorted with fury. “Nicholas!” he roared, his hand shooting into the air, poised to strike. But it stopped mid-motion, his eyes blazing with anger.

Alex’s heart sank at the escalating tension. He instinctively took a step forward, ready to intervene, but froze, fearing to offend Elijah. His gaze flickered to Nicholas, who sat defiantly upright despite his frail body.

Despite Pale and weak, Nicholas’s eyes burned with unyielding fury and confidence, meeting Elijah’s glare head-on.

Elijah lowered his hand slowly, inhaling deeply to rein in his rage. “You can despise me all you want, but I can’t ignore this. You are still my son, Nicholas. My flesh and blood.”

He lifted his chin and announced, “I’ll look for a suitable donor. I’ll assure you that your surgery will be done as soon as possible.”

Nicholas scoffed, turning his face away in disdain. “I don’t need your charity. I can find a donor myself.”

“Don’t be foolish,” Elijah snapped. His jaw tightened, his patience thinning. “You’ve been searching for days, yet you’re lying here, deteriorating! Why haven’t you found a donor yet? I have resources and connections that can secure what you need in no time. Stop being stubborn!”

Nicholas let out a bitter chuckle. When her mother was dying, she requested Elijah to take his son home. But the Bakers had not accepted him. Instead, they had sent him to an orphanage. They had never cared about him. The irony of Elijah’s sudden concern cut deep, reopening old wounds.

“Since when does Elijah Baker care about me?” Nicholas sneered. His piercing glare fixed on Elijah as though trying to unravel the man’s true intentions. “Are you really so worried about me dying, or is there something else at play?”

Elijah’s face twisted with indignation, his finger stabbing the air in Nicholas’s direction. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” he growled. “I’m not as heartless as you think. I can’t just stand by and let you die like that.”

“Cut the nonsense!” Nicholas snapped, his voice rising in fury. His eyes burned with contempt as he interrupted Elijah. “You Bakers never do anything without expecting something in return. So, tell me—what is it? What do you want from me this time?”

Elijah stared at him, his expression blank for a moment. Then, slowly, a sly smile spread across his face, a glint of cunning flashing in his eyes.

“You are as perceptive as ever. That’s one quality I’ve always liked about you—your ability to read people so well.”

He gave a nod and added, “You are right, Nicholas. I do want something from you. But it has nothing to do with arranging a donor. As your father, I’d do that without asking for anything in return.”

“What do you want?” Nicholas’s jaw tightened, his breaths coming faster now. His chest heaved as the strain of holding his emotions began to take a physical toll.

Alex, noticing the quickening of Nicholas’s breaths, rushed to his side. Panic flared in his eyes as he placed a hand on Nicholas’s shoulder. “Are you alright? Please, lie down and put the mask back on,” he urged.

But Nicholas shoved Alex’s hand away, his focus entirely on Elijah. Gritting his teeth, he gasped out, “Stop stalling and tell me—what is it that you want this time?”

“Mr. Baker,” Alex turned to Elijah. “Can you please leave? He needs rest. This isn’t the time for—”

“Alex,” Nicholas growled through his gritted teeth, clasping his chest. “Don’t interfere. Let him speak.”

Alex froze, his protest silenced by the authority in Nicholas’s tone. He hesitated, glancing worriedly at him, but eventually stepped back.

Elijah’s cold, calculating gaze remained fixed on Nicholas. “You’ve always been a stubborn child,” he snapped. “Fine. Since you’re so eager to know, I’ll tell you.”

His eyes sparkled with a calculated glint. “I want the port development project,” he said slowly. “And you’re going to help me get it.”

He took a step closer, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial tone. “You’re close to Dylan’s wife, aren’t you? Use that connection. Get close enough to her to extract the bidding details of Ace Group. With that information, I can ensure the Bakers win the bid.”