CHAPTER 166: CHAPTER 166

Cora words made William’s lips parted slightly, caught off guard by her tone, but before he could respond, she continued.

"I already knew that bastard was going to pay for what he did to me. I didn’t need your interference, your favors, or your so-called power plays. I have my own connections. I know how to get justice for myself. And with the kind of crime he committed, believe me, he’ll pay dearly. Whether you made a call or not."

The silence in the room deepened, broken only by the distant sound of nurses chatting in the hallway.

Cora’s eyes didn’t waver. "Stop trying to make everything about you. You always want to look like the hero, like the man who saves the day but newsflash, William, I’m not the kind of woman who gets impressed by petty shows of power or dramatic gestures. I’m not some weak little girl waiting for a prince. I handle my own battles."

She pointed lightly toward the door with her chin. "So the earlier you understand that, the better for you."

At that moment, William’s face remained calm on the surface, yet beneath that rehearsed smile was a storm of boiling rage. His eyes may have carried a flicker of warmth, but his heart was already consumed by jealousy and bitterness. The moment Cora spoke with such sharp confidence dismissing his efforts, drawing a firm line between his intentions and her independence it only further ignited the fire that had already been smoldering inside him ever since he heard Oliver was the one who saved her.

Inside William’s Thoughts

In his head, William couldn’t stop cursing Oliver. "Of all people, it had to be him," he kept repeating to himself. The idea that Oliver, his quiet, supposedly unambitious younger brother had stepped in as the hero while he, William, the more successful and visible one, was left on the sidelines, made his blood boil. He imagined Oliver basking in Cora’s gratitude, perhaps even earning her admiration, and it made him feel robbed.

"That fool," William thought. "Pretending not to care about her all this while, only to show up when it matters most. What’s worse is that it worked."

He couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t.

William’s obsession with Cora had now grown roots that were deeper and darker than before. He had always believed that with enough money, charm, and power, he could get any woman to look his way Cora was no different, even though she’s more richer, but she’s still a lady after all, he had thought. But this wasn’t going according to his script. She wasn’t just uninterested, she was clearly disgusted by his self-important attitude.

But that didn’t matter to William anymore.

William Speaks Again

He straightened slightly and looked at Cora with a faint smile, masking his boiling fury.

"Well," he began slowly, voice smooth but firm, "I truly understand now the kind of woman you are. You’re rare. Strong. Unique. The type that doesn’t get easily impressed, and that makes you even more desirable."

His eyes locked on hers, not with affection, but with possession.

"That’s why, Cora, I will do whatever it takes to make you see me. I don’t care how long it takes or how difficult it gets. If you think Oliver’s little stunt changes anything, you’re wrong. I can do far more than he ever could."

He leaned forward slightly.

"Give me a chance, just one opportunity, to prove I’m the right man for you. I can be more than he ever was. In fact, I don’t even see him as a brother anymore."

Hearing what William just said, Cora’s expression hardened as she listened.

William continued, voice laced with disdain.

"He’s lazy. Still stuck managing that useless company he started like a stubborn child trying to prove a point. And let me be honest, that company is bleeding out. He won’t admit it, but it’s struggling, hanging by threads. Instead of returning to the family business like a proper man, he ran off thinking he could build something on his own. Pathetic."

He scoffed and folded his arms.

"A person like that shouldn’t even be considered competition. He shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence as me."

William’s smile returned, but it was cold.

"I am the one who deserves you, Cora. And I’ll make sure that becomes reality by any means necessary."

At that moment, the energy inside Cora’s hospital room changed completely. Her face, which had been calm moments ago, now tightened with a visible storm of disappointment. Her brows furrowed, her eyes locked on William with disbelief, and her lips pressed into a tight line before parting with words that were as sharp as they were honest.

"Did you just say all of that about your own brother?" she asked, her voice low, calm, but every syllable coated with intensity. "William, I didn’t believe it at first. I thought you were just being a bit overzealous, a bit too eager. But now... I see clearly."

Immediately Cora stared directly at him. "You came here acting like a hero, pretending to care, but all of this... it’s all just your ego talking. You’re so desperate for attention, so desperate to be the one I’ll look at, that you’re willing to tear your own brother down just to climb some imaginary ladder. That’s not strength, William. That’s weakness. That’s desperation."

William’s smile had vanished by now. He stood frozen, but his presence, once maybe charming to some, now felt like an intrusion.

"You think I’ll be impressed because you insult Oliver?" Cora scoffed. "Let me tell you something what you just did right now says more about your character than anything else you could have brought in that fancy basket."

She shook her head, clearly disgusted. "And it makes me afraid. Because if this is how far you’re willing to go when things don’t go your way... then what next? If I don’t return your feelings, will you try to destroy me too?"

Her voice cracked slightly, not from weakness, but from the sheer weight of realization. "I’ve been through too much, William. I’ve seen what desperation looks like in a man. I saw it in Samuel, and now I see hints of it in you. And I won’t allow myself to be surrounded by that kind of energy again."

She pointed toward the door, her eyes unwavering. "From now on, you and I... we’re like cats and rats. I don’t want to see you around me anymore. And I mean it, William. This is your final warning. I won’t tolerate this disrespect, not to me, and not to someone I respect."

Her voice dropped to a cold whisper, but it carried more weight than any shouting ever could. "If you can treat your brother this way, if you can look down on him just to lift yourself up, then I know you’ll do worse to me if I ever let my guard down around you. And that’s not a risk I’ll ever take."