Chapter 337: Her Nails Digging Deep into Her Palms

"Who did this?" Jane Wood shrieked, her nails digging deep into her palms. Her precious son was fighting for his life in the emergency room, while these useless bodyguards were still making excuses. She'd already decided—once this was over, she'd fire these good-for-nothing idiots.

Victor Hale gripped his wife's shoulder. "Calm down. Let them finish."

The two bodyguards exchanged nervous glances before speaking.

"Mr. Hale didn't get into any fights tonight. He was just drinking with friends at the club. We were right by the booth the whole time. But then suddenly, he—"

"Then what?" Jane Wood snapped.

"He stood up, ripped open his shirt, and charged into the dance floor bare-chested. Started pounding his chest like a madman while dancing." The guard swallowed hard. "The crowd panicked when someone screamed. By the time we pushed through, Mr. Hale was on the ground... bleeding from all seven orifices..."

"The doctor said poison?" Victor's brow furrowed.

"Or cardiac arrest," the guard added. "We called the ambulance immediately."

Victor fell silent. Hemorrhaging from seven orifices did suggest poisoning, but who would target his son? Only a handful of people had recent grudges against Nolan...

Shawn Johnson? Impossible. They'd already handed over the coal mines and land. No motive for delayed revenge.

Elena Ward and Adrian Stone? Even less likely. Traveling all this way to poison someone over minor grievances made no sense.

Just then, the operating room lights flicked off.

"Doctor! How's my son?" Jane Wood lunged forward, clutching the physician's white coat.

The doctor removed his mask with grim finality. "Tox screens ruled out poisoning. Exploratory surgery confirmed acute myocardial infarction... We did everything we could."

"Impossible!" Jane Wood's scream shattered the hallway. "He's in his twenties! Money isn't an issue—just save him!"

The doctor shook his head. "This isn't about money. With acute cardiac arrest... even transferring him now would be too late. You should... say your goodbyes."

Jane Wood's legs gave out as she collapsed to the floor. Victor's face turned ashen, aging a decade in seconds. Their pride and joy, the Hale family's sole heir—gone just like that...