The past few weeks had been brutal for everyone, but no one felt it more than Robert. With his father on his deathbed, the weight of inheriting Fischer Morrow loomed over him. It wasn’t just the responsibility of the company that burdened him—it was the doubt. Everyone questioned whether he was capable of filling his father’s shoes, and it gnawed at him more than he let on.

But what truly crushed him was his father’s relentless criticism. Even now, in his final days, the man never missed an opportunity to remind Robert of his perceived shortcomings. The cutting remarks, the disappointed looks—it all built a wall between them that seemed impossible to tear down.

You had tried to help, tried to get through to him, but Robert wasn’t letting you in. Every attempt to reach out ended with him pushing you away, retreating deeper into his shell. Still, you couldn’t stand by and do nothing.

He needed someone to lean on, even if he couldn’t admit it yet.