Henley's thumbs met as he clasped his hands together, tapping them rhythmically. "You're intelligent enough to figure it out, aren't you?"

Despite the icy edge in his stare, Katie held her ground. "I have no idea what you're suggesting."

The details of Katie's father's condition were not widely known, but it wasn't surprising that Henley had caught wind of it. However, Katie suspected Henley was just bluffing. She refused to be manipulated.

With calculated indifference, Henley continued, "From what I understand, your father's prolonged unconsciousness stems from incorrect medication."

His implication was clear. If Katie persisted in denying any knowledge, it would be pointless.

Yet, Katie remained resolute, replying coolly, "Whatever you think you know, it has nothing to do with me. If you have proof, present."

The actual perpetrator, Abel, was long dead. Any retribution would have to reach beyond the grave.

Unperturbed, Henley's demeanor remained light, yet his voice carried a warning. "Katie, drop the act. Cooperating with me is in your best interest. Believe me. If I didn't want you to marry Mitchel, you wouldn't have a chance."

"You?" Katie's voice dripped with scorn. "Do you really think you have that much strength?"

Katie's face conveyed her disdain clearly. This wasn't the first time she had underestimated Henley. For her, only someone of Mitchel's caliber deserved her consideration.

Suddenly, Henley rose swiftly from his seat, grabbed Katie, and pinned her down, his hands around her throat as he shouted, "Want to see my strength now?"

Coughing, Katie flailed her arms desperately, gasping for air. "Let me go... Let go..."

Just when Katie felt she could breathe no more, Henley released her.

He straightened up, adjusted his tie, and took a deep breath, seeming to relish the moment of dominance. How he wished he could just finish her in this way. Yet, he still needed her.

Katie, coughing and gasping, her voice raspy and strained as if her throat was injured, managed to choke out, “I won't let you get away with this. You broke into my room and attacked me. I'm calling the police!"

"Call the police?" Henley chuckled dismissively. "When they arrive, it's you they'll be taking, not me."

Henley tossed a medical report onto the table and stated icily, "The medication list for your father doesn't include methotrexate, a banned substance. Mixed with cephalosporins, it's deadly. And guess what they found in your father's system?"

Katie's eyes widened in fear as she glanced at the report. She hadn't expected Henley to have insiders at the hospital who could access her father's records. Frustration at her subordinates incompetence boiled within her. They were becoming a liability.

At that moment, Katie sorely missed Abel. Such blunders would have been unthinkable under his watch.

With a smug smirk, Henley pressed, “Care to explain this ‘coincidence'?"