Rhys didn't call Melanie Donaldson on the corporate line. He used the private, secure communication channel, the one reserved for their most intense professional and personal discussions.
Melanie answered on the second ring, pulling the phone away from her mother's bedside where the nurses were adjusting her IV.
"Rhys. Is something wrong?" she asked, her voice instantly shifting from daughter to Chief Risk Analyst.
Rhys was pacing his massive office, the cityscape lights reflecting his agitation. "Nothing is wrong financially, Melanie. You called the Argentinian bond perfectly. But I have a problem, and it's one you created by being irreplaceable."
"What is it? Vasko?"
"Worse. Chloe Vance," he clipped out. "She's subtle, but she's effective. She presented a report this afternoon detailing a minor administrative failure in the Argos Project Due Diligence. A two-signature physical sign-off that was delayed because you're not here."
He didn't soften the delivery. He knew the only way to get Melanie Donaldson to move was to hit her where her integrity lived.
"It's a non-issue," Melanie countered instantly, annoyance hardening her tone. "It can be managed by encrypted digital copies followed by a physical signature upon return. It's standard protocol for urgent off-site management."
"Protocol is meaningless when the vultures circle," Rhys snapped, turning to look out at the dark city. "Chloe didn't criticize your work; she criticized the process. She suggested I delegate the Argos oversight, your primary project, to her, temporarily, to remove the political risk from your 'family stress.' The Board will jump on that, Melanie. They will see your absence as a vulnerability, and they will use it to chip away at the autonomy I gave you."
Silence stretched between them. Melanie stepped into the empty hospital hallway, her gaze fixed on the sterile floor tiles. She understood the power play instantly. Chloe wasn't trying to take over; she was trying to force a choice that would weaken Melanie's position no matter the outcome.
If Melanie stays, Argos might genuinely be vulnerable to Chloe's manipulation, and the Board will view her as putting family above the firm. If Melanie returns, her mother remains fragile, and she proves Chloe's point that she can't manage both roles simultaneously.
"She's forcing my hand, Rhys," Melanie stated, her voice tight with cold realization.
"She's forcing mine," Rhys corrected, the passion in his voice cutting through the professional veneer. "I can crush Chloe Vance, but not without appearing arbitrary and protecting you simply because you're mine. I need you to crush her on your own terms. I need you to eliminate the problem before I am forced to delegate a piece of your power."
He paused, lowering his voice, letting the possessiveness bleed back in, now wrapped in fear.
"Melanie, I need you back here. Not just for the company, but because this silence is a vacuum, and it's making me reckless. I can't think about the market when all I check are your mother's oxygen saturation levels. I need you safe, near me, and in control."
Melanie closed her eyes, weighing the cost. Her mother was stable, looked after by her father and the best care money could buy, Rhys's money. Her empire, the one she had fought and bled for, was being jeopardized by a calculating rival.
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning," Melanie confirmed, her resolve sharp and final. "I'll coordinate with the Clinical Liaison and my father. My mother will be stable enough. Tell Chloe Vance to prepare her handover notes. I'll see her in the boardroom by lunch."
"Good," Rhys breathed out, a wave of relief washing over the earlier panic.
"But understand this, Rhys," Melanie continued, her voice ringing with the authority he craved. "I am returning to protect my mandate, not to submit to yours. My mother is stable because of you. I am coming back because of Chloe. I haven't forgotten the difference, or the fact that I'm still the one in control of my decisions."
She hung up, leaving him with that final, satisfying truth. She was his equal, his obsession, and now, his necessary return.