Then Mark nodded silently, his jaw clenched, his hands buried in his pockets. He wasn't just thinking about the business. He was thinking about the man Zakaria. A man he had come to respect. A man who once sat across from him, laughing and dreaming about empires they'd build together. Now, that same man was lying unconscious, his organs failing one after the other.
Then Zakaria's younger brother, Samuel, stepped forward with a deep breath. "As for the contract… the one we were about to finalize," he said carefully, "I don't want to rush anything or move faster than my own shadow, but… I don't think it will be possible anymore."
He looked toward the hospital bed. "This has changed everything."
Mark, composed as ever, nodded respectfully. "I understand," he said calmly. "And I fully support whatever decision the family makes. Right now, his health comes first. That's all that matters."
