The call came early morning.
Nora answered first.
Her face changed instantly.
"What happened?" I asked.
She hesitated.
"It's Adrian."
My heart tightened.
"What about him?"
"He collapsed last night."
Everything inside me went cold.
Hospital.
Emergency ward.
Machines.
Silence.
Adrian looked smaller in that bed.
Weaker.
But when he saw me he smiled slightly.
"Looks like I finally ran out of endurance."
I tried to stay strong.
"You're not allowed to leave yet."
He chuckled softly.
"That's not how time works."
Then he said something I will never forget.
"You don't need advisors anymore."
That wasn't comfort.
That was goodbye.
He passed that evening.
And for the first time since my father died…
I cried again.
Because I didn't just lose a mentor.
I lost the last person who understood the full weight I was carrying.
The funeral was quiet.
Private.
Powerful people came without announcements.
That alone showed his importance.
Victor stood beside me briefly.
"I respected him," he said.
"So did I."
Victor studied me carefully.
"This is usually where successors fail."
"Why?"
"They lose guidance."
I looked straight ahead.
"Then I learn faster."
He nodded slightly.
"That is the correct answer."
After everyone left, Nora asked softly:
"Are you okay?"
I answered honestly.
"No."
"But I will be."
Because grief teaches something success never can.
Self-reliance.
That night I sat in my office alone.
No Adrian.
No father.
No protection.
For the first time the decisions would be completely mine.
Scary.
But also necessary.
Because real power begins the moment you realize:
No one is coming to save you anymore.
And strangely…
I felt ready.