MasukJason POVI was beginning to hate the word wait. Still, an hour earlier we hadn't known why Amber couldn't breathe. Now we did. We had gone from an unknown poison to a specific toxin, from doctors trying to treat symptoms without knowing their source to an antitoxin being prepared and a medical team that finally knew exactly what they were fighting. That mattered, even if it didn't make the fear disappear."Can I see her?"The critical-care physician nodded. "Briefly. We're administering treatment and monitoring her very closely, but you can sit with her as long as you don't interfere with the team.""I won't."Emory made a skeptical sound under his breath.I looked at him. "What?""Nothing.""You don't believe me?""I've met both you and your wife."Despite everything, I almost smiled. Then I looked through the glass again and couldn't. "I need to see her.""You will," Emory said.Before they took me inside, I wanted to know the children were settled. I asked the nurse to return me t
Jason POVThe moment Emory said botulinum toxin, the neonatal unit stopped existing for me. I looked at Alex, who had clearly heard the words but, judging by his expression, didn't understand what they meant. I was grateful for that. He had already carried enough fear for one day."Take him back to the family," I told the nurse. "I need to go with Emory.""I can go with you," Alex said immediately."No." I reached for his hand. "You did something important already. You met your brothers, and now I need you to go tell your sisters they're okay."His eyes moved toward Emory. "Is Mom worse?"I hated how quickly he noticed everything, but I wasn't going to frighten him with information even I didn't fully understand yet. "No. Emory found out what made her sick. That's good because now the doctors know what they're fighting."Alex studied me for another second before nodding. "I'll tell Alice the babies are okay.""And tell her they're ugly."Alex looked genuinely horrified. "They're not u
Jason POVI stared at her. "Sons?"Alice's head snapped up from Grandmother's arms. "Boys?"The doctor nodded. "Two boys."Grandmother laughed through her tears, and I sat there trying to absorb the fact that Amber and I had two sons. The relief was almost painful, but even then my thoughts immediately returned to her."Can Amber see them?""Not yet.""When she wakes up, I want them brought to her as soon as it's medically safe.""We'll do our best."Part of me didn't want to leave the hallway. Amber was somewhere behind those doors, unconscious with a machine forcing air into her lungs, and every instinct I had screamed at me to stay as close to her as possible.The doctor seemed to understand. "She's being monitored continuously. The neonatal unit isn't far, and we'll send someone for you immediately if anything changes.""Immediately.""Immediately."Only then did I nod. "Okay. I want to see them.""Me too."I looked down and found Alex standing closer to my wheelchair. He hadn't s
Jason POVThe doctor stopped in front of me, and for one terrible second, she said nothing. Alice was still tucked against my side, Grandmother had risen from her chair, Grandfather stood beside her, and Mr. Asher had moved so quickly that he was almost directly behind the doctor. Marcus, Pamela, the president, Mr. Stait and everyone else in the waiting area had gone silent.I didn't give the doctor time to speak. "Amber? How is my wife?""Amber is stable."I closed my eyes for half a second, trying to make that one word enough. Stable didn't mean awake, and it certainly didn't mean fine, but it meant alive. Right then, I would take it."Is she awake?""No. We believe the substances she was exposed to are still affecting her. The sedative concentration in her system was significant, and we're still looking for the second agent we believe contributed to the fetal distress."I looked toward the doors behind her. "Can I see her?""Not yet. She's still in postoperative recovery, and there
Jason POVDespite everything, a breath that was almost a laugh escaped me."That sounds right.""She stood over me asking how long every test would take, why it couldn't be done faster and whether I needed more equipment. Then she started offering to buy equipment.""Also sounds right.""At one point, I'm fairly certain she offered to buy the laboratory."I closed my eyes briefly.Of course she had.Emory's smile disappeared as quickly as it had come."I'll look at it myself.""Thank you.""I'll need access to her blood work, the food samples and whatever they recovered from the syringe.""Mr. Stait has them.""I know. I work for him, remember?"I looked toward Mr. Stait.He was already watching us.Emory followed my gaze and added, "And before you start ordering me to break six protocols, I'll talk to him.""I'm not asking you to break protocols.""Amber said that too."I almost smiled again.Almost.Then I looked toward the operating-room doors."Find out what they gave her."Emory
Jason POVHospitals were never supposed to hold that many people for one family.Within an hour, the private waiting area outside the surgical wing was full. Grandmother and Grandfather were there, while Mr. Asher hadn't moved far from the operating-room doors since Amber disappeared through them. Marcus arrived with Pamela, followed shortly by Noah, Jasmine and Daniel. Mr. Stait came with additional military security, and even the president arrived with a small detail after being informed that someone had managed to poison Amber inside a secured hospital.Then the children came.Alice ran toward me the moment she saw me. I barely had time to brace myself before she reached my wheelchair."Daddy!"I caught her carefully and pulled her against me. My body protested immediately, but I didn't care."Hey, princess.""Where's Mommy?"There it was. The question nobody wanted to answer.Alex stood behind her, holding Rose's hand. Iris was beside them, already watching the adults closely enou
I didn’t cry. I didn’t shake. I didn’t look back, or mourned the life and the years i will never get back, lost forever. I just went home, time to pack and say goodbye to my old life. The penthouse doors opened with biometric recognition the moment I stepped inside. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Marb
We moved quickly through the hallway. Adrian walked behind me, gun raised, covering the corridor while I forced Henry Watson forward. The mansion was quieter than expected. Too quiet. Which meant either the guards were regrouping… or Jason was already on his way. I glanced over my shoulder.
Jason POV Marcus nearly slammed the brakes. “She shot the camera!” I leaned back slowly. Marcus looked at me. “What the hell was that?” I ran a hand over my face. “She said hello husband before she shot it.” Marcus stared. “…Okay.” Silence filled the car. “…What does that mean exactly?”
Family drama. Honestly, I was getting tired of it. I shifted slightly in the chair, letting the ropes around my wrists rub just enough to make the guards think I was uncomfortable. In truth, they had tied them loosely—political kidnappers rarely knew how to do proper restraints. Across from me,







