MasukIsabella’s POV “Move.”Lucas reacted before anybody else. The second the nurse finished speaking, he was already at the door, his hand gripping the frame as he leaned out to check the hallway.“What floor access points are still clear?” he asked sharply. His voice carried down the corridor, low and urgent.The nurse shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her scrubs slightly rumpled from the long shift, her eyes darting between the group and the open doorway. “Security’s trying to hold the elevators, but reporters came through the west stairwell and…”“Lucas.” Claire’s voice cut through fast. She stood near the bed, her hand still resting on the railing. “Don’t leave her.”He looked back at me immediately. His eyes met mine across the small distance, checking, steadying. Then toward the doctor. “Can she walk?”The doctor hesitated too long. He stood near the monitors, clipboard in hand, his white coat hanging open.“I asked a simple question.”“She shouldn’t be exerting hersel
Isabella’s POV “I'm sick of this bullshit, You ’re not keeping me here any longer.” The words came out before the doctor even finished speaking. Everybody turned toward me. The muted television on the wall kept flashing headlines in silence behind us, the bright colors reflecting off the beige walls and the metal rails of my bed. I couldn’t look at it anymore. I couldn’t stay in this room another second listening to machines beep while strangers debated my bloodline on national television. The doctor frowned. He stood near the end of the bed with his clipboard in hand, his white coat slightly wrinkled from the long night. “Miss Isabella, with the bleeding and stress levels…”“I said I’m leaving, that's final.”Claire stepped closer instantly. Her shoes made soft sounds on the tile floor. “Bella.”“No.” My voice sharpened. I shifted against the pillows, and the IV line tugged at my arm. “I can’t breathe in here anymore.”Lucas looked at me carefully now, his eyes moved over my face
Isabella’s POV “Answer it.” Mom’s voice came out thin and strained. She stood near the chair by the wall, her hands gripping the back of it for support.Lucas didn’t move. The phone kept vibrating in his hand, lighting up his face over and over again in the dim hospital room. The screen flashed Victor’s name with each ring. Claire looked between them carefully. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Lucas…”He answered without taking his eyes off the screen. “If I pick up, I might say something I can’t take back.”Marcus muttered quietly, “Pretty sure we crossed that bridge three scandals ago.”Nobody laughed. Lucas finally swiped the call open. Slowly. Then lifted the phone to his ear. Everyone held still, watching him. Even the nurses who had stepped back near the door stayed quiet.“Yeah.”His voice sounded flat now. He stood straight with his shoulders squared, but his free hand stayed clenched at his side.We couldn’t hear Victor clearly from the other side, only
Isabella’s POV “He brought lawyers.”The words landed like a gunshot.Lucas’s shoulders straightened and his eyes narrowed slightly as he stood near the bed.Claire looked exhausted already. She rubbed a hand over her face, her shoulders slumping. “Of course he did.”Marcus frowned sharply. “Why would Richard bring lawyers to a hospital?”Ethan shut the door behind him harder than necessary. The sound echoed in the small space. “Because reporters are everywhere downstairs and apparently somebody leaked enough documents to turn this into a legal issue.”Mom went pale again. Her face lost what little color it had left. “What documents?”Ethan looked directly at her. “Adoption records.”Lucas laughed softly under his breath. Not amused. Not sane either. The sound came out rough and tired.“Fantastic.”Claire stepped toward Ethan quickly. “Did you see Richard?”“Yeah.”“And?”Ethan hesitated. That hesitation pulled everybody tighter. The tension in the room grew thicker. My stomach felt
Isabella’s POV “That’s a lie.” Mom said it too quickly. Her voice cut through the hospital room and made everyone turn toward her at once.Lila tilted her head slightly. “Then why are you panicking already?”“I’m not panicking.”“You grabbed the chair hard enough to almost tip it over.”Mom looked down instinctively. Her fingers loosened immediately from the chairback. The metal legs scraped lightly against the tile floor. Tiny mistake. But enough.Lucas noticed too. His shoulders tensed under his shirt and his eyes narrowed as he watched her. “What man?” he asked quietly.Lila kept her eyes on Blair. “Middle-aged. Grey suit. Claims he worked security for the fertility clinic years ago.”Marcus frowned instantly. “And security just let him upstairs?”“He didn’t come up,” Lila replied. “But he’s talking to reporters downstairs.”Claire went pale. Her face lost color under the fluorescent lights. “No.”Marcus already pulled out his phone again. He tapped the screen quickly, the glow li
Isabella’s POV “Turn it off.” My voice barely audible. It felt weak in my throat.Nobody moved at first. The television kept flashing the same image over and over again on the screen mounted on the wall. Camilla’s mouth against mine. My hands tangled in her hair. The angle made it look intimate enough to erase every possible excuse. Below the video, bold white letters stretched across the bottom: MAXWELL FAMILY SCANDAL DEEPENS.Claire found the remote on the small table. She pointed it at the screen and the television clicked black immediately. Too late, everybody had already seen it. The image stayed burned in the room even with the screen off.Lucas stood completely still beside the bed. His expression stayed unreadable now, his face blank and his shoulders set. That scared me more than anger would have. His hand still rested near mine on the blanket.Marcus swore quietly under his breath. “Who leaked that video?”“Video?” Claire repeated sharply, turning toward him.Marcus looke







