LOGINRyan and Ethan returned to the hospital just after midnight. The police had taken Lisa's statement. A sketch artist would be brought in the next day to create a visual representation of the mysterious woman. But for now, all they had was a description that pointed to someone methodical, wealthy, and dangerous.Alexander was still in the ICU room with Cora. He looked up when his sons entered, hope flickering briefly in his eyes before fading when he saw their expressions."Tell me you found something," Alexander said. His voice was rough from exhaustion."We did," Ethan replied. He pulled up a chair and sat down heavily. "But it is not what we expected."Ryan stood by Cora's bed, looking down at her unconscious face. She had not moved. Had not shown any sign of waking. The machines kept breathing for her, kept her heart beating steadily, but she was somewhere else. Somewhere they could not reach."Someone approached Lisa about a month ago," Ethan began. "Asked her to help hurt an unnam
The casino had descended into complete chaos. Security guards were arguing with Marcus and Ryan's team. Other patrons had their phones out, filming everything. The manager was pushing through the crowd, shouting about calling the police. And in the center of it all stood Lisa, mascara running down her face, sobbing uncontrollably."I did not do it," she kept repeating between sobs. "I swear I did not do it."Ryan still had hold of her arm but his grip had loosened. The fury in his eyes was now mixed with confusion. "But someone approached you. You just admitted it.""Yes!" Lisa's voice was high and panicked. "Yes, someone came to me. But I said no! I refused! I told them to leave me alone!"Ethan moved closer, his lawyer instincts taking over. This was a confession of sorts. But not the one they expected. "When did this happen? When did someone approach you?"Lisa wiped at her face with shaking hands. Her perfect makeup was destroyed. Her carefully constructed image completely shatter
"I swear on everything I have, I did not do this!" Liam's voice was rising now, panic clear in every word. "I had nothing to do with Cora's accident!"Ethan stared into Liam's eyes. Searching for any sign of deception. Any tell that would indicate he was lying. But all he saw was genuine fear and what looked like honest confusion."You have every reason to want her dead," Ethan said. His voice was still hard but his grip on Liam's jacket loosened slightly. "She is suing you for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Money you do not have. Money that would ruin your career and your relationship if you had to pay it.""I know," Liam admitted. "I know she has every right to demand that money back. I know I took advantage of her during our marriage. But I would never try to kill her. Never. I am a lot of things, Ethan, but I am not a murderer.""Then who is?" Ethan demanded. "Who wanted Cora dead badly enough to stage a car accident?""I do not know," Liam said. He was shaking now. "I swear I
The ICU room was quiet except for the steady beeping of monitors and the rhythmic hiss of the ventilator. Cora lay motionless on the bed, suspended in whatever darkness had claimed her consciousness. Alexander had not moved from his chair beside her, his hand wrapped around hers, speaking to her in quiet murmurs even though she could not hear him.Ryan stood at the window, staring out at the city lights. His mind was not on the view. It was racing through possibilities, suspects, motives. Someone had tried to kill his sister. Someone had planned it carefully, executed it precisely, and nearly succeeded.And Ryan was going to find them.Ethan returned an hour later with coffee and food that nobody really wanted. He set the cups down on the small table near the door and moved to stand beside Ryan."Any change?" Ethan asked quietly.Ryan shook his head. "Nothing. She is stable but completely unresponsive."They stood in silence for a moment, both watching their father whisper to their un
Caleb stood there swaying slightly on his feet, his mouth opening and closing but no words coming out. His face was a mask of exhaustion and something else that Ryan could not quite identify. Grief? Relief? Both?The silence stretched on. Ten seconds. Twenty. Thirty.Alexander was still gripping Caleb's shoulders, his fingers digging in so hard they would probably leave bruises. "Caleb. Caleb, please. Just say something. Anything."But Caleb just stared. His eyes moved from Alexander to Ryan to Ethan and back again. Like he was seeing them but not quite processing their presence.Ryan felt something snap inside him. He could not do this anymore. Could not stand here waiting for words that might destroy him. He needed to know. Needed to see for himself."I am going in," Ryan said suddenly. He pushed past Caleb toward the surgical wing doors."Sir, you cannot—" a nurse tried to intercept him.Ryan did not stop. Just kept moving toward those doors. Toward wherever Cora was. Alive or dead
Another hour passed. Then another. The surgical waiting area was nearly empty now. Just the three Sterling men and a young couple huddled together on the opposite side of the room, their own family crisis playing out in whispered conversations.Alexander had not moved from his position. Elbows on knees. Hands clasped together so tightly his knuckles had gone white. Staring at the floor like he might find answers in the worn linoleum tiles."She is not going to make it," he said suddenly. His voice was flat. Dead.Ryan's head snapped toward his father. "Do not say that.""Seven hours, Ryan. She has been in surgery for seven hours now." Alexander finally looked up, and his eyes were hollow. Empty. "Nobody survives surgery that lasts this long. Not with injuries this severe.""You do not know that," Ryan insisted."I do know that." Alexander's voice cracked. "I have read every medical journal. Studied every statistic. I know what prolonged surgery times mean for trauma patients. The surv







