INICIAR SESIÓNIn the hospital, Helen lay in bed, every trace of color drained from her face. She watched Leon step in from the balcony, his expression dark after the phone call.Something stirred in her chest. She quickly arranged her face into an urgent expression and made a show of trying to sit up. "Mr. Kingston, I've already said your wife didn't push me on purpose. Please don't argue with her because of me..."She had spent enough time beside Leon to develop a decent read on Diana. A woman that proud would never lower herself to explain a misunderstanding to her husband. The harder Leon pressed, the further apart they would drift.What Helen hadn't expected was the look on his face when his eyes settled on her.His gaze sharpened. He said nothing. He simply watched her, his scrutiny open and unguarded.Helen maintained her composure for the first minute or so. Then the weight of his stare began to wear on her. Her scalp prickled, her expression tightened slightly, and discomfort edged into
On the other end of the line, Diana's voice remained cool and devoid of feeling. A life had been lost, yet she spoke as though it carried no weight at all.Leon's frustration surged at once, a sharp throb building at his temples. Even so, he kept his voice controlled. "Diana, you weren't like this before. No matter the circumstances, you shouldn't have laid hands on her."The disappointment in his tone was unmistakable. In his memory, Diana had always been cold and precise, but never cruel. She wasn't someone who would treat a human life as though it meant nothing.He hadn't even paused to explain how the miscarriage had really happened.Diana had no interest in continuing the argument.Then his last remark settled heavily between them.Not far away, Hugo let his gaze drift, seemingly careless, across the straight line of Diana's back. He caught the brief stillness that passed through her. It was enough for him to understand that she had once felt something for Leon.That didn't
Joseph understood what Albus was implying. The Kingstons needed a new heir. Anything less would likely leave Albus dissatisfied, no matter what else was offered.For years, the Kingstons had moved through Brimcrest without trouble, thanks in no small part to their close ties with the Huttons.That relationship could not be allowed to fracture. If necessary, the heir could be replaced.Joseph glanced at his younger son, who stood casually beside Diana, and let out a quiet breath.If the timing had been different, he might have considered putting Hugo forward for an arranged marriage.But an eight-year age gap was too much. Hugo wasn't the kind of man anyone could push into something against his will. And the Jillsons, with only one grandson to continue the bloodline, would never agree to him marrying a divorced woman, even if she was the Huttons' eldest daughter.All of it passed through Joseph's mind in an instant. When he finally spoke, his tone remained smooth and steady. "Of c
The words sounded clear enough on the surface.In practice, they told Diana very little. Only what already belonged to him. The portion of the Kingston assets that would eventually pass to him by right was his. But if he chose to fight for more, the entire Kingston family could become his.With the Jillsons backing him, his chances were far from slim.Leon had inherited his position in the first place only because of the engagement, and because Hugo had still been at university at the time. Their father's health had already been failing. The family had needed an heir, and circumstance had placed Leon in the role. It had been timing, not merit.Hugo caught the flicker of uncertainty in Diana's eyes and made no attempt to hide what he wanted."Is that all right?" he asked plainly."Of course it is." Diana smiled faintly. "It's your right as a Kingston."She had no place interfering. And despite Hugo's stubborn streak, his abilities were no less impressive than his brother's.The
The palm covering Hugo's eyes carried the same faint chill as everything else about Diana.Hugo blinked. As the coolness faded and his vision returned, he touched his earlobe with a faintly self-conscious gesture. "I'll... I'll go right now."'Still such a boy, really,' Diana thought.Hugo strode out, and Diana turned back to Helen.Helen lay on the floor, her plan in ruins, her face drained of color from the pain. Diana couldn't find any satisfaction in the sight. The blood running down Helen's legs was too stark for that.Sweat dampened Helen's face, fine beads gathering across her brow, but the pain had not robbed her of her voice. "Did you do something again? Where's Leon? Why did Hugo come instead of—""Diana!" Before she could finish, Hugo returned. His long, clean fingers closed lightly around Diana's wrist and drew her back a step. "The doctor's here."The attending physician already knew Helen's case, so they took her straight to the operating room.Diana watched the d
Nina moved to follow Diana inside when they reached the hospital.Diana glanced back. "Stay here. Get word to Julian."She didn't believe Helen would follow through on the threat. A card only held value as leverage when both sides stood on equal ground. The moment Helen played it, she would be signing her own death warrant.Even so, this involved Sydney. Even if the odds were one in ten thousand, Diana would not take the risk.It was better to have Julian alerted, just in case.Nina nodded and stayed behind while Diana went in alone."You came." Helen lay propped up in the hospital bed. At first glance, she genuinely looked pale. "I thought someone like you wouldn't have any soft spots.""She's my sister," Diana said. "Not a soft spot."To Diana, family was more like armor. It made her sharper, more cautious. It kept her from making mistakes.She dragged a chair over and sat without ceremony, crossing her long legs at the ankle with an air of calm patience. She looked less lik
Adeline frowned, a cold tremor running through her from head to toe.The son she had carried to full term and raised with such effort now treated her with open indifference because of a woman."What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? I'm your mother. Is it wrong for me to worry about your m
As soon as Eliana was transferred into a VIP ward, Julian guided Sydney into a chair with steady pressure."No matter how worried you are, you cannot ignore your own body," he said.Sydney did not argue. Once she finished checking Eliana's pulse, she already knew that anxiety achieved nothing. All
Marcus waited quietly to the side, listening for Alan's diagnosis.Alan tucked Eliana's hand back beneath the blanket. "It matches your judgment almost exactly. A compound poison like this is extremely complex. Part of the toxin in Eliana's body has not fully taken effect yet."At this stage, if s
That question of how the DNA report could have come back as a match was one Diana had already considered long ago. She had even discussed it with Leon.His explanation had been cautious and vague. "There's always a margin of error in genetic testing. Mistakes can happen."But then he had added ano







