LOGIN“No—wait!” Anna jogged the rest of the way to the elevator, her shoulders dropping as the doors slid shut before she reached it. She glanced up at the panel, her brows pulling together when she saw B.The Basement. Why was Jason going down there? He usually parked out front or waited for Ethan to drive around. She bit into her lip, hesitation flickering as her eyes shifted to the metal door down the hall. She could catch him if she hurried now. Before she could talk herself out of it, she hurried toward the door, wincing slightly when it slammed shut behind her. She sent a silent thanks that the conference room hadn't been on the higher floors. Then another for those runs she forced herself to take when she wasn't on shift. Her phone buzzed in her pocket after three floors. She yanked it out, keeping her eyes on the stairs. She couldn't afford to trip or stop. “Hello?” “Annie.” It was Leah. “Word is the meeting's over?” “Yes.” Leah's voice lowered. “Why are you breathing lik
Anna pressed down harder on the nausea threatening to rise as she hurried through the hospital in search of Sierra. While she had urged Madison, Jack and Brooke back to work, she’d told Pierce to stay back and alert her the moment the hearing reconvened.No one she asked had seen her. “Sierra?” Her voice cut through the corridor as she pushed past a cluster of staff, her pulse thudding louder with every step. The hallways already reflected the fallout of the hearing; people broke off into low conversations, speculation buzzing under their breaths. None of them mattered.Anna turned sharply, scanning the adjoining corridors. Empty. Her jaw tightened. She had checked the resident's lounge, the restroom stalls—even the reception area, asking Leah if she'd seen Sierra leave. Think. Think. Think. Sierra wouldn’t go far. Anna’s gaze flicked to the far end of the hallway, toward the heavy metal door of the emergency stairwell. Of course.She crossed the distance quickly and pushed it op
The moment Anna's eyes met Jason's, the irritation at his interruption vanished. Her lips parted soundlessly, her body frozen in place. He wore a dark grey suit, the lighter shirt beneath it drawing attention to his eyes. Her lips parted again. “Jason—” The name came out before she could stop it.What was she supposed to address him as now—Jason, Jason Knight or Mr. Knight? The first one didn't seem right, not here, not anymore. But before she could twist herself further into knots, Jason spoke. “I need to speak with you.” His gaze shifted past her to Sierra. Anna didn't need to turn to know she looked terrified. “In private.” Anna nodded, not trusting her voice yet and turned to Sierra. She took her hand and squeezed reassuringly. “I'll be right back, Sierra. Okay?” She gave a strained smile, which Sierra returned with one of hers. By the time she turned back, Jason was already walking to the back of the conference room. She hurried after him, offering Pierce an ‘I’m okay’ smile
Anna kept pace beside Pierce, her steps steady despite the tight coil in her chest. The corridor felt longer than it should have. “Who initiated the investigation?” Pierce had been updating her on the chaos unfolding in the hospital. Apparently, someone had pushed for an investigation after the intern video exploded online. The earlier hospital clip had been an intentional act of sabotage, he had said. But she already knew that. Why else was she on suspension? “I heard the investigation didn’t come from the board,” Pierce said. “It came from someone… connected to you.”Anna stopped dead in her tracks. Pierce took a few more steps before realizing she wasn’t beside him anymore.“Someone connected to me?” She repeated slowly, her forehead creasing. Leah had said she wouldn't sit back anymore. She had started that petition online. “A lady?” She asked. Pierce shook his head. “I've no idea. No one does, except maybe the director and the board.” He gestured for her to keep up. Anna fel
Anna barely made it to the entrance before the dizziness hit again, forcing her hand against the wall for balance.Leah noticed immediately, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer. “Yeah… no. We’re not ignoring that anymore.”Leah placed a hand on her back as Anna exhaled, pressing her lips together as a strange, unsettling thought crept in. She shook her head, forcing herself upright. “I'm fine. Let's—”“You're not stepping into that mess until I'm sure you won't be fainting in public,” Leah cut in, giving her a look. “Wait here. I'll bring the car around.”Anna smiled her thanks but followed anyway as Leah stepped out. She stopped right outside the entrance, a hand pressed to her chest. She couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that something was off. But she couldn't dwell on it. Not yet. Right now, she needed to get to the hospital before things escalated beyond control. Leah's car pulled to a stop in front of her and she slid in. The moment they pulled away, Leah glanced a
Jason sat behind his desk, the morning light cutting through the blinds in sharp lines across the polished surface. It had been a day since he'd initiated the quiet investigation, and had managed to keep the investigators focused and discreet overnight.His phone lay face down, notifications muted, but the investigator’s updates had already arrived on his tablet. USB logs, device checks, two flashed exports of the hospital clip from the nurse station—one from Dr. Mitchell, the other from an intern. His brows furrowed at the lack of anything incriminating in Dr. Mitchell's ersonal office computer. One of them had gone too far—and just yesterday, Jason would've been willing to place his cards on the attending. Now, he wasn’t so sure.There was still the issue of the burner email and Dr. Mitchell's name on it, but anyone would've easily framed that. Just like she'd mentioned yesterday. But still, not the intern. She had no motive to sabotage Anna. Except if the intern was more affect
Jason stood perfectly still and felt anything but. As he listened to her speak, his thoughts tangled—emotions he didn’t bother sorting through. He reached for the one thing that made sense in the lot. Anger.He could roll with rage—the rest was noise. It made him the predator. Yet, the words he'd
‘I was into you before you pulled any of your Knights move, Jason’… Before his moves. The words played in Jason's head in a loop as he settled into the lounge chair on the balcony. He fiddled with the lighter in his hand, the last few hours replaying anyway. It wasn't just the words and the way
The cool air from the open door hit Anna's exposed arm before Jason closed it behind him. She took a step back as he advanced toward her, her brows drawing together. She'd peeked out because she thought he'd left when he went quiet. She'd been relieved to find him there like he said he would be.
Jason's hot breath tingled her ear; Anna's lashes fluttering close. “Answer me, Princess.” Anna squirmed against him as his other hand slid up her body to rub her other nipple, sending a rush of sensations between her thighs. She tried to rub her thighs together—to ease the low ache there—but his







