LOGINThe steady beeping of the monitor was the only sound filling the private hospital room. Skyler lay completely still beneath the white sheets, her face pale against the pillow. A bandage was wrapped around her forehead, and several bruises marked her skin. She hadn't moved since she was brought in. Outside the room, Nathaniel stood rigidly beside the doctor, his hands buried in the pockets of his trousers. “ How is she?” The doctor removed his glasses and sighed. “ Luckily, there are no deep injuries. Nothing that appears life-threatening.” Nathaniel's shoulders loosened slightly. “ Then why hasn't she woken up?” He asked. “ She suffered a head injury,” the doctor explained. “It's likely the impact caused her to lose consciousness. Her scans don't show anything alarming, but we can't predict exactly when she'll wake up.” “How long?”
‘ What if it's me? What if she finds out that I've been lying to her? Would she also order for me to be killed?’ Filled with frightening questions, Sophia asked herself in her mind till she decided that what is best at the moment is some time away from Fiona. Being with Fiona every time might also expose her. The moment she stepped out of the mansion, she let out a long breath filled with relief. Her heels clicked against the pavement as she made her way towards her car, her chest still pounding over what she heard Fiona instruct some men to do. ‘ Skyler is dead. So dead. She messed with the wrong person.’ She pulled out her phone to see if there was any news about her death already, as it's been two hours now. But no news. “ Tsk.” She huffed, walking towards her car. “ Anyways, she's finally out of my way.” A smile spread across her lips. Finally. She grinned. She barely took two steps…a hand suddenly clamped over her mouth. “Mmph—!” Before she could scream, anothe
| TWO AND A HALF HOURS BEFORE SKYLER'S ACCIDENT | The sound of Ethan's car tires screeching to a stop outside the mansion made Fiona lift her head. “ Who's that?” She mumbled, dropping her cup of tea while frowning. The housemaids quickly cleared the table as she waited for the front door to open, and when it did. Ethan walked in. Her mind eased, and her frown disappeared upon seeing him. “ It's you.” She said, grabbing her cup again before looking up at him, and that's when she noticed. He wasn't looking friendly. His expression was cold, his jaw clenched tightly, and every step he took carried a fury that made the servants immediately move out of his way. Fiona, wondering what was going on, even while sitting comfortably, tilted her head slightly. “ Ethan? What's with the frown?” She asked, not dropping the cup. He stopped several feet away from her. His eyes- blazing. “ You sent your men after Skyler?” Fiona's expression shifted. Only for a second.
“ Is this to rile me up? You can't possibly mean that—Ethan is my brother.” Nathaniel’s voice thickens. It spins his head brutally, the thought that she is going out with his brother, that he is losing her, and to all people, his brother. Skyler laughed, one filled with mockery. “ Too bad.” She looked up, smirking. “ When I looked at Ethan, I didn't see your brother. I see a man.”Nathaniel’s fist clenched immediately. The bouquet he was holding loosened in his grip. “ You don't mean that.” He shook his head. “ You're doing this because you're still pissed.” “ And if I'm not?”“ Do you even think he likes you? You think he likes you after everything he heard Sophia said.” He spouted. The ugly thought that she was leaving him for his brother made his mind start spiralling. Anger. Irritation. And denial tangled inside him violently. Skyler stared at him in disbelief. Her breath shivered as she felt intense anger well up in her. “ Or he's just trying to repay his debt. Because you
Daniel, Nathaniel’s driver, groaned quietly as he placed the box of different gifts in the back seat of the car. His brows deeply wrinkled in confusion. “ What did he want to use all these for?” His gaze moved to the bouquet. “ And flowers? For Sophia? Is he trying to get her back even after everything? After all the lies?” He lifted his gaze to the house, as if he could see Nathaniel standing by the window. Meanwhile, Nathaniel stood in front of the mirror one more time, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt for the third time. Everything about him was carefully put together. His dark suit fitted perfectly against his broad frame. His hair was neatly styled, his watch sat perfectly around his wrist, and not a single strand appeared out of place.Satisfied with his look, he nodded to himself with a smile before walking out of the room. He went out to meet Daniel standing by the car, all ready to go. “ Let's go.” He said, get
Ethan returned to the warehouse with one thing on his mind. Skyler. The image of her standing in his office, trembling after the attack, still burned through his mind.Who was it? Her family? Who exactly? The questions of who ordered the attack burned in his throat. But it doesn't matter, whoever it is, the fact that they had deliberately come after her made his jaw tighten. And he knew for sure that they had made a terrible mistake. They had touched the one person Ethan could no longer pretend he didn't care about.The warehouse door swung open at his arrival. He walked in with one of his hands tucked in his pocket, looking calm and composed. Caspian immediately looked up."Boss."Ethan didn't answer, his eyes swept across the greyish room before settling on the man tied to a metal chair in the middle.The attacker was barely recognizable. His face was swollen, his lip split, and blood st







