MasukAdrian returned to the fourth floor with Ms. Fontaine just as Daniel was stepping out of room 412.They crossed paths in the narrow hallway outside the room.Daniel scoffed when he saw the two of them together. His eyes narrowed, the suspicion in them undisguised."I had a feeling," Daniel said coldly, his voice like a blade drawn slowly from its sheath. "There must be some arrangement between you two."Ms. Fontaine looked at him, uncertain. "Excuse me? What do you mean, Mr. Blackwood?""I know you're conspiring to take Alina from me." He continued, his voice laced with cold certainty. "Don't expect to succeed. I'll make sure you're both destroyed before that ever happens."Adrian paused for a moment, not immediately grasping the direction of the accusation. "Are you threatening us?" he asked calmly, though his guard was up.Daniel scoffed again, impatient. "Not a threat. A warning." His gaze fixed hard on Adrian. "Stay away from Alina. I won't allow anyone to interfere with my wife."
Alina stared at Daniel for a long moment.Then she scoffed."You're accusing us of having an affair?""Answer my question." Daniel's voice was flat. "How long has this been going on?""Nothing has been going on." Alina met his gaze directly. "There is nothing between me and Adrian Lawson beyond attorney and client."Daniel let out a small laugh.Not a pleasant one. If anything, that sound was more unsettling than his silence."You think you can fool me?" he said. "I have evidence, Alina."Alina frowned. "What evidence?""Your closeness." Daniel listed several details — when Adrian had visited, how long he'd stayed in the room, how they had been positioned when they spoke. Small details that Daniel couldn't possibly have known unless someone had told him.Alina fell silent for a moment.Then her mind began to work.A spy. Here in this hospital. Someone who had been watching every movement in room 412 and reporting back to Daniel.Alina's expression shifted. Not anger. Something closer
Adrian arrived on the fourth floor at exactly quarter past eleven.He walked toward the nurse station, nodding at Ms. Fontaine who was already waiting there with a serious expression."Has the supervision been tightened?" Adrian asked directly."Yes," Ms. Fontaine answered. "The head nurse has been informed. All visitors must check in at the nurse station first before entering. No exceptions.""Good." Adrian glanced toward room 412. "How is Alina's condition? Has she had breakfast?""A little. Morning sickness is still severe. But her condition is stable." Ms. Fontaine hesitated for a moment. "Mr. Lawson, there's something you need to know. Today Mrs. Blackwood seems different. Calmer. Not empty like usual. She's like someone who is thinking about something seriously."Adrian nodded slowly, absorbing that information.He knocked on room 412's door and entered.Alina sat on the bed with her back resting on the pillow. This time she wasn't staring at an empty window like yesterday. Her
Daniel stared at the phone lying on the table with narrowed eyes.For several seconds he didn't move.Then, with reluctance that was almost visible, his hand lifted and reached for his mother's phone.Daniel's eyes dropped to the screen.His jaw hardened the moment he saw the photo of Alina with a man Daniel knew.First photo. The man was standing too close to Alina's bed, his body leaning forward.Second photo. The man's hand on Alina's shoulder—light, brief, but from the camera's angle it looked like more than just a professional gesture.Third photo. The two of them looking at each other, the distance between them too close. Too intimate for the standards of a lawyer and his client.The anger on Daniel's face froze. The muscle at his temple twitched. Daniel's hand holding the phone tensed until his knuckles turned white."Adrian Lawson," Daniel said in a low and dangerous voice.Margaret observed her son's reaction carefully, her lips curving in a thin smile. Knowing Daniel had fal
On the other side of the city, Margaret arrived at Blackwood Enterprises approaching noon.Her steps were quick, her heels clicking on the marble floor with an unusual rhythm—too hurried for a Margaret Blackwood who usually moved with practiced calm. But this morning, that calm was cracked.The news of Steven Walsh's death had made it impossible for her to stay still.As a woman who had for decades been immersed in the world of business and high-class socialites—a world with glittering surfaces and dark roots—Margaret knew exactly who Steven Walsh was. A hired journalist. A scandal-spreader who could be bought by anyone with sufficiently deep pockets. When photos of Alina began circulating yesterday, Margaret had immediately suspected Clarissa was the one who hired him. The pattern was too clear. Too characteristically careless of Clarissa.What Margaret hadn't expected was that everything would end with a death.And one thing kept spinning in her head throughout the journey.Daniel w
The outskirts of the city in the morning felt different from the night that had given birth to it.The empty lot was now filled with yellow police lines stretching between rusty iron posts. Several patrol cars were parked at angles, their lights blinking weakly under the newly risen sun. A gray sedan—Steven Walsh's car—was still in the place where it had been found, its door open, surrounded by forensic officers working with routine movements that were almost monotonous.Adrian stepped out of his car, adjusted his jacket, and walked closer.He hadn't come by coincidence.Last night, one of his subordinates had managed to trace who first published the article about Alina. The name Steven Walsh appeared after several hours of searching—a freelance tabloid journalist, specialist in sensational news with anonymous sources. Adrian had intended to find the man this morning to dig out who had paid him.But before he could do that, news of Steven's death had already spread.And Adrian's insti
CHAPTER 52Morning came too quickly.Or perhaps not quickly enough. Alina wasn't sure anymore. Time had felt strange since she'd been confined to her room—too slow and too fast simultaneously, like a broken clock.At exactly eight o'clock, the sound of a large engine woke her from restless sleep.A
Mr. Harris hesitated briefly, then nodded and stepped away, clearing the path for Clarissa.Clarissa knocked on the door—twice, sharp—then entered without waiting for an answer.Alina stood at the window—still in the same position since the photoshoot began.Mrs. Helen sat on a chair in the corner
Day five since Alina was allowed to see Junior.Five days with the same routine. Measured. Controlled.In the morning—Alina went to Junior’s room when he woke up. Helped him get ready. Straightened his uniform. Walked him to the dining table where Clarissa already waited with a smile that was far t
Alina and Junior sat in each other's embrace for a few moments—silent, just feeling each other's presence.Then Junior pulled back slightly. Looking at Alina with an expression too serious for a six-year-old."Mama," he said softly. "Junior promises to be a good child."Alina frowned, stroking Juni







