Chapter 3

Ethan's face went pale. A flash of malice crossed his eyes before he whirled toward Martha.

"Martha! What are you standing there for? Get that garbage out of here. Now!"

Martha flinched, gripping the handle of the cart so tightly her knuckles turned white as she hurried toward the door.

"Stop!"

Victoria threw back the blanket. Blood was still running down her legs, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I said stop! Didn't you hear me?"

Martha froze in place, the cart coming to a halt in the doorway.

Ethan lunged forward and grabbed Victoria by the shoulders. "Victoria! Have you lost your mind? You just gave birth! You'll ruin your recovery if you keep this up!"

As he held her in place, he shot the security guards a meaningful look. "That cat's completely out of control. Get a catchpole over him and take him to the vet for a sedative. Now!"

The two guards immediately returned with a heavy-duty animal control net and closed in from both sides.

I dropped into a defensive crouch, a savage growl rumbling in my throat.

[Come one step closer, and I'll claw your face off!]

The nylon net dropped over me. It tightened instantly, the cords biting painfully into my fur and skin.

Amid the chaos, I caught Martha turning her back to Victoria. Her hands darted into the black garbage bag.

A split second later, she pulled out a tiny, limp bundle and slipped it into a hidden compartment beneath the cart.

Victoria shoved Ethan away and stumbled toward the garbage bag. Her trembling hands ripped it open.

It was empty. There was nothing but blood-soaked gauze and discarded medical waste.

Victoria froze.

Ethan let out a quiet breath of relief. The darkness in his eyes vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by a look of heartbreaking concern.

He walked over and gently wrapped an arm around Victoria's shoulders.

"Victoria, do you see now? There's nothing inside except medical waste. You're exhausted. Your hormones are all over the place after giving birth. You're imagining things."

Victoria stared blankly at the bloodstained gauze scattered across the floor, her gaze growing distant.

Had she… really heard it wrong?

The little imposter giggled from the nanny's arms.

[Hahaha! What an idiot! We fooled her again!]

[Once that little witch suffocates in the hidden compartment, the Sterling family's fortune will be all mine!]

Rage exploded inside me.

[Victoria! Don't give up! She's in the hidden compartment under the cart!]

[She's running out of air! Please, look!]

I hurled myself against the net with everything I had. The cords cut into me until blood matted my fur, but Victoria couldn't understand a single word I was trying to tell her.

Ethan glanced at my desperate struggle and ordered coldly, "Victoria, Marmalade's completely out of control. Send him to the animal hospital. Where's the doctor? Give my wife a sedative and let her get some rest."

A nurse approached cautiously with a syringe balanced on a metal tray.

Victoria didn't resist. She simply stood there, hollow-eyed.

Just as the needle was about to pierce her arm, the door flew open.

A tall man strode into the room, an icy aura radiating from every step.

"Ethan Caldwell, have you got a death wish?" His voice was low enough to freeze the room.

It was Logan Sterling, heir to the Sterling family and the true power behind Sterling Group.

His gaze swept across the room before settling on me, trapped inside the net, my muzzle stained with blood. His brows knitted together. Without a word, he strode forward and kicked the guard holding the net so hard the man crashed to the floor.

"Who gave you permission to touch Marmalade?"

Ethan's face turned deathly pale. He hurried forward. "Logan, you've got it all wrong. Marmalade suddenly went berserk—"

"Shut up." Logan didn't even spare him a glance. He walked straight to Victoria, slipped off his suit jacket, and draped it gently over her shoulders.

Then he turned to look at me. His voice was calm, unwavering, and impossible to question.

"I believe Marmalade."