INICIAR SESIÓNMarianne’s eyes widened slightly. Harold slowly lifted his head. Dreston continued calmly, leaving nothing out. “She discovered information connected to the old lab incident.” That word again. ‘The lab.’ Harold’s fingers tightened slightly against his knees. The movement was small. Almost invisible. But Dreston noticed it immediately. Still, he said nothing. Not yet. Dreston explained everything slowly afterward. Carefully. Without dramatizing anything. Tina’s threats, the emotional instability, the pressure, the fake engagement, the public scandals, and Cassienne’s attack. The gala incident. Tonight’s deliberate accident. Every truth. At several points, Marianne quietly covered her mouth while fresh tears rolled down her cheeks again. Because she truly had not known. Not the full extent of it. “She was never like this before,” she whispered painfully. “We thought she was simply obsessed with status… with you. We never imagined…” Dreston believed her. Because honestly, he no l
The private emergency floor of the hospital was entirely quiet by the time midnight settled heavily over Southvale. It was simply exhausted — drained of all earlier chaos and reduced to a tense, watchful stillness filled with low voices, distant footsteps, and the constant, mechanical humming of hospital machines behind closed doors. Outside the ICU unit, armed security personnel remained stationed at every entrance and exit, their presence imposing and unyielding. No visitors. No unauthorized movement. No mistakes. At the far end of the long corridor, Dreston Tremont stood near the large glass window overlooking the sprawling city lights below. The lights of Southvale stretched endlessly beneath the dark sky, beautiful and alive with their usual energy. Yet tonight, none of it comforted him. The view that once represented his empire now felt distant and indifferent. His tie had been removed hours ago and lay forgotten somewhere. The top buttons of his shirt were undone, and his s
The silence that followed Dreston’s words felt heavier than anything else. Inside the living room of the Tremont mansion, Cassienne sat frozen on the couch with her phone pressed tightly against her ear, her knuckles pale from the strength of her grip. Beside her, Jessica remained unusually quiet for once, sensing that this moment was bigger than comfort, or anything simple words could fix. On the other side of the call, Dreston stood alone outside Tina’s ICU room. The hallway lights reflected dimly against the glass walls around him while armed security personnel remained stationed nearby like silent sentinels. Everything looked calm now on the surface. But beneath that calm, nothing felt safe anymore. The illusion of control had shattered completely. Cassienne was the first to finally speak, her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean?” Dreston lowered his eyes briefly, staring at the polished hospital floor as if it held answers he couldn’t yet see. “She tried warning
Not Auralink. Not Cassienne. Not revenge. But the lab. Dreston stepped away from the bed slowly afterward, the sterile scent of antiseptics and blood lingering heavily in the air. He pulled his phone from his pocket with deliberate movements. There was only one person he trusted enough for what came next—one person whose loyalty and resources could match the escalating danger they now faced. The call connected after the second ring. “Dreston?” The familiar, steady voice of Ray Simpson came through calmly from Lisbourn, carrying the quiet authority Dreston had come to rely on over the years. Dreston leaned lightly against the cool wall outside the ICU room, exhaustion weighing heavily on his broad shoulders like an invisible burden he refused to set down. “Tina survived.” A brief, weighted silence followed on the other end. Then Ray asked quietly, his tone sharpening with concern, “How bad?” “She’s in a coma.” Ray exhaled slowly, the sound heavy with grim understanding and the
Late into the night, the private emergency wing of the hospital remained heavily guarded, every corridor transformed into a fortress of controlled tension. Security personnel stood motionless at every corner of the hallway, their postures alert and unyielding, while nurses and doctors moved carefully through the restricted area with tense, exhausted expressions. The atmosphere itself felt suffocating—quiet, cold, and drained of all normal hospital energy, replaced instead by a heavy, foreboding stillness that pressed down on everyone present. At the far end of the corridor, Dreston Tremont stood near the large glass window overlooking the glittering city lights of Southvale. His suit jacket had been removed hours ago, now draped over a nearby chair, and the sleeves of his crisp white shirt were rolled slightly upward, exposing the tense veins running along his powerful forearms. Despite how composed and commanding he appeared from a distance, the deep exhaustion etched in his eyes
The drive back to the Noah estate was really quiet for Daisy Noah, as if the weight of the afternoon had settled over her like a heavy, invisible cloak. She sat beside her mother in the backseat of the luxury vehicle. Across from them, Richard Noah remained occupied with something important on his tablet, speaking occasionally in low, authoritative tones with his assistant through a discreet earpiece. Business never truly left men like him. Not even during family matters or arranged meetings that carried the future of two powerful dynasties. But Daisy barely paid attention to any of it. Her thoughts kept circling back to the same moment, the same piercing question that refused to leave her mind. ‘Who is he?’ The question still lingered hours later, echoing with unsettling clarity. And what unsettled her most was not the question itself, but how quickly and accurately Lucien Virelli had seen through her carefully constructed walls. Daisy leaned her head lightly against the cool wi
Merrick’s fingers flew across the keyboard, striking the keys with sharp precision. Lines of code flooded the monitor—numbers, symbols, and commands appearing and disappearing so quickly they blurred together. The hum of the computer filled the room and that was the only sound competing with the st
Dreston felt the blood drain from his face. Tina, why are you complicating things now? He exhaled slowly before turning back to Cassienne. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, his tone sincere. Cassienne only smiled. She looked calm and unbothered. Her professionalism can not be ignored. “It’s okay
Dreston’s bodyguards arrived later, heavily built men moving with firm steps. Right behind them were Garry and Ray. Tina came last, her face pale and her feet wobbling as if she might collapse at any second. Her eyes were fixed on Dreston, watching every move he made. Dreston didn’t look at any o
Cassienne felt her head pounding before she even opened her eyes. The pain was sharp and heavy, as if someone was hitting a drum inside her skull. She winced and slowly lifted a hand to her forehead. Her mouth was dry, and her body felt weak. When she finally forced her eyes open, she blinked seve







