Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 71 - Chapitre 80

The sterile white walls of the psychiatric facility seemed to hum with silence as they stood before the heavy, reinforced glass of the room, The door was locked, a small speaker mounted near the frame letting them communicate with the person inside without crossing into danger.Through the large window, Mrs. Ashford sat huddled in the corner, her sharp features drawn tight with misery. Her once-commanding presence had been reduced to a trembling into a tight ball of misery, her arms wrapped around her knees, her hair disheveled, her skin pale under the fluorescent lights., her eyes darting like a trapped animal. Lena’s stomach twisted. She hadn’t faced Mrs. Ashford like this since the days she ran away from her after realizing she's plotting her demise and now, seeing her so vulnerable yet still dangerous, Lena felt a shiver run down her spine. Ezra tugged gently at her hand, looking up with wide, innocent eyes, and she forced herself to bow slightly, brushing his hair back softly.

The ultrasound room was dim, the soft hum of the machine filling the silence. I lay back on the cushioned table, my blouse folded neatly above my belly, cool gel spread across my skin. The female doctor moved the probe gently, her eyes focused on the monitor. The screen flickered in shades of black and white, patterns I couldn’t make sense of, but to me, it was already the most beautiful picture. Kai stood close by, one hand resting lightly on my shoulder, his thumb brushing over my collarbone in slow circles as if to keep me steady. His other hand was wrapped around Ezra’s little one, their fingers linked tightly. Ezra was perched on the step-stool the nurse had pulled over for him, his curious eyes wide looking at the screen. “Look, Daddy, is that the baby?” he whispered, pointing at the shadows that danced across the monitor. Kai’s face softened as he crouched slightly to Ezra’s height. “Yes, buddy. That’s your little

The estate was already in lockdown by the time Kai’s car screehed through the wrought-iron gates. Security cars lined the driveway, headlights cutting across the manicured gardens. Guards patrolled the grounds in pairs, earpieces flashing as they barked into radios. Floodlights lit the corners of the property, painting long shadows against the marble façade. Kai’s black car roared through the gates, gravel crunching beneath its tires. Before it even stopped, he stepped out, his presence slicing through the air like a blade. His long coat snapped behind him as he strode forward, the guards stiffening at the weight of his aura. “Where is my son?” His voice cut, low and deadly calm. “Inside, sir. With the nannies.” Kai didn’t wait for more. He entered the house, his stride echoing against marble floors, climbed the staircase two steps at a time, and flung open the nursery door. There Ezra. The little boy sat cross-legged on the rug, toys scattered around him. Grace knelt near

A man obeyed. The frame froze on a wide-angle shot of the corridor empty except for a cleaning cart and a janitor at the far end. Kai leaned in, the muscles at his neck flexing. “Enhance,” he said. The tech complied, feeding the clip through software that brightened, sharpened, stretched pixels until a clearer silhouette emerged. It wasn’t his mother. It wasn’t the kind of recognizably familiar face that would have meant anything to him at first glance. It was a figure with the hood pulled low, hands jammed into pockets, walking with a purposeful stride toward the service exit. “Freeze it there.” Kai pointed. The narrow profile on screen belonged to someone smallish, moving with the intent of someone who knew where they were going. “Run that against entry logs. Who signed out at 16:30? Any staff badges? Vendor exits?” “Yes, sir. Pulling now.” The tech’s fingers flew. They replayed other angles the stairwell cam, the service elevator—each gave the same result a brief, deliber

It had been four hours since they left the charity event, fours hours of Kai sitting in the jet, fists clenched back to the city, The city blurred past the tinted windows as Kai’s car raced through the streets. He hadn’t blinked in minutes, his eyes dry and burning, fixed on the phone in his hand. He had called her number twenty-seven times since the plane touched down. Each time, it rang. Each time, it never go through. With every unanswered call, his chest hollowed further, his grip on his sanity fraying. “Straight to Sterling Corp,” he snapped, voice hoarse. His driver knew better than to argue. By the time the car screeched to a stop in front of Sterling Corp, . He stepped out like a storm given form no polished calm, just a gun clenched at his side, his shirt sleeves rolled, his tie loose. Security scrambled, employees froze in mid-conversation, and whispers shot across the glass atrium like sparks. Gasps followed him down the corridor, employees scattering to the sides,