Evan Leigh's POV
The city lights blurred past the window as the car moved smoothly through the night streets.
I rested my arm against the door, watching the reflections glide across the glass like liquid gold.
My assistant sat in the front seat, silently reviewing something on his tablet.
Hospitals always smelled the same.
Sterile.
Cold.
Quietly desperate.
I tapped my fingers lightly against my knee as the car approached the building.
Raya Hospital.
A small smile curved my lips.
"How cruel destiny is with you, Kian Silver," I murmured softly to myself.
My assistant glanced back slightly.
I chuckled under my breath.
"For your grandmother to be admitted in a hospital owned by Diamant Reed."
I stepped out of the car once we arrived, adjusting my suit jacket as I entered the building.
Bright lights.
White walls.
Muted footsteps echoing through long corridors.
A nurse approached politely.
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Yes," I said smoothly. "I'm here to see Mrs. Silver."
Moments later, I stood beside an elderly woman's hospital bed.
Kian's grandmother looked frail, but her eyes were sharp.
She studied me carefully.
"And who might you be?" she asked gently.
I gave her a polite smile.
"My name is Evan Leigh."
Recognition flickered faintly across her expression, though she didn't fully understand why the name sounded familiar.
"I'm Kian's boss."
Her face immediately softened with relief.
"Oh… you're his employer."
I nodded calmly.
"Yes. I heard about your condition."
Her hands trembled slightly beneath the hospital blanket.
"My grandson works very hard," she said quietly. "Too hard sometimes."
"I'm aware," I replied.
I turned toward the doctor standing nearby.
"She will be transferred to the presidential suite immediately."
The doctor blinked.
"Sir?"
"Full treatment. Best care available."
Within minutes, nurses began moving quickly, preparing the transfer.
Kian's grandmother looked confused.
"This must cost a lot…" she said nervously.
I gave her a calm smile.
"Don't worry."
After all.
This wasn't kindness.
This was strategy.
Later that night, back in the car, I turned to my assistant.
"Next task."
"Yes, sir."
"Kian Silver's part time job."
The assistant nodded.
"A small IT service company."
"Call the owner."
The phone rang once before connecting.
I spoke calmly.
"You're employing a university student under the claim that he's a graduate."
Silence.
"You're aware that's illegal, correct?"
The man on the other end began to panic immediately.
"I didn't know—he said he already graduated—"
"I'm sure you didn't know," I said smoothly.
"But if the authorities find out, your business might face serious consequences."
The man's voice shook.
"What do you want?"
"Accept Kian Silver's resignation."
"But he never—"
"He has now."
Silence.
"…Okay."
I ended the call.
My assistant looked slightly uneasy.
"Kian doesn't know."
I leaned back in my seat, staring out at the city lights again.
"He will."
Soon.
Very soon.
I let out a soft chuckle.
"Kian Silver…" I whispered quietly to myself.
A slow, satisfied smile spread across my face.
"I've got you from every corner."
Diamant's POV
The lingering smell of burnt garlic and Noah's wounded pride still hung in the air long after the plates had been cleared away.
Noah had refused to let me help with the dishes, claiming it was the least I could do after "assassinating his character" over a plate of pasta.
I stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window of the living room, hands shoved deep into my pockets, watching the city skyline.
On the surface, the domestic banter was normal.
It was us.
But the phantom weight in the room hadn't lifted.
When Noah finally walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a dishtowel, his shoulders dropped the moment he thought I wasn't looking.
That was the giveaway.
"Noah," I called out softly.
He blinked, putting on that practiced, effortless smile again. "What? Still want to insult my dishwashing skills too?"
"Come here."
He hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking over to the window, standing just a step away from me.
I didn't say anything at first. I simply reached out, my fingers wrapping gently around his wrist, pulling him just close enough so that our shoulders brushed.
"You're spinning your wheels," I said, my voice low, dropping the playful edge from earlier. "What happened today?"
Noah looked out at the city lights, the reflection of the distant towers dancing in his eyes. For a long moment, he didn't answer.
"Just... thinking," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. The high-energy shield he usually wore was completely gone.
"About?"
"About how fragile things are," he said, laughing softly, though there was no humor in it. "One day everything is fine. The next, the ground just disappears under your feet."
I turned my head to look at him, my grip on his wrist tightening just enough to anchor him. "Did someone say something to you?"
"No," he said quickly. Too quickly. "No, Diamant, really. It's just... a mood. I'm fine."
He was lying.
But as I looked at the slight paleness of his skin and the exhaustion etched into the corners of his eyes, I realized pressing him right now would only make him retreat further into his shell.
"Alright," I said quietly, letting my hand slide down from his wrist to lace my fingers through his. His hand was cold, but it tightened around mine instantly.
"But remember who you're talking to," I added, looking back out at the city. "There is nothing you can hide from me forever."
Noah let out a breath, a genuine, albeit tired, smile finally touching his lips. "I know."
I let the silence settle between us again, keeping his hand trapped in mine.
Let him keep his secret for tonight.
Tomorrow, I would have my people look into exactly where Noah had gone today, and who he had spoken to.
If someone had dare disturb the peace in my house, they would find out very quickly why the Reed name was feared.