The sun hadn't even touched the horizon when Alicia woke up with a jolt. The silence of the stone cottage, which had felt like a sanctuary just hours ago, now felt like a trap. She looked at Arthur, who was still asleep, his face looking younger and more vulnerable in the dim light of dawn.
She remembered Henry's cold voice at the docks: "Your silence is the only thing keeping your brother's treatment funded."
But it wasn't just about the money anymore. It was about the look in Henry's eyes—the look of a man who didn't view a child's life as sacred, but as a bargaining chip.
Her phone vibrated on the wooden nightstand. It was an alert from the hospital's security app, one that Arthur had installed for her. "Unauthorized Visitor Access: Ward 4."
"Arthur! Wake up!" Alicia shook him, her voice tight with panic.
Arthur was awake in a second, his instincts sharpened by years of looking over his shoulder. "What is it? What happened?"
"The hospital. Someone is in Léo's ward. Arthur, it's 5 AM. No one is allowed there!"
Arthur grabbed his keys, his face hardening into a mask of pure fury. "Henry. He didn't even wait for the sun to come up."
They flew down the gravel path in the Rolls-Royce, the engine roaring like a beast through the quiet estate. Arthur was on the phone, his voice cold as he barked orders. "Security? This is Arthur Carter. I want a lockdown on the pediatric oncology wing at St. Jude's. Now! If anyone gets in or out before I arrive, you're all fired!"
As they reached the highway, a black SUV began to tail them. Then another.
"They're trying to block us," Alicia gasped, looking at the side mirrors.
"Hold on," Arthur growled, his hands steady on the wheel. He pushed the pedal to the floor, weaving through the early morning traffic with a precision that was terrifying. "They think I'm just a businessman. They forgot I spent my youth escaping people much worse than them."
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Melissa stood outside Léo's glass room. She was dressed in a nurse's scrubs, her blonde hair tucked under a cap. She held a syringe in her hand—not filled with poison, but with a sedative that would allow them to move the boy to an "undisclosed location."
"I'm sorry, little boy," Melissa whispered, her eyes cold as she looked at the sleeping child. "But your sister should have learned to stay in her lane."
She reached for the door handle, but just as she touched it, the hospital's red emergency lights began to flash. The sirens wailed, and the electronic lock on the door turned red.
"Dammit!" Melissa hissed, pulling at the handle.
From the end of the hallway, the elevator doors hissed open. Alicia and Arthur burst out, breathless and desperate.
"Get away from him!" Alicia's scream echoed through the sterile hallway.
Melissa turned, a cruel smirk crossing her face as she saw them. She didn't look like a socialite anymore; she looked like a cornered predator. "You're too late, Alicia. The transfer papers were signed by Henry Carter himself. Legally, Léo is being moved to a 'private clinic'."
Arthur stepped forward, his presence filling the hallway. "My father doesn't own this hospital, Melissa. And as of ten minutes ago, he doesn't own me either."