Chapter 8: The Billionaire's Wrath
The tires of the black SUV screeched in protest as Daniel slammed on the brakes outside the emergency room entrance of St. Jude’s Medical Center.
Emily didn't wait for the security detail. She threw the door open and sprinted through the automatic glass doors, her bare feet slapping against the cold linoleum, the heavy emerald silk of her gala gown trailing behind her like a jagged shadow.
"Leo!" she screamed, bursting into the intensive care wing.
Nurses scrambled, trying to intercept her, but Daniel was right behind her, a terrifying force of nature that parted the hospital staff like the Red Sea. His security guards flanked them, securing the hallways.
"Where is he?" Daniel barked at the head nurse, his voice commanding absolute obedience.
"Room 402," the nurse stuttered, pointing down the hall. "The doctors stabilized him, Mr. Vance. It was close."
Emily burst into the room. Leo, her fragile ten-year-old brother, lay in the center of the sterile white bed, surrounded by a mess of wires and monitors that beeped in a slow, rhythmic cadence. He was pale, a fresh oxygen mask strapped over his small face.
"Leo," Emily sobbed, collapsing by his bedside and burying her face in his small, frail hand. "I'm here, buddy. I'm right here."
Daniel stood in the doorway, his eyes scanning the room like a predator hunting for a scent. He walked over to the medical machinery. He saw the frayed, jagged edge of the plastic oxygen tubing where it had been deliberately severed with something sharp.
A cold, homicidal rage washed over Daniel’s face. He turned to his head of security, a towering ex-military man named Brooks.
"Lock down the hospital," Daniel ordered, his voice dangerously quiet. "No one gets in or out without my personal approval. Pull the security footage. Find out who was in this room."
"Sir, we already pulled the tape," Brooks said, handing Daniel a tablet. "The cameras were mysteriously wiped for a ten-minute window. But..." Brooks paused, pulling a small, glossy object from an evidence bag. "We found this kicked under the bed."
Daniel took the bag. Inside was a heavy gold cufflink. It was custom-engraved with the initials M.V.
Marcus Vance.
Daniel’s grip tightened on the bag until his knuckles turned white. Marcus hadn't just tried to humiliate Emily; he had teamed up with Vanessa or Richard Sinclair to murder a child to keep Emily out of the picture.
Daniel walked over to Emily. He knelt beside her on the cold hospital floor, wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest. She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into his white dress shirt, staining the expensive fabric with tears and mascara.
He didn't care. He held her tighter, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"I will never let anyone hurt him again," Daniel whispered into her ear, making a vow that shifted the very foundation of his soul. "I am moving Leo to a secure medical wing in my private estate tonight. He will have round-the-clock doctors. And as for Marcus... I am going to end him."
Emily looked up at Daniel, her amber eyes blazing with a newfound, terrifying fire. The scared little maid was gone. The Sinclair blood was finally boiling in her veins.
"No, Daniel," Emily said, her voice dropping to a deadly, even tone. "We are going to end him. Together."
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Daniel looked at her, his heart skipping a beat. He wasn't looking at a fake fiancé anymore. He was looking at a queen preparing for war.
"Tomorrow is the emergency board meeting," Daniel said, a dark smile playing on his lips. "Let's go ruin some lives."
