It was meant for him.Adrian was more than sure the gunshots were meant for him.Adrian's jaw tightened as Romeo's last moments replayed in his mind. “That would have been me," he thought.Romeo was in the wrong place at the wrong time.And he died for it.The van was green, but it was familiar.A Ford Transit.It didn't take long for the doctors to determine the attackers' cause of death.Poison.Someone knew what would happen if he found them.And they wanted to destroy the evidence.Not that it would save them.Lives were involved this time.All bets on a stealthy investigation were off.The gunshots had attracted reporters.Adrian didn't bother telling them off.They were doing their jobs after all.Even better, after one of them tried to interview him and he said, “No comment.”They had kept their distance from him.Mainly reporting on the general circumstances of the incident.They were able to get comments from some patients too.Before doctors ushered their patients inside an

She fell silent.Then, “You are not about to pretend you didn't hear me, are you?”Adrian stilled at that.“I don't pretend anything. I heard you just fine.”“But you won't answer,” she responded testily.Adrian's brow rose.This wasn't like her at all. Perhaps he hadn't known her nearly as well as he'd thought. “What has got into you?” he mused aloud.How on earth had she found out? Her scoff caught his attention. “What has got into me? How about you acting like my hidden identity disappointed you, whereas you're guilty of the same?”“I never said you disappointed me,” he said gravely.“No, you didn't. But I saw your look. I saw you, Adrian, and I have been feeling so guilty since then. Turns out I don't have to be. You have your own secrets too. After all, even engaged couples have secrets, right?”He suddenly understood why people said no one could understand a woman's mind.“Seraphina,” he called calmly."Adrian", she returned in the same tone.Then, “Do you own Echelon?”His br

“Sir, should I still go after…”Adrian shook his head.Then he gestured towards the hospital entrance where Juliet had just been wheeled through.“Put someone on her. Plainclothes. I want to know everything she does from now on. Who she meets with. Where she goes. Everything.”“Yes, sir.”The soldier left immediately.“Blackmail me?” Adrian scoffed.Nobody had dared blackmail him in a very long time.Interesting.He raised his phone to dial a number.Last Updated : 2026-08-08

Why?Adrian couldn't begin to imagine how that lady's mind worked.“Any lady, for that matter,” he thought, remembering Seraphina's earlier outburst.“When did this happen?” he asked tersely.“Less than thirty minutes ago, sir. We've been combing the hospital since, sir. She's nowhere around.”Adrian doubted she had just been spirited out of the hospital.“Any broken windows?”“No, sir. The doctor only found the sheet moulded like a human.”Adrian shook his head. “Question him again. Wait... who left the room before she was discovered missing?”“A nurse, sir. She was the one who called in the doctor according to the lady's demand.”Adrian frowned. “That's what she said?”“Yes, sir.”Adrian grew silent as something clicked in his mind.“Did anyone else enter or leave before the nurse?”“Sir, please, a moment.”Adrian heard the muffled background conversation.Then the soldier was back. “Sir, he said another nurse left earlier, sir. He... he wasn't sure if it was two nurses who entered,

Adrian's mouth tightened as he heard the pitiful shout from inside.“What happened?” he asked Theo.The man didn't mince words this time.“After we spoke this morning, she called. She said she had terrible news. I told her you had already called, but she said there was more to it and…”Adrian raised a brow at him without stopping. Theo sighed and continued, “…that I should not be deceived. She promised to meet us at the dock. Made sure you wouldn't reach me before she did.”Adrian nodded in realisation. “You didn't have network issues, did you?”“Merda put it on airplane mode. Miss Sanchez switched it off when we arrived.”“How am I sure you're not lying to me right now?”“How am I sure you are not?” Theo countered with sudden strength in his voice as he stopped walking.His eyes darted towards the open door where rows of grey steel cubicles could be seen.He looked back at Adrian, emotion swirling in his eyes.“I have never met you before. You suddenly called me to tell me…” He swal