The following morning after the wedding, Caiden stirred before sunrise. Cecilia was still asleep beside him, one hand lightly resting on his chest, her breathing even and calm. He stayed still, watching the faint light of early morning slip through the curtains, his mind turning over everything that had already happened, and everything still ahead.On the nightstand lay the flash drive the unknown woman had delivered. Marcus had spent the night going through it, and a preliminary report was already waiting on Caiden’s phone. He hadn’t opened it yet. For a few hours, he had chosen to keep the war at a distance, just long enough to have one night that belonged entirely to them.Now the night has ended.Caiden eased himself out of bed as quietly as possible, careful not to disturb Cecilia. Despite his effort, she shifted anyway, she always seemed to notice.“Where are you going?” she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.“To go through Marcus’s report,” he said softly. “Go back to bed

The flight out of London dragged on, and neither of them managed to rest. Cecilia stayed focused on her tablet, studying financial reports with a tight, focused expression. Caiden, meanwhile, looked out of the window as the clouds split beneath the plane’s wing, his mind already on what was waiting for them once they landed.“Fifteen percent,” Cecilia said without lifting her eyes from the screen. “Rainz Pharmaceuticals’ debt. Bought through a shell company in Luxembourg. It took three weeks to close, but it’s been finalized.”Caiden turned away from the window. “So you’ve bought into their debt structure.”“I bought their fear,” she corrected him. “They don’t know who controls it yet. But once they do, every move they make will have to pass through us first.”He watched her in profile, the sharp curve of her nose, the constant motion of her fingers across the screen. Three months ago, she had been nothing more than a convenient ally. Now she wore his ring and was quietly reshaping the

The Howard Hospital boardroom looked exactly as it had for decades, nothing changed, almost frozen in time. The same beautiful mahogany table, the same brass fittings, the same portraits of donors lining the walls, their faces wearing that familiar air of beauty, charitable pride.Caiden had been here only twice before, once as a resident accepting a research grant, and once at his mother’s memorial service, when the board offered condolences that felt hollow and insincere.Today, he occupied the head of the table.Across from him sat seven board members, four men and three women, all long-standing figures who had served for over a decade. Each of them had approved the financial statements that drained the hospital’s charitable programs, diverting funds into a network of accounts ultimately linked to the Consortium.None of them had any idea why they’d been called in.“Thank you for making the time,” Caiden began. His voice stayed even, calm and carefully restrained. The same tone he u

The leak broke into the financial markets at 9:47 a.m. Eastern time, when a full transcript of Nevan Matthews’ recorded confession, backed by audio evidence was simultaneously sent to the FDA, the SEC, and three leading financial news organizations.Within thirty minutes, Rainz Pharmaceutical’s shares had already fallen by twenty-two percent. By midday, trading was completely suspended.Cecilia watched the numbers scattered on her tablet, it was looking satisfying, like a chess player who had just taken the most important piece.“FDA has started a formal investigation,” Michael said from the doorway of the penthouse study. “The SEC is also checking Rainz executives for insider trading. They may have sold their shares before the leak came out. Nevan’s lawyers are saying the recording was taken illegally.”“It isn’t,” Cecilia replied without taking her eyes off the screen. “Louisiana is a one-party consent state. Caiden was involved in the conversation, so the recording is legally valid

The surgery room felt cold and was filled with many bright lights. Caiden performed the operation with a lot of steadiness, he was being careful with his movements, using the scalpel exactly when needed while staying fully focused on the procedure.The nurses quietly moved around him, giving him tools, fine-tuning the machines, and carefully observing the readings on the monitors.Maelie was lying on the table. From her waist down, she felt nothing, but her thoughts were still moving fast. The spinal injection had worked quickly, so she could feel pressure but no pain.She turned her head a little and saw Caiden above his surgical mask. His eyes were steady and serious, well focused. They were the same eyes she had once looked into years ago, back when everything between them was very different.“Your blood pressure fell too quickly,” he said, without looking into her eyes. “The baby’s heartbeat wasn’t steady. We couldn’t delay any longer.”Then she swallowed nervously. “Will the baby