Darius and Naomi arrived at the hospital shortly afterward. Naomi moved quickly through the corridors, barely slowing down as she led him toward the private ward where her father was being treated. The moment they entered, Darius saw several doctors and nurses surrounding Gabriel’s bed. Doctor Ryan stood closest to the patient, while Daniel Ashford watched from the side with a few other senior doctors. An elderly man Darius had never seen before stood near the window, his expression tense as he stared at Gabriel.“Uncle, when did you arrive?” Naomi asked as she hurried toward him.“I came immediately after I heard your father’s condition had worsened,” the old man replied. He was Thomas Wen, Gabriel Wen’s younger brother and a senior member of the Wen family. His worried expression disappeared for a moment when his eyes landed on Darius. He looked him over from head to toe before turning back to Naomi. “Who is this young man?”Naomi quickly introduced him. “Uncle, this is Mr. Darius.

The room fell into stunned silence. Naomi stared at her father, unable to process what she had just heard. Her uncle Thomas had poisoned him? The same uncle who had spent the entire time acting worried about his condition? Thomas’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest. Had Gabriel actually discovered the truth? No. That was impossible. He had poisoned Gabriel’s drink several hours before the symptoms appeared. The poison had been designed to take hours before showing any effects, and Gabriel had already been asleep by the time the toxin began spreading through his body. Thomas had been certain there was no way anyone could connect him to the poisoning. He quickly forced a smile onto his face despite the sweat forming on his forehead. “What are you saying, brother? Why would I ever want to poison you? You’re my only brother.” Gabriel frowned weakly. “You were the last person I had a drink with before I became sick.” Naomi immediately looked at Thomas, and so did everyone else. T

Cassie stared at Darius, her brows drawing together. “What stuff? Stop pretending. We all know that’s not the real reason you came here.”Patricia immediately seized the opportunity to intervene. “Exactly! Don’t even think about asking Cassie to take you back. She’s finally free of you, and there’s no way we’re allowing you to drag her down again.”Darius raised an eyebrow. “Take me back?”He looked directly at Patricia, then shifted his gaze to Cassie. “You keep talking as though I was the one who got dumped. Let me remind you of something. I was the one who asked for the divorce. I dumped her, not the other way around.”Cassie’s expression changed instantly. Her heart nearly stopped. She had told her family that she was the one who initiated the divorce, carefully presenting herself as the woman who had finally decided to walk away from an incompetent husband. Now Darius had casually contradicted her in front of everyone.“Shut up, Darius! You’re a liar!” she snapped.“What’s there

Gary continued to toy with the necklace, deliberately keeping it out of Darius’s reach. He watched the anger building in Darius’s eyes and seemed to find it amusing. Rather than returning it, he turned the small piece of jewelry over in his fingers before looking at Darius with a mocking grin.“You know what? I’ve decided to keep this necklace.”Darius’s expression darkened. “I’m warning you for the last time. Give it back.”Patricia immediately stepped in, her face twisting with disdain. “Why should he? You’ve lived in this house for years, and everything in it belongs to the Ashford family. We decide what you get to take and what you leave behind. You should be grateful we’re even allowing you to walk out with that box.”Darius stared at her, momentarily stunned by the absurdity of her reasoning. He had never claimed ownership of anything in the Ashford residence. He had come for the few belongings he brought with him, and the necklace Gary was holding wasn’t even his. It belonged t

“Thank you, Aaron. I knew I could count on you.”Cassie’s voice softened as she spoke. After everything that had happened that morning, Aaron’s promise had given her some comfort. Unlike Darius, who had done nothing but bring trouble into her life, Aaron always seemed willing to stand by her.“But if I may ask, how exactly do you plan to deal with him?” she asked. “You said you’d make him apologize within twenty-four hours. How are you going to do that?”“Just leave it to me, baby girl. You don’t need to worry about the details. I’ll handle everything.”Cassie didn’t press him further. She trusted Aaron enough to believe he had a plan, and she was looking forward to seeing Darius finally pay for humiliating her family.What she didn’t know was that Aaron had already made his move. Darius’s mother had been kidnapped, and the people responsible were acting under his instructions. He had deliberately presented the plan as a way of getting revenge on Cassie’s behalf, knowing she would wel