His legs were ruined.
Twisted at unnatural angles, the damage severe enough that it was obvious-this hadn’t been treated properly. Maybe it couldn’t be.
Either way, it was permanent.
Hard to even look at.
“Who did this?” she asked.
Her voice was quiet. Too quiet.
Louie pulled the blanket back over his legs. “Drop it. We can’t take them on.”
Scarlett let out a slow breath.
“There’s no one I can’t deal with,” she said.
“Just tell me who it was.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Not this time,” Louie said, meeting her eyes. “You just got back. Let it go. We’ll keep things simple. That’s enough.”
He meant it.
So did Amy.
They were afraid she’d do something reckless.
Scarlett saw it clearly.
So she let it go.
For now.
Her gaze fell back to his legs.
“…Can it be fixed?”
Louie gave a short, humorless laugh. “Every specialist I saw said the same thing. I’m not walking again.”
He tried to sound fine with it.
He wasn’t.
Scarlett didn’t react.
“I know someone,” she said. “If anyone can fix this, he can.”
Louie shook his head. “Don’t get your hopes up.”
“He’s not like the others.”
She turned to Howard. “Get Dr. Nyx here.”
Howard nodded. “I’ll reach out-“
“Wait.”
Scarlett held out her hand.
“I’ll call him.”
She dialed.
The line picked up after a few rings.
“Well, this is a surprise,” an older man said. “Didn’t think you remembered me.”
“Where are you?” Scarlett asked. “I need you here.”
A pause.
“What happened? You’re hurt?”
“It’s not me. It’s my brother, Louie. His legs are badly damaged. I need you in the capital. Tonight.”
“Tonight?” he scoffed. “I’m in the U.S. Even if I leave now-“
Scarlett glanced at Howard.
“Call in a military jet,” she said. “Have it ready.”
Silence.
Then-
“Don’t you dare,” the man snapped. “I’m not making a scene like that.”
A beat.
“…I’ll book a flight. Earliest one I can get. Just don’t send anyone after me.”
The call ended.
Not long after, his assistant stepped into the room.
“Someone from Cross Corp reached out,” he said. “They’re offering a huge fee for a private consult.”
“No time,” the man replied, already grabbing his coat. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”
“Should I decline it?”
“Yeah.”
He didn’t even hesitate.
“Book me the next flight out.”
Theo lay unconscious in the hospital bed, his small face flushed with fever. An IV line ran into his arm, the steady drip the only sign of control in an otherwise worsening situation.
When Rhys stepped inside, he immediately felt it-
The tension.
Theron sat beside the bed, silent, still, but the pressure around him was suffocating.
“Sir,” Rhys said quietly.
Theron stood without a word and walked out. Rhys followed, and the door clicked shut behind them.
“Any update on Nyx?” Theron asked.
“We reached him,” Rhys said carefully. “He refused.”
The air shifted.
Rhys didn’t pause.
“But I tracked his movements. He’s heading to the capital-someone important is here. He’s already booked a flight. Arrival should be tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have people waiting at the airport.”
“No.”
Theron’s voice cut clean through the hallway.
“I’ll go.”
Rhys blinked, then nodded. “Understood.”
Theron didn’t explain.
He didn’t need to.
If Nyx was as difficult as they said-
Sending someone else wouldn’t be enough.
Monroe Residence
Dinner had just ended when Howard returned.
Scarlett set her glass down.
“Mom, Louie-I need to step out for a bit.
Something came up.”
Amy looked concerned, but didn’t stop her. Louie just gave a small nod.
Outside, Scarlett didn’t waste time.
“Well?”
Howard’s expression darkened. “I found out who did it.”
A pause.
“It was Colin Drake.”
Scarlett’s eyes went cold.
“Why?”
Howard hesitated, just for a second.
“Louie’s fianc?e thought he wasn’t good enough for her. She got involved with Colin. Louie caught them together… confronted him.”
He exhaled slowly.
“It turned into a fight. Colin had his guys step in. They broke Louie’s legs… then wrecked the yard.”
Silence.
“And now,” Howard added, “she’s engaged to Colin.”
A sharp crack echoed as Scarlett’s fingers tightened into a fist.
The air around her seemed to shift.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.