The Moonlight Heir

Chapter 15

Elinya's pov

I stared at Isabella.

Then at the black card in my hand.

“This…” I began, my voice faltering. “Uh… uhh—”

I couldn’t finish.

Before I could gather my thoughts, she grabbed my shoulders, her grip firm.

“I heard Izar came to the hospital today,” she said quickly. “Is it true?”

Her eyes searched my face, wide and urgent.

“Y-yes,” I answered quietly.

She froze.

Then she covered her mouth, shock flashing across her features so clearly it startled me.

“No way…” she whispered. “So the rumors were true?”

My stomach twisted. Even outside the hospital, the news had spread.

I nodded faintly.

Her gaze dropped—to the card.

“Is that somehow connected to him?” she asked slowly.

My fingers tightened around it.

“He told me to be at the location tomorrow,” I said, then handed it to her.

She took the card, reading it once.

Then twice.

Her head snapped up.

“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “No way.”

She looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time.

“He came all the way to the hospital… for you?” she said, disbelief thick in her voice. “And gave you his card?”

She laughed once—but there was no humor in it.

“That’s not the kind of man he is,” she said firmly. “He doesn’t visit people. He doesn’t summon interns. He doesn’t explain himself.”

She held the card like it might burn her fingers.

“Elinya,” she said, lowering her voice, “when Izar Volkovich calls someone to him… it’s never without a reason.”

The room felt smaller.

Heavier.

Isabella sat down slowly on the edge of the bed, still holding the card like it was something dangerous.

“Do you know what this place is?” she asked quietly.

I shook my head.

“I’ve only heard things,” she continued. “Moonlight Estate isn’t just a residence. It’s where decisions are made—decisions that ruin lives.”

My throat went dry.

She looked up at me again, eyes filled with worry now rather than shock.

“Elinya… people don’t leave that place the same,” she said. “Some come back changed. Some don’t come back at all.”

I swallowed hard.

“I don’t have a choice,” I said, more to convince myself than her. “He didn’t ask. He told me.”

She exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples.

“Of course he did,” she muttered. “That’s how they work.”

She stood and paced the room once, then stopped in front of me.

“You’re not someone who belongs in their world,” she said softly. “You heal people. You care. They destroy without blinking.”

I looked down at the card again.

“But if I refuse,” I whispered, “what happens then?”

She didn’t answer immediately.

That silence was worse than any warning.

Finally, she spoke.

“They don’t like refusal.”

The words settled heavily between us.

I clenched my fists.

“I’ll go,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’ll do what I’m supposed to do. And then I’ll come back.”

Isabella reached out and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Just… be careful,” she murmured. “Watch what you say. Watch how you look at him. And whatever happens—don’t let him see fear.”

I closed my eyes, breathing her in.

Tomorrow.

Moonlight Estate.

And a man whose name alone was enough to make people disappear.