Derek stormed down the hospital corridors, his footsteps echoing sharply off the polished floors. Every step tightened his resolve, the tension in his jaw like coiled steel. He had only just returned, barely setting foot inside the hospital, and already his worst fears had been confirmed—Ella was missing. The guards he’d stationed were either unconscious or in critical condition, and her ward was ominously empty. Each heartbeat drove home a fresh surge of rage as he struggled to keep his emotions under control. Derek’s footsteps thundered through the hospital corridors, each step radiating the fury coursing through him. The air around him crackled with barely contained rage as he stormed into the security room, barking orders at the bewildered hospital staff. “Who’s in charge here?” His

