Chapter 17
942 Words
Alex burst into the hospital, not bothering to ask anyone for directions. He already knew where Sophia would be, the same VIP room where Isabella had once been treated.
He took the stairs two at a time, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
On the second floor, the sight before him froze his steps. Lucas was crying uncontrollably, his small body trembling in Nate's arms. It was the first time Alex had ever seen the boy so broken, and something inside him twisted painfully.
He'd never had siblings, never known the kind of bond that tied one heart to another, but seeing it now, so raw and real, drained the strength from his body.
Nate was doing everything he could to calm the boy, whispering soft words, but Lucas's eyes never left the hospital room door.
Alex strode forward, jaw clenched, and without warning, pulled Lucas out of Nate's embrace.
"What are you doing?" he barked, glaring at Nate. "Trying to steal my children too?"
Nate's eyes hardened, but he said nothing.
Alex crouched beside Lucas, forcing his voice to sound firm, almost reassuring. "Sophia will be fine," he said. But even as the words left his lips, he didn't believe them fully.
He didn't know how bad her condition was, or what exactly had happened, but the fear written on everyone's faces told him it was serious.
He reached out to ruffle Lucas's hair, but the boy flinched and pulled away. Then, to Alex's shock, Lucas ran straight back to Nate and buried his face against his chest, sobbing harder.
Alex froze. His throat tightened.
What… did I do wrong?
He stood there, staring at the hospital door, his fists clenching by his sides. He wanted to ask Nate what had happened, what was wrong with his daughter, but pride stopped him.
If he couldn't even handle his own family without Nate's help, how could he ever hope to fight him in the future?
A cold sneer curled at Alex's lips. Without another glance at them, he turned and walked down the stairs to the first floor, straight to the head doctor's office.
Alex reached the door to the head doctor's office. He raised his hand to push it open, but froze when a nurse's voice floated out, low and professional, the kind that usually softened him.
"…the father who brought his daughter in after a rash broke out - this is her report, sir."
He slammed the door open. "What father and daughter?" he demanded.
The head doctor stood, startled, while the nurse tried to shrink away. Fear flickered across their faces at the sight of him, he was a striking man, and the terror in his eyes was something neither of them wanted to stare at for long.
"Stay," Alex ordered the nurse. She halted in mid–step, breath shallow. She'd never had someone command her like that before.
"Please, have a seat, sir," the head doctor managed.
Alex's voice was low, deliberate. "What's the girl's name?"
"S...Sophia," the nurse stammered, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"And the father?" Alex asked slowly.
"She was brought in by Mr. Nate," the nurse blurted out, the words spilling like they'd been waiting in her throat. She hated dealing with rich people; they made everyone tremble.
Alex's lips pressed into a thin line. He glared at them. "Seems this hospital isn't competent enough," he said, the insult sharp.
The head doctor's mouth opened, then closed. This hospital was among the best, was this man unwell, or did he need to be seen by a neurologist? Panic fluttered through the doctor's professional composure.
"No.....no, sir. We are—" he began, scrambling for tone.
"That girl is my child," Alex said, voice icily calm. "If anything happens to her, consider your life, and your family's, over." There was no anger in the words; only an absolute, frightening certainty.
He turned and started for the stairs, but then remembered why he'd come. He still didn't know Sophia's condition. He halted, shouldered back into the room, and watched the doctor bark orders.
Alex returned to the chair. The head doctor rose again in reflex, then stopped when Alex gave a single cold command: "Sit." The doctor sat immediately, the fear obvious in his posture.
"What happened to my daughter?" Alex asked, and even in the word daughter his voice softened, as if the title itself cut him in two.
"Sir, here is the report," the doctor said, composing himself. "A foreign substance was introduced into her system, which caused the fainting. She also ingested something she's allergic to, those two factors likely caused the rashes. We're still running intensive tests." His tone had returned to professional, but his hands shook slightly.
"Do you know what she's allergic to?" the doctor asked cautiously.
"That's your job," Alex dismissed, though a small, guilty tug hit him, he didn't actually know his child. If Isabella had been there, she'd have understood Sophia in a way he didn't.
Alex stood. "How do you think the substance was introduced?" he asked one last time.
"Through food, sir," the doctor replied without hesitation, rising as well. He'd been waiting for the question.
The answer landed like a blow. Alex left the office in a single swift stride and headed for Sophia's ward. He needed to see her. He needed to know.
With each step his gaze hardened, cold, menacing, and certain. A conclusion was forming in his mind about who would dare to hurt his child.
None of you will go unpunished, he vowed silently. No matter who you are, I won't spare you, for you hurt my child.
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