A Breach in the walls
1366 Words
The suite on the top floor of the private hospital was pristine—silent, sterile, and suffocating. Aria sat beside Lila’s hospital bed, her fingers gently curled around her sister’s frail hand. The rhythmic beeping of machines filled the space, offering the only proof that her sister was still here. Still fighting.
The door clicked open behind her.
“Mrs. Wilder?” a soft voice called.
She turned to find the nurse from earlier, clipboard in hand, posture respectful now that she knew who she was dealing with.
“Yes?”
“Dr. Castell is running some additional scans. Lila’s stabilized for now, but he’ll be monitoring her closely. If there’s anything else you need…”
“I’ll let you know,” Aria said. Her voice was steady, but her insides were a whirlwind.
The nurse hesitated. “Also, we’ve restricted access to this wing as instructed by Mr. Wilder. Only pre-cleared personnel and family are allowed in.”
“Good. Keep it that way.”
When the nurse left, Aria leaned back in her chair and stared at her sister, brushing a piece of hair away from Lila’s face.
“I won’t let them get to you again,” she whispered. “Not now. Not ever.”
---
At the Wilder Penthouse…
Knox stood in front of the penthouse’s security monitor, jaw clenched. Ezra’s voice crackled through the speakerphone.
“There’s been chatter,” Ezra said. “Encrypted messages bouncing between contacts tied to the Valentinos and a burner registered to an address linked to your staff payroll. We traced one ping back to a service apartment in Midtown—leased under a fake name, but the payments match someone on your books.”
“Who?” Knox demanded.
There was a pause.
“Dahlia.”
Knox’s throat tightened.
She’d been with him for almost five years. Discreet. Loyal. Too loyal?
He turned as the elevator chimed.
Speak of the devil.
Dahlia stepped in, carrying a fresh arrangement of white roses for the marble table near the entrance. “You’re home early again.”
Knox watched her carefully. “Aria’s at the hospital with Lila. I’m heading there soon.”
She nodded, expression unreadable. “I hope the girl recovers quickly.”
So calm. Too calm.
He walked past her slowly. “By the way… Have any visitors been here today?”
“No,” she replied. “Just Cecelia Wilder. She came by unannounced, said she was family.”
“And you let her in?”
Dahlia met his gaze. “She insisted. And she still has the family code.”
Knox said nothing.
But the list in his mind was growing. Two suspects. Two masks. One of them was going to slip soon.
---
At the hospital…
The door to Lila’s suite opened without a knock.
Aria stood up, instinctively stepping in front of her sister—until she saw him.
Knox.
He shut the door behind him and strode over, something darker than usual lurking in his eyes.
“What is it?” she asked immediately.
He cupped her cheek, brushing his thumb across the corner of her mouth like he needed the reassurance that she was real.
“There’s a leak,” he said. “Inside my staff.”
Aria’s heart stilled. “Dahlia?”
He nodded. “Possibly. But Cecelia showed up today too. She knew things she shouldn’t. She’s sniffing around, and Dahlia let her in.”
Aria exhaled. “You think they’re working together?”
“I think I’ve trusted too many people for too long.” He leaned in closer. “And I think we need to make some moves before they strike again.”
Just then, Aria’s phone buzzed on the table.
Blocked number.
She answered it with hesitation.
The voice on the other end was male. Calm. Familiar in a way that made her skin crawl.
“Enjoy your little tower, Mrs. Wilder,” the voice said. “But castles fall. And you’ve just made yourself a queen worth hunting.”
The line went dead.
Aria turned to Knox, her voice low. “They know I’m here.”
Knox’s jaw clenched. “Then it’s time we stop playing defense.”
---
Knox’s fingers flexed at his sides, his eyes already calculating, dangerous. “Did you recognize the voice?”
Aria slowly shook her head. “No. But he knew where I was. That I’m Mrs. Wilder.”
Knox’s jaw ticked. “Then someone from inside my circle gave them that detail. Not yours.”
He reached for her phone, tapped the screen, and slid it into his pocket. “Ezra will trace it. I don’t care how many proxies or firewalls they used—I’ll find whoever made that call.”
Aria turned back to Lila, her heart twisting at the pale girl in the bed. “She’s safe here?”
“For now. But I’m assigning two private security guards to the suite. Inside. Armed.” He met her eyes. “I’ll also be moving a secure panic room protocol into place for both of you. No arguments.”
She didn’t argue.
Because for the first time since the nightmare started, Aria didn’t feel safe—not even with Knox beside her.
And that scared her more than the phone call.
A knock came at the door.
Knox turned sharply.
A tall, leggy blonde walked in like she owned the place, heels echoing against the marble floor.
Cecelia Wilder.
Her exhale was dramatic as she looked around. “I came to see how my dear niece is doing. But look at this—Mr. and Mrs. Wilder playing house in a hospital room. How quaint.”
Aria stiffened. “This isn’t the time, Cecelia.”
But Cecelia only smiled, her lipstick perfectly painted, her diamond earrings swinging like daggers.
“I just had a lovely little chat with Dahlia. Such a loyal woman. Funny how easily some people open up when you remind them where their loyalties used to lie.”
Knox stepped between the two women, voice cold. “What do you want?”
She tilted her head. “Only to pay my respects. And to remind your little wife here that not all Wilder wives survive the crown.”
Aria’s fingers curled at her sides. “Get out.”
Cecelia’s smile widened. “Careful, sweetheart.
Knox’s patience snapped.
He took a single step forward, tone ice and steel. “This is your last warning, Cecelia. You show up again without clearance—at my home, my hospital, anywhere near my wife or her family—you disappear. Permanently.”
She looked amused, but Aria saw the flicker of unease in her eyes.
Then Cecelia turned, hips swaying, and left without another word.
The door clicked shut behind her.
For a moment, all Aria could hear was the beeping of Lila’s monitor.
Then she turned to Knox. “She’s not scared of you.”
“She should be,” he muttered.
Aria looked down. “And Dahlia?”
“I’ll deal with her. But not yet. I need to know exactly how deep this betrayal goes.”
He stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. “They’re watching us, Aria. But what they don’t realize—”
He leaned in, brushing his lips near her ear.
“—is that we’re watching them too.”
---
Later that night, Aria slipped out of the hospital room after Lila had finally been sedated.
Knox stood by the window, phone in hand, voice quiet but clipped.
“Triple her security. Yes, inside and out. Sweep the suite for listening devices every six hours. I don’t care if it’s paranoid—do it.”
He ended the call and turned to find Aria watching him.
“You’re different tonight,” she said quietly.
Knox stepped forward. “So are you.”
She studied him in the dim light. “You think we’re walking into a war?”
“No.” His voice dropped. “We’re already in it.”
And for the first time… they weren’t fighting each other.
They were standing side by side.
Ready to fight whoever dared to come for what was theirs.
- Writer
