RUTHLESS DEVOTION: THE EMPIRE BETWEEN US

HIDDEN TRUTH

Amilah Miles had been lying unconscious on the cold marble floor for nearly ten minutes, and nobody had noticed her yet.

Inside the radiant warmth of the ballroom, a completely different world thrived. Heiresses and socialites pressed in around Victoria Jackson, their faces flushed with expensive wine as they raised their glasses to congratulate her.

"Congratulations....or should we say future Mrs. Vance!" a voice trilled, dripping with envy and adoration.

They laughed heartily, their voices echoing off the high ceilings, utterly oblivious to the fact that just outside those doors, someone was fading away, slowly drifting into the darkness.

Inside the crowd, Daniella Vance felt a sickening wave of realization wash over her. The rumors had finally reached her, the whispers about a secret relationship between her son, Lowin Vance, and Victoria Jackson, alongside the venomous accusations that Amilah had drugged him. Daniella's anger flared into a dangerous heat when she heard a socialite boldly address Victoria as "Mrs. Vance."

Her eyes instantly cut through the opulent crowd, searching for Amilah. But the girl was nowhere to be seen.

Leaning down, Daniella whispered sharply into her husband's ear. "Honey, I need to look for someone. I'll be back."

Jared Vance watched her go as Daniella stood up, gripping their daughter Annah's arm and pulling her firmly toward an empty table away from the prying eyes of the guests.

"Where is Amilah?" Daniella demanded, her voice low and urgent.

Annah flinched slightly. "She went outside to get some air. She said she needed time alone."

"What? And you just let her?"

"Mom, she insisted!" Annah pleaded, tears of anxiety threatening to spill. "I didn't know what to do. She looked like she really, desperately wanted to be alone."

Daniella's eyes narrowed. "What is this rumor going around that she drugged your brother? I thought Lowin explicitly said it was Victoria who did it?"

Annah's voice dropped to a terrified whisper. "Someone might be trying to harm Amilah, Mom."

"Come on," Daniella ordered, her maternal instincts kicking into overdrive. "Let's go find her. She shouldn't be alone right now if that's the case."

Daniella and Annah hurriedly walked out of the ballroom. They were just about to step onto the stone pavement when Annah let out a sudden, blood-curdling scream.

"What is it?" Daniella gasped.

Annah's arm lifted, shaking violently, her finger pointing at the base of the grand staircase hidden behind a massive stone pillar.

Daniella's heart stopped.

Amilah was crumpled at the bottom of the stairs like a broken doll. Her porcelain skin was deathly pale, stark against the dark, sticky blood matting her hair and staining the marble.

"Amilah! Oh God, Amilah!" Daniella fell to her knees, her manicured hands instantly pressing desperately against the wound. "Annah, get your father! Now! But do not alert the guests. Because as of right now, nobody is leaving this f*****g compound."

Annah's tears were flowing endlessly now, panic entirely consuming her. "I should have followed her... I should have been there..."

"Annah, pull yourself together and call for help!" Daniella commanded, her voice fierce. "This is not the time to blame yourself!"

Forcing a rigid, deceptive smile onto her face, Annah rushed back inside the ballroom. She navigated the sea of oblivious guests to the VIP table where her father was seated with his business partners. She slipped silently to his side, leaning down to whisper directly into his ear so no one else could hear.

"Dad... Dad, my friend is hurt outside and she is bleeding. Someone here might have done it."

Jared didn't betray a single emotion. He placed his wine glass down with terrifying slowness and quietly stood up.

"Excuse me, gentlemen," Jared said smoothly to his partners. "I'll be back."

But the moment he strode out of the room and saw the gruesome scene before him, his composure shattered. His wife was frantically trying to staunch the bleeding on Amilah's forehead. Jared rushed to her side, scooped Amilah's fragile, unconscious body into his arms, and ran toward Annah's sports car. Daniella and Annah sprinted closely behind him.

"Annah! Call Alex. Lock down the estate. Nobody leaves until I say so." Jared's voice boomed like thunder.

"Yes, Dad," Annah choked out, running toward the security quarters.

Alex, the towering head of Vance security, jumped to his feet the moment the breathless heiress burst through the doors. "Miss Vance? What's happened?"

"Lockdown," she gasped, her voice cracking. "Someone was attacked. My father said no one leaves the ballroom. Close the gates. Secure the perimeter. Now."

Alex raised his radio, his voice dropping into military precision. "All units, this is Omega protocol. Lock down the ballroom. No one exits. Use force if necessary."

Just then, a sleek car tore into the driveway. It was Logan, arriving to deliver a gift that Justin had sent for Annah. The moment Annah spotted him, she sprinted toward the vehicle, ripped the door open, and hopped into the passenger seat.

"Drive to Sinclair Hospital!" she gasped.

Logan stared at her, completely bewildered. "What's wrong, Miss Vance? You're supposed-"

"Shut up and drive!" Annah screamed, her voice cracking. "Mom and Dad are on their way to the hospital. Amilah is hurt!"

Logan felt his heart completely stop. Amilah? Isn't that the boss's little bird?

Logan slammed his foot on the accelerator, the tires screeching as the car pulled a violent U-turn, tearing out of the compound. His heart hammered a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He pulled out his phone, his fingers slick with sweat as he dialed the one number he feared above all else.

On the other side of the city, Lowin Vance motorcade was leaving the Vance empire military base, when his phone buzzed. He picked it up on the first ring.

On the other side of the city, Lowin Vance was with Mark and his inner circle, just leaving their underground base. His phone rang, and he answered it instantly.

"Speak, Logan."

"Boss... I... Boss..."

"Logan, speak. I don't have time," Lowin snapped, his voice laced with an icy impatience.

"Miss Miles is hurt."

Lowin felt his entire head spin, the world tilting on its axis. He forced the next word out of his throat. "What?"

The word wasn't a question, it was a growl from the depths of hell.

"I don't know the details, but Mr. and Mrs. Vance are on their way to Sinclair Citadel right now. I'm with Annah, we are headed there too."

Lowin slammed his finger on the screen, ending the call. He turned a lethal gaze to Mark. "Pull over."

Mark stepped on the brakes, bringing the Porsche to a sharp, sudden stop. Lowin lunged out of the passenger seat, and shoved Mark out of the way to take the wheel himself. His face was entirely expressionless, a mask of pure, unhinged wrath.

"Tell Dominic there is an emergency. Tell him if he isn't at the hospital in three minutes, I'll tear his f*****g citadel down to the ground."

Lowin slammed on the gas. The Porsche engine roared, tearing into the night like a bat out of hell, leaving Mark stranded in a cloud of burning rubber.

A black SUV pulled up, and Dominic Sinclair rolled down the window, looking amused. "What the hell did you do to make him look like he's about to commit mass murder, Mark?"

Mark didn't laugh. His face was pale. Mark shook his head, climbing into the vehicle. "I didn't do anything. He got a call. He says it's an emergency and you need to hurry to the hospital."

"What?"

"That's the only thing he said. Drive!"

Dominic slammed on the gas, the heavy SUV roaring as it accelerated outside the base, trying to keep up with Lowin Vance's Porsche, which was tearing through the city like a streak of lightning.

Lowin wasn't thinking straight. Logan's voice was a cruel echo in his mind, repeating over and over again, Miss Miles is hurt. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel; the car didn't feel like it was moving fast enough. How could she get hurt? There was security everywhere. Someone was going to pay for this with their blood.

---

At Sinclair Citadel, the tires of Jared's car smoke-screened the VIP entrance. Jared burst out, carrying Amilah's bleeding form, his voice roaring through the sterile white corridors.

"Where the hell is Dominic Sinclair?!"

A terrified nurse sprinted forward with a gurney. "He's out sir ,but he will be back, Please, lay her down."

An assistant doctor rushed over, pressing two fingers to Amilah's neck.

"Her pulse is weak. Move! Get her into the VIP theater right now!"

The nurses quickly wheeled her through the double doors. Daniella collapsed against Jared, weeping uncontrollably. "Oh, please Lord, keep her safe... I can't believe such a sweet girl got hurt in our own compound."

Jared embraced her tightly, patting her back, though his own jaw was clenched tight. "Don't worry. She will be fine."

Right on cue, the glass doors of the hospital lobby shattered inward.

Lowin Vance stormed in. He didn't look like a billionaire heir; he looked like a demon unleashed. His eyes were bloodshot, his clothing disheveled, a terrifying, suffocating aura radiating off him. Dominic Sinclair was hot on his heels, shedding his suit jacket for a surgical gown.

"Where is she?" Lowin's voice vibrated through the hallway.

Jared looked at his son. For the first time in his life, he saw fracturing in Lowin's impenetrable armor. His son wasn't just angry, he was breaking.

"In the theater," Annah cried out.

Dominic didn't waste a second. He pushed past Lowin, his expression dead-serious. "I've got her, brother. Stay out here." The heavy double doors swung shut, locking Lowin out.

Lowin slowly turned his gaze to Annah. The darkness in his eyes made his own sister take a subconscious step back. He closed the gap between them in a microsecond, towering over her.

"I-I... she..." Annah trembled, pulling out her phone and shoving it toward him. "Someone leaked your relationship with Victoria, and they said that Amilah drugged you. The guests were saying horrible things to her."

Lowin grabbed the phone, his grip tightening so hard the plastic groaned. Victoria. Victoria, you just couldn't stay still for a single minute.

"She said she wanted to be alone after the guests started insulting her," Annah sobbed. "So I let her go because she insisted. I don't know what happened next... we just found her lying on the floor, bleeding."

"How long was she gone?" Lowin's voice was dangerously quiet.

"Like... ten or twenty minutes."

Lowin pulled out his phone and dialed Debrin. The phone picked up on the third ring.

"What's up?" Debrin answered.

"Don't head home. Go to the Vance mansion. Something happened," Lowin ordered.

A long, heavy silence stretched over the line. "Uh-you have to fill me in so I know what I'm dealing with here," Debrin replied.

"Amilah got hurt. We need to find out exactly what happened tonight."

"What? Is she okay?"

"I-I don't know. She's with Dominic. He's not out yet."

"Damn it. I'll head there right now."

"I'll send Mark and Logan to back you up, along with some of Dom's men," Lowin said, his eyes drilling holes into the wall. "You still have those pictures of Victoria and Jade?"

"Yes. Did she hurt Amilah?"

"I don't know. But someone leaked the relationship tonight, and she's the only one who knows how this happened."

"I will handle them when I get there," Debrin said.

Lowin ended the call and turned to his men. "Mark, I don't care about your foolish rivalry with Logan. Right now, I want every single detail of what happened tonight before morning."

""Yes, Boss," Mark said, bowing before he and Logan vanished back into the night.

Jared stood back, watching the entire scene unfold before him without blinking. Who was this woman to his son? Daniella noticed his deep confusion and leaned in, whispering softly. "Her name is Amilah Miles. Your son is interested in her. She's the girl I showed you on the phone last time."

Jared raised his brow in sudden realization. But the silence didn't last long before Lowin dropped another bomb.

"Dad, there's something you need to know."

"What is it?" Jared asked.

"Justin is back ."

"What?" Daniella gasped.

Jared felt his jaw tighten to stone. That stupid brat is back to cause chaos again. "How are you going to deal with it?"

"I've got it handled, but he might come to see you."

Daniella started sobbing all over again. She loved her three children deeply, and she hated it when Justin acted stubbornly. She didn't want them to fight, but her sons were just like Jared, unstoppable, ruthless, and unyielding. She felt entirely helpless every time they clashed.

"My decision still stands," Jared roared, the authority vibrating in his chest. He will never inherit a single dime of the Vance Empire. I won't let him turn our legacy into a criminal syndicate that threatens this country."

Lowin didn't care about his erratic brother right now. He had only told them so they wouldn't be caught off guard. His eyes were glued to the red light above the operating room. Inside that room was his heart. And if it stopped beating, the rest of the world would stop with it.

---

Back at the Vance mansion, the atmosphere shifted from celebration to absolute terror. The guests gasped in shock as men dressed in black tactical gear suddenly stormed inside the ballroom, aggressively making a pathway for Debrin Salvatore.

He walked into the grand hall, his expression unreadable, radiating a thoroughly murderous aura. He stepped up onto the podium and took the microphone.

"Enjoying the party?" His voice boomed through the speakers, low, smooth, and cold. Without waiting for a response, he let out a deep, mocking chuckle and clicked his tongue.

"Well, I guess I'll have to inform you that you'll not be leaving this compound anytime soon."

The guests instantly turned to each other, whispering frantic questions that had no answers. In the middle of the crowd, Victoria Jackson gripped her purse so tightly her knuckles turned white. Did they find out? No... that's impossible. Nobody was outside in the courtyard at that time. She shook her head violently, but her body was trembling.

"Are you okay?" Rose, whispered anxiously.

"Yes, I am," Victoria lied.

Debrin spoke into the mic one last time. "Enjoy the party. But no one leaves this room."

An older, prominent man stepped forward, trying to clear his throat. "Mr. Salvatore, may we know why? It's almost midnight, we have to leave."

Debrin looked down at him. "Someone got hurt inside these premises. And until we find out exactly what happened, nobody leaves."

He dropped the mic, the screeching feedback making the crowd cover their ears. The guests gasped, some shouting out questions to ask who got hurt, but nobody gave them an answer. Debrin walked down the podium and exited the ballroom, leaving Sinclair's men and the Vance security guards, including Alex stationed at every exit to keep the guests tightly caged inside.

---

Inside the Vance security control room, Mark and Logan were frantically going through the security feeds alongside Damien and Dane.

"Look here," Dane pointed at the screen.

The footage showed Amilah leaving the ballroom. She looked around, walked a few steps, and disappeared into a dark corner near the stairs. Seconds later, the ballroom doors opened again, and Victoria followed her out, heading in the exact same direction.

Three minutes later, Victoria reappeared from behind the corner, fixing her dress, and walked back into the ballroom.

The feed kept playing for nearly fifteen agonizing minutes. Amilah never re-emerged. Finally, the ballroom doors opened on screen, and Daniella and Annah came out. They looked around, walked down the pavement, and Annah suddenly stopped, pointing at something hidden by a massive pillar. Daniella rushed over.

"Why the hell is there a blind spot inside the Vance mansion?" Damien growled, slamming his hand on the console.

"The entire security detail is f****d, They gon' have to answer to Lowin Vance" Dane muttered.

"She was lying there for fifteen f*****g minutes, man," Damien said, his jaw tight.

"Only that witch Victoria can tell us what happened on that staircase," Dane responded.

Damien turned to the men. "Mark, go get that witch right now. Logan, go get Debrin."

Mark and Logan bowed and left the room instantly. Damien immediately dialed Lowin's number, which was answered on the very first ring.

"Anything?" Lowin demanded.

"Well, you have a blind spot in your father's mansion," Damien reported. "But we have a definitive suspect. She can tell us exactly what happened on that staircase."

"Staircase?"

"Yes, Mr. Vance. The staircase. Your little bird fell off the staircase, and for fifteen minutes, nobody noticed her."

On the other end of the line, Lowin felt everything inside him break. He had vowed to protect her, and he had failed. His voice dropped to a lethal whisper. "Who is the suspect?"

"Victoria."

Lowin rubbed his forehead in sheer frustration, his rage peaking. "I want something else done. Trace the source of where that rumor started."

"Dane is already on it. What do we do with Victoria?"

"Break her," Lowin ordered, his voice devoid of mercy. "Debrin knows how."

Damien smirked. "Now we're talking, Mr. Vance. You've been going way too easy on her."

"I thought she'd have the sense to reflect on her actions."

"Well, she didn't. Let us deal with her."

"Okay."

Lowin ended the call just as the heavy double doors to the operating theater swung open. Dominic Sinclair walked out, pulling off his surgical mask. Lowin sprinted toward him, Annah hovering right at his shoulder.

"How is she?" Lowin demanded.

Dominic looked at his cousin. A weary but genuine smile crossed his face. "Your little girl is a fighter, bro. She lost a lot of blood, but she will be fine. The nurses are going to take her to the VIP wing now. You can see her then."

The breath rushed out of Lowin's lungs. The crushing weight on his chest lifted just enough for him to breathe. In a rare display of raw vulnerability, he pulled Dominic into a fierce, brief hug. "Thank you."

Dominic patted his back, but as he pulled away, his smile turned into something complex. Something unreadable.

Lowin frowned, his possessive instincts immediately flaring. "What? What's that look for?"

"Nothing, Mr. Vance," Dominic chuckled softly, turning on his heel. "I'm just happy for you." He walked away, leaving Lowin standing there, momentarily confused.

Behind him, Jared, Daniella, and Annah pulled into a tight family hug, the suffocating tension in the room finally easing up.

Dominic walked down the corridor and entered his private office, locking the door behind him. He slumped into his leather chair, staring at the mahogany desk. A moment later, his chief nurse walked in, silently placing a confidential file in front of him.

The blood lab results. Amilah Miles's private chart.

Dominic stared at the paperwork for a long, agonizing minute, running a hand through his hair. His eyes widened as he read the data over and over again, the words blurring before his eyes.

He couldn't believe what the blood test was showing.

If Lowin found out about this... whoever touched his little girl is officially f****d .