RUTHLESS DEVOTION: THE EMPIRE BETWEEN US

LETHAL CLAIMS

The sleek black Porsche came to a smooth, violent halt directly outside the private VIP entrance of Sinclair Citadel National Hospital. Before Mark could even step out to open the passenger door, Lowin was out. He didn't wait for his driver to open the door for him. He didn't breathe adjusting his cuffs as his eyes locked onto the hospital glass doors.

"I'll be out in thirty minutes," Lowin commanded, his voice clipping the morning air.

"Right away, sir," Mark replied, killing the engine.

His heart was hammering a frantic, erratic rhythm against his ribs as he stormed through the hospital corridors. He was a man possessed. He was going to lay his soul at her feet, and if she tried to run? He'd trap her beneath him until she forgot there was anyone else in the world.

He reached the door, his hand gripping the handle, when Dominic's voice cut through the silence.

"You're early, big boss."

Lowin turned sharply, a fierce glare fixed on his cousin. "What now, Dom? Don't tell me I can't see her."

Dominic stepped up, his stethoscope draped carelessly around his neck. "As her doctor, Mr. Vance, I have to run a routine check on my patient before I let you barge in there and spike her blood pressure."

"f**k you," Lowin growled, slamming his back against the hallway sofa, his jaw tight as he rubbed his face. "Make it quick."

Dominic studied him, crossing his arms. "You look completely unhinged. What's the play, cousin?"

"I'm telling her everything," Lowin whispered, the raw terror of losing her cracking through his usual icy armor. "And I'm terrified of what she'll do when she finds out who I am."

Dominic's lips twitched into a smirk. The great Lowin Vance, brought to his knees by a girl. "Look," Dominic said gently. "I get that you're scared. But when you tell her, you have to give her space to breathe and process it. Do not pull your usual alpha routine. Don't push her, and do not try to control her."

"I can't let her go, Dom," Lowin rasped, his eyes darkening with a dangerous, heavy possessiveness. "I don't care if she hates me. She's the first woman who makes me want... a family. A future. Everything I used to despise."

Dominic's smirk widened into a silent, wicked laugh. If only you knew you already have a child on the way, you arrogant bastard.

Lowin caught the expression and narrowed his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Dominic chuckled, tapping Lowin's shoulder as he turned toward the door. "I'm just suddenly in a fantastic mood."

Lowin watched him walk into Amilah's suite, entirely bewildered by his cousin's bizarre behavior. Shaking it off, he leaned his head back against the sofa, trying to tame the chaos in his mind with the image of Amilah's soft lips.

---

Inside the room, the playful music from the TV was a cruel contrast to the dead look in Amilah's eyes. She lay perfectly still, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her face was pale, her eyes raw and swollen from hours of silent weeping.

Dominic noticed the television and sighed. "Little girl, I told you to rest. Why is-"

"You lied to me," she whispered, her voice a hollow, broken sliver of sound. "Everyone lied to me."

Dominic froze. "Amilah..."

"Discharge me. Now." She tried to push herself up, but the room spun.

"Absolutely not. You have a head injury-"

"I said let me leave!" Suddenly, the pain fractured, and she began swinging at him, her tiny fists pounding weakly against Dominic's chest as fresh tears spilled over her cheeks. "I hate him! I hate all of you! Your psycho cousin ruined my life! He turned me into a pathetic home-wrecker... and now I'm carrying a baby I don't even know what to do with!"

Dominic grabbed her wrists gently, his chest tightening at the raw agony in her voice. "Amilah, stop. He loves you. He's losing his goddamn mind out there because he's scared to lose you. Just hear him out."

"He doesn't love me," she sobbed, burying her face into the pillow, her body shaking. "He used me."

Dominic ran a frustrated hand through his hair, clicking his tongue as he realized this was entirely out of his medical jurisdiction. He turned on his heel and walked out into the lounge.

Lowin immediately stood up. "Is she okay?"

Dominic looked at his cousin, his eyes dark with warning. "That is entirely on you, Lowin. Everything is f*****g on you. Good luck." Without another word, Dominic strode down the hallway to attend to his other patients. He was a chief of medicine, not a referee for a billionaire's lover's quarrel.

Lowin felt the air leave his lungs. Dominic's raw anger could only mean one thing. Terrified that her condition had worsened, he threw the door open and rushed inside only to freeze instantly when his eyes locked onto hers.

The soft, warm little bird he knew was gone. In her place was a woman looking at him with freezing hatred.

"Amy..." he breathed.

"Get out, Mr. Vance," she whispered, the words dripping like ice. "I don't want to see your face."

She knows. The realization felt like a bullet tearing through his chest. Lowin walked slowly to her bedside, pulling up a chair, his eyes fixed on her mouth, desperate for any sign of the girl who had melted in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he rasped, his voice dropping into that deep, gravelly tone that always made her shiver. "But I'm not leaving until you hear me out."

Amilah let out a bitter, weeping laugh. "You and your whole family played me for a fool. What am I to you, Lowin? A game? I saved a bleeding stranger, and you rewarded me by making me the other woman."

"You are not the other woman, Amy," Lowin commanded, leaning over her, his presence suddenly suffocatingly close. "Victoria and I were a corporate arrangement. I never loved her. I never even touched her like that. And that night in the alley? You saved me from a woman who literally drugged me to force my hand. I am yours, little bird. I have been since that night."

Amilah's breath hitched, her long lashes fluttering. "What...?"

"She drugged me, Amy. That's why I ended it. And the woman at the boutique? She snitched on Victoria's next plot, trapping her in her own game."

A hot spark of rage flared in Amilah's chest. Hearing about Victoria's malice made her want to crawl out of bed and ruin the model herself. But she wasn't letting Lowin off that easily. "That still doesn't explain why you tricked me into signing that fashion contract."

"Because I needed an excuse to bind you to me," Lowin confessed, completely shameless as his gaze dropped to her collarbone. "And because your designs deserve the world. I built an empire, Amy. Let me build one for you."

Amilah pulled her hand away, her jaw tightening. "Fine. I'll join Vance Empire. But it's strictly business. Everything that happened between us in the dark... it's over. We are business partners, Mr. Vance."

Lowin let out a low, dark chuckle that vibrated straight through the mattress, making Amilah's lower stomach tighten with a sudden, betraying heat. He leaned down further, his chest almost brushing her covers, his intoxicating scent wrapping around her like a blanket.

"Business partners?" Lowin murmured, his eyes flashing with a dangerous, hungry possessiveness. "Little bird, I've already tasted you. I've claimed you. You belong to me. You can throw all the tantrums you want, but I am never staying away. It's my job to protect you... and to take care of our future children." He picked up her hand, his lips brushing against her sensitive knuckles, sending a jolt of pure electricity straight up her arm.

Amilah's heart raced so fast she was sure he could hear it. Her body was screaming at her to melt into his touch, but she forced herself to stiffen. He doesn't know about the baby, she reminded herself frantically. She had to protect her child first.

"Keep your personal feelings out of the office, Lowin," she whispered defiantly.

"Sweetheart, I can promise we'll work together," Lowin smirked, his thumb tracing the soft skin of her inner wrist, right over her pounding pulse. "But what I absolutely cannot promise is keeping my hands off your body. Now, enough talking I'll go get you something to eat. I need you recovered quickly... I miss you too much." He threw her a slow, devastating wink that made her thighs press together under the sheets. Lowin chuckled at her reaction before turning and stepping out to get her food.

Amilah pressed her hand to her burning chest, her mind spinning from his teasing. Then, a cold dread settled over her. The arrest warrant. He hadn't said a single word about the murdered CEO or the police. As much as she wanted to hate him, a terrifying wave of worry washed over her.

A few minutes later, Lowin pushed a silver cart into the room, laden with an absurd, luxurious feast. The rich aroma of gourmet soups and pastries filled the air.

"It's too much food," Amilah muttered, trying to look annoyed to hide how much her heart was fluttering.

"Well, sweetheart, as I said, you need your strength. You've starved me of your presence for a whole day."

Amilah rolled her eyes. "It's literally been twenty-four hours."

"That is a lifetime for me," Lowin murmured, leaning down until his lips were inches from her ear. "And now that you finally know my real name... I can't wait to hear you scream it while you're pinned underneath me."

Amilah's face flushed a violent shade of crimson. She forcefully pushed his chest away. "Cut the bullshit, Lowin! You are literally wanted for murder on the morning news, and you have the nerve to flirt right now?"

Lowin didn't back down. He sat on the edge of her bed, his large frame trapping her. "I didn't do it, Amy."

"I saw the CCTV footage Mr. Vance."

Lowin leaned in until his lips almost brushed her ear, his hot breath making her shiver. "If you ever doubt me or call me 'Mr. Vance' again, little bird, I will kiss you until you pass out even if we are out in public."

Amilah gasped. "We are business partners! How else am I supposed to address you?"

"I told you," Lowin smiled wickedly. "Call me 'hubby'."

Amilah scoffed, rolling her eyes "Dream on... Mr. Vance."

Lowin didn't hesitate. In one swift, ruthless motion, his hand tangled into the hair at the back of her neck, and he captured her lips in a wild, intoxicating kiss. He bit her bottom lip softly, forcing her mouth open as his tongue swept in, tasting her thoroughly until she let out a soft, defeated moan, her fingers clutching his shirt for dear life.

When he finally let her go, Amilah was panting, her lips swollen and damp.

"I warned you, sweetheart," Lowin chuckled darkly, his eyes dilated with heat. "But feel free to call me Mr. Vance if it means I get to do that again."

Amilah angrily punched his chest, her heart fluttering like mad. This man was a drug, and she was already addicted. "Who did it then? Why are you on the tape?"

"Don't worry about the mess. Focus on eating," Lowin said

Amilah knew there was no point in pushing him further. When a Vance closed off, the walls were impenetrable. "Fine. I can feed myself. Just leave before the police storm in here and claim I'm your accomplice."

Lowin chuckled, deeply amused by her stubbornness. "You're really going to let your future husband get locked up without defending him?"

"And who exactly would marry a narcissist like you?"

"I'm exceptionally handsome, independently wealthy, and you can agree with me I am incredible in bed."

Amilah opened her mouth to bruise his massive ego, but a vivid flashback of their breathless encounter on her office sofa flashed through her mind. Realizing she would lose that particular argument, she wisely shut her mouth.

"Eat," Lowin murmured, lifting a spoonful of warm soup to her lips.

" I can feed myself."

"Are we being stubborn again, sweetheart?" Lowin raised an eyebrow, a dangerous smirk playing on his lips. "Because if you don't want to use the spoon, my mouth can easily transfer it to yours." He deliberately took a sip of the soup, leaning down toward her.

Amilah's eyes went wide, and she quickly dodged him, face burning. "Fine! Fine, I'll let you feed me!"

Lowin swallowed and smiled, raising his brows. "With the spoon?"

"With the spoon!"

"Good girl."

The intimate bubble was suddenly broken as the door pushed open, and Daniella, Jared, and Annah walked in, arms loaded with fresh flowers, gift baskets, and containers of homemade food.

"Lowin, are you bullying her already?" Daniella scolded, rushing straight to Amilah's side. "Oh, sweetheart, look at your eyes. Did he bully you? Did you cry?"

Amilah looked down, her heart aching at the genuine maternal warmth radiating from Daniella. Despite her anger, she couldn't stay mad at them. They felt like family. "No, Aunty, he didn't."

Jared Vance stepped up, his commanding presence a mirror image of Lowin's. "Good morning, Amilah. I am Jared Vance."

Amilah shook his hand softly. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Vance."

Annah peeked from behind her mom, looking miserable. "Amilah....are you mad at me?"

Amilah decided to tease her to hide her own swirling emotions. "Yes. I'm not talking to you." she said, deliberately turning her head away.

Annah's bottom lip trembled, tears springing to her eyes. "I'm so sorry! I was just so scared that if you knew he was my brother, you wouldn't want to be my friend!"

Amilah's heart melted. She patted the mattress. "Come here, you idiot." Annah rushed forward, throwing her arms around her neck, and Amilah hugged her back tightly. "Next time, just tell me the truth."

"Annah, move," Lowin ordered smoothly, pulling his sister back by her jacket. "She needs to finish her food."

"Let her breathe, Lowin," Daniella scolded, placing a thermal container on the nightstand. "I brought you some fresh chicken soup and organic fruits, dear. If you don't like the hospital food, I will personally cook and bring every meal until you are discharged. Now, eat up."

Amilah smiled, but beneath the covers, her hand drifted to her stomach. The warmth of the Vance family was intoxicating, but the secret of her pregnancy burned like fire. She had to enter Vance Empire first. She had to face Victoria, and she had to know if Lowin truly loved her or if she was just a captive bird in his golden cage.

---

Meanwhile, inside Justin Vance's luxury penthouse, the air was thick with tension.

Justin stood by the windows, a glass of scotch shaking in his hand. He turned furiously as Logan walked in. "Why the hell is Lowin not in cuffs yet?! The news aired hours ago!"

Logan kept his double-agent mask perfectly in place. "Boss, Lowin's legal team filed an injunction. The police are hesitant to make a public arrest without deeper interrogation. He has a spotless record. They want to avoid a media circus."

"Bullshit!" Justin roared, slamming his glass onto the desk, amber liquid splashing everywhere. "He's hiding somewhere. Where is he? Something isn't right. He should be sitting in an interrogation room by now, unless he has the chief of police in his back pocket."

"He hasn't shown up at the office yet, sir."

Justin gritted his teeth. "Find him! Jacob, track his car!"

Jacob stepped forward, sweating. "Sir, Lowin's security uses military-grade encryption. We can't track his routing."

Justin's face twisted in disgust. "Incompetent fool! Call Victor right now. Tell him to get on a flight and be here before midnight. I need a real asset to hunt my brother down."

Jacob's blood turned to ice, but he bowed. He walked out and dialed the international number, his chest heaving with hatred for Justin's favorite golden boy.

The line connected. "Did you f**k up again, Jacob?" a calm, arrogant voice mocked.

"The Boss wants you here before midnight, Victor," Jacob spat. "Lowin is covering his tracks. He needs you."

Victor let out a smooth chuckle. "Tell him I'm on my way."

The line went dead. On the other side of the world, Victor pulled out a burner phone and sent an encrypted text straight to Lowin Vance.

[Victor]: Boss, Justin just ordered me to land before midnight. His right-hand man can't crack your security routes, so he's bringing me in to track you. What are your orders?

---

Back in Room 402, Lowin's phone vibrated against his thigh just as he was feeding Amilah a piece of fruit. He glanced at the screen, his eyes narrowing into lethal slits.

Without a word, he handed the plate to Annah, his voice turning into a commanding baritone. "Make sure she finishes every single bite on this tray. I need to take a priority business call."

Annah nodded quickly, taking the fork. Amilah tried to protest, opening her mouth to speak, but Lowin threw her a sharp, warning glare that instantly silenced her.

He strode out of the room, and Jared quietly followed him, leaving the three women to talk inside.

Once the door shut, Lowin typed out his swift response.

[Lowin]: Do exactly as he says, Victor. Get on the flight, but stay sharp. Don't blow your cover. Keep me updated on his mental state.

[Victor]: Copy that, Boss. I'll message you the second I touch down.

Lowin pocketed the phone, a cold, ruthless expression settling over his sharp features.

Jared crossed his arms, leaning against the hallway railing. "What was that about, son?"

"It's the asset I planted in Justin's inner circle when he fled the country twelve years ago," Lowin revealed calmly, looking out the window at the morning sun. "He's been filtering Justin's moves to me for over a decade."

Jared raised his eyebrows, genuinely impressed. "And Justin hasn't suspected a thing? He's usually paranoid to a fault."

"Justin is reckless, Dad. And Victor is a shadow. I trained him personally before I sent him over," Lowin smiled, a dark, dangerous glint in his eyes. "I knew Justin would latch onto his talent. He trusts him completely."

"What does Justin want with him now?"

"My brother is getting frustrated. His right-hand man can't track my movements through the city, so he's bringing Victor in to do the job."

Jared studied his son's cold profile. "So, what's your counter-move, Lowin?"

Lowin turned back to his father, a slow, incredibly wicked smile spreading across his sharp features. It was a look of pure, unadulterated dominance.

"I'm going to let him play his little game, Dad," Lowin whispered, his voice dripping with anticipation. "I'm going to let him string up the noose, step right into it... and pull the lever myself."