as Alex led Nicole inside, the mysterious Dr. Aris following close behind with a silent, clinical precision.
***
The master bedroom had been transformed into a temporary clinic. Alex stood by the window, his back to the room, staring out at the darkening estate. He hadn't spoken since the doctor's grim announcement at the front door.
Nicole sat on the edge of the bed, her skin pale against the cream fabric of her dress. She felt like a specimen under a microscope. Dr. Aris moved with practiced efficiency, setting up a portable ultrasound machine and laying out silver tools that caught the dim light.
"Lie back, please," the doctor commanded.
Nicole obeyed, her heart thumping. As the cold gel touched her skin, she shivered. "Is it really that bad? You said I might... I might not make it?"
Dr. Aris didn't look up from the screen. "Your body is reacting violently to the accelerated hormone cycle, Nicole. We pushed the IVF process to meet Mr. Sterling's timeline. Now, your system is in overdrive. If we don't stabilize you tonight, the internal pressure could be fatal."
Alex turned around at that. His face was a mask of stone, but his hands were shoved deep into his pockets, his knuckles bulging. "Do whatever is necessary. Cost is not an issue."
"It's not about money, Alex," Nicole whispered, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. "It's about life. Or does that word not mean anything in this house?"
Alex didn't answer. He stepped closer to the bed, his eyes fixed on the grainy black-and-white monitor. The room fell silent, filled only with the rhythmic thump-thump, thump-thump of the machine.
"There," Dr. Aris said, pointing to the screen. "Two distinct heartbeats. Strong. Too strong, perhaps. They are consuming everything you have, Nicole. They are taking your nutrients, your energy, your very blood."
Nicole looked at the screen. She saw them—two tiny flickers of light in the darkness of her womb. A sudden, overwhelming wave of emotion crashed over her. They weren't just "heirs" or "investments." They were hers.
She reached out instinctively, her fingers brushing the screen. In that moment, the fear for her own life vanished, replaced by a fierce, primal need to protect the two lives inside her.
Alex watched her hand. For a second, his icy exterior cracked. He saw the raw, maternal love on her face, and it clearly unnerved him. He moved to the other side of the bed, his hand hovering over hers as if he wanted to touch her, to anchor her, but he pulled back at the last millisecond.
"The stabilization treatment is aggressive," Dr. Aris warned, holding up a syringe filled with a clear fluid. "It will make you feel like your veins are on fire for a few minutes. Are you ready?"
Nicole gritted her teeth and nodded. "Just save them."
As the needle entered her arm, the heat was instantaneous. Nicole gasped, her back arching off the bed as a searing sensation swept through her body. She grabbed the nearest thing she could find—Alex's hand.
She expected him to pull away. But instead, his fingers clamped down on hers, his grip like iron. He leaned over her, his face inches from hers.
"Breathe, Nicole," he commanded, his voice a low, vibrating growl. "Look at me. Don't close your eyes."
She stared into his gray eyes. They weren't cold anymore; they were burning with a desperate intensity. For those few minutes of agony, the contract didn't matter. The debt didn't matter. There was only the two of them, locked in a silent battle against the pain.
Slowly, the fire faded. Nicole slumped back against the pillows, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Her hand was still crushed in Alex's.
"The levels are leveling out," Dr. Aris said, his voice sounding far away. "The crisis is averted for tonight. But she needs total rest. No stress.. No corporate drama. If she gets agitated again, the twins won't survive the next surge."
Alex slowly released Nicole's hand. He looked down at his palm, where red marks from her fingernails were clearly visible. He looked back at her, his expression unreadable once more.
"I'll have the staff bring up your meals," Alex said, his voice regaining its professional edge. "You won't leave this room until the doctor clears you."
"Alex," Nicole called out as he turned to leave.
He paused at the door.
"Victoria has the bottle," she said, the words finally tumbling out. "She's blackmailing me. That's why I was in your study. I wasn't trying to steal your secrets... I was trying to save myself."
Alex stood perfectly still. The silence stretched until it felt like it would snap. He didn't turn around.
"I know," he said quietly.
Nicole's heart stopped. "You know?"
"I know everything that happens in my house, Nicole," Alex said, finally turning to face her. His eyes were hard again. "I knew she took it the moment she left the powder room. I wanted to see if you would come to me, or if you would choose to betray me."
"I was scared!" she cried out.
"In this family, fear is a luxury we don't afford," Alex replied. He walked back to the bedside and leaned down, his shadow looming over her. "I have already dealt with Victoria. She won't be bothering you again. But remember this, Nicole: you chose to go behind my back. You chose to trust a snake over the man who owns your future."
"You don't own me, Alex."
"The contract says otherwise," he whispered, his lips grazing her ear. "And after tonight, the price just went up. You owe me two lives now. Don't forget it."
He straightened up and walked out, the heavy oak door clicking shut with a finality that sounded like a prison cell.
Nicole lay in the dark, the sound of the heartbeats still echoing in her mind. She reached for the bedside table to get a glass of water, but her hand knocked over a small, folded piece of paper that hadn't been there before.
She opened it. There was no signature, just a single typed sentence:
"The Diamond has blood on it
Ask him about the woman he left to die 12 years ago"
Nicole looked at the note and folded it on her hands…