“.....and you have to give her credit—she went through childbirth three times for him.”


    "But she was everything to him! His one true love!" Susanna protested.


    Hull just snorted. "A living ''true love'' is never as powerful as a dead one."


    Susanna stared at him, bewildered. Did he mean that the living could neverpare to an idealized memory? As much as she wanted to argue, she couldn''t help feeling he might be right.


    Adelle might have been Derek''s ''one and only,'' but if she''d betrayed him about the children, nothing else would matter-she''d lose everything.


    Their idle gossip drifted and blurred, and somewhere along the way, Susanna found herself curled up against Hull''s chest, his hands starting to wander with determined impatience.


    By the time she fully realized what was happening, the fire between them had already been lit.


    "Hey-stop it!" she gasped, wriggling in protest.


    "Rx," Hull murmured into her ear, his breath sending chills down her spine.


    "But I''m still sick!"


    "I know. Trust me," he replied softly.


    Trust him? She felt the most on edge precisely because it was him.


    Hull didn''t need to lift a finger against ck Gate-chaos had already erupted from within.


    For years, Adelle and Finch had held sway in ck Gate, riding high on Derek''s favor and building considerable influence. But now? Derek had suddenly ordered paternity tests for all of Adelle''s children, and the entire organization had be a powder keg, buzzed with uncertainty.


    In the end, it was Dan who showed up with a medical team of his own personal choosing. The moment those dozen doctors in white coats entered cktower, both Finch and Adelle went rigid with anxiety.


    "Should we have Lacey''s daughter brought in too?" Dan asked, looking straight at Derek.


    Derek''s eyes were ring with rage that all but radiated heat.


    "We''vee this far. Let''s settle everything in one go. Don''t you agree?" Dan pressed.


    Derek didn''t reply—a single test to ''settle everything'' sounded especially cruel now.


    Dan just shrugged, rolling up his sleeve. "Take mine first."


    His no-nonsense attitude only deepened the animosity Adelle and Finch felt toward him. The medical staff quickly drew Dan''s blood, then Derek They were the only ones o faced the ordeal without flinching.


    When they were done, Dan turned to Finch. "Your turn."


    Finch was shaking with fury. "Like,


    hell it is! I''m not doing this dam


    test! he barked baring this


    But Derek''s cold voice cut through the room: "Leroy. Hold him."


    "Father!" Finch''s outrage was palpable.


    Derek met his eyes with a stare so icy it needed no words—his authority brooked no challenge.


    Adelle stared at Derek in disbelief. “You''re really going to force him? Just like that?”


    She still tried to revive that old, fragile trust. “So that''s it? You don''t trust me at all anymore?"


    But Derek only gave Leroy a nod.


    "Restrain Mr. Finch," Leroy ordered calmly.


    At once, several bodyguards closed in on Finch.


    Adelle and Finch both caught their breath, dread and betrayal tightening like a noose. For Adelle, Derek''s merciless resolve was the final blow, leaving her hopes dashedpletely.