But what about Evadne?


    His precious daughter had always worn her heart on her sleeve-once she loved, she loved for life, and she''d given her heart entirely to Thaddeus. Now, with Thaddeus no longer loving her, how could she ever move on? The one left behind is always the one who suffers most.


    Just then, a nurse knocked and entered the room.


    "Mr. Frederic, it''s time for your check-up."


    "I''ll be right there."


    Alexia gripped the handles of the wheelchair, ready to push Frederic out. Chad turned to Emeric, his manners impable. "Chairman Emeric, I''m sure you have much you''d like to discuss with Ms. Evadne. I''ll leave you to it. This hospital has an excellent reputation, and I''ve arranged for several renowned surgeons to consult on Ms. Evadne''s case first thing tomorrow. But if you''d feel morefortable elsewhere, I can help with a transfer-whatever''s best for your daughter. Just let me know."


    Emeric exhaled slowly. "Thank you. That''s very kind."


    ...


    After Chad left, Emeric asked the threedies to step out, wanting a moment alone with Evadne.


    "Who does this Alexia woman think she is? The more I look at her, the less I like her!" Aviana nted a hand on her hip and stomped her foot in frustration. "If Emeric hadn''t been there, I''d have given her a piece of my mind!"


    "I heard she''s Mr. Chad''s private physician," Suri said quietly, dabbing away a tear with a handkerchief she pulled from her purse.


    "A private physician?" Myra, usually quiet but always observant, frowned slightly. "Verna, who looks after my daughter, mentioned that Alexia loves getting her nails done, but because of her profession, she can''t. None of the doctors at this hospital even wear nail polish. But that girl-her nails are just a little too long, not outrageous, but still... it stands out."


    Suri and Aviana, consumed with sadness and irritation, hadn''t noticed this detail.


    Myra knit her brow. "The Abernathy family is old money. Mr. Abernathy is Mr. Frederic''s eldest son, raised with every advantage. And he''s not in great health— why would they let someone who seems so unprofessional get close to him? It doesn''t add up."


    Aviana let out a coldugh. "Doctor by day... who knows what at night. I remember my father''s old friends—so many had a ''housekeeper'' or a ''massage therapist'' or even a ''chess tutor''-all sorts of titles, but at the end of the day, it


    was always about what went on behind closed doors!"


    Myra hesitated. "Still, Mr. Abernathy seems like a decent man..."


    Aviana snorted. "Frederic''s son? How decent can he be?"


    Myra fell silent.


    Aviana quickly caught herself. "Thaddeus is the exception, of course!"


    Suri, head bowed in thought, suddenly asked, "Where are Cassius and Arnold?"


    Neither of the others had seen them.


    "You two wait here. I''ll go look for the boys," Suri said. Truthfully, she needed the excuse to clear her head and be alone for a moment.


    She and the other two women cared deeply for Evadne, but Suri had been with the Ashbourne family the


    longest she''d watched Evadne?


    grow up, had loved her as her own. Seeing Evadne so broken-first the ident, then the heartbreak was almost more than she could bear.  s


    Eyes red-rimmed, Suri walked slowly down the deserted hallway, each step heavier than thest.


    She came from a family of doctors and now sat on the board of a major pharmaceuticalpany, but she couldn''t understand what kind of drug could drive apart two people sopletely devoted to each other.


    That thing-it didn''t deserve to be called medicine. It was poison.


    Zachary Bright... Suddenly, Suri remembered her older brother, now serving time in prison.


    He''d eventually gone into business, but as a young man, Zachary had been a brilliant biochemist-he''d done much for the Bright Group''s rise. Their father had trusted him enough to leave the family business in his hands, even though Zachary wasn''t his biological son  s


    Maybe, just maybe, Zachary could shed some light on what happened to Thaddeus...


    Suddenly, Suri stopped dead in her tracks, heart pounding, breath caught in her throat.


    Less than a hundred feet ahead, on


    a balcony bathed in the cold night air, a man stood with his back to her-broad-shouldered, d in a ck leather jacket, his posture straight and forbidding. His features were sharp, cast in shadow and h?. exhaled pale smoke, his expression a mix of weariness, mncholy, and profound loneliness.  s


    "Hubert..."


    Suri blinked hard, her chest tightening painfully as she trembled from head to toe.


    Her voice broke as she called out, "Hubert!"