Maia’s senses sharpened instinctively. She spun around at once, her gaze slicing through the bustling crowd until it collided with another pair of eyes.


    The shock hit them both at the same time.


    “Maxwell?” Maia called out, surprise breaking through her guarded expression.


    “Maia?” Maxwell paused, clear astonishment flickering across his face.


    The next moment, they spoke simultaneously, voicing the question weighing heaviest on both of them.


    “Where’s Chris?”


    Their identical words hung between them, and once again, both were left momentarily stunned.


    Meanwhile, Cade and the soldiers were finally granted entry into the observation room.


    Inside, Dominicy against the bed, hisplexion still pale, yet rity had returned to his eyes. He lifted a hand to remove the oxygen mask, turned toward Cade as he entered, and managed a faint smile.


    “Cade… what happened to me?” His voice drifted out thin and hoarse, the sound scraping his throat. “Did I pass out?”


    Cade surged forward with the soldiers at his back, excitement shing openly across their faces. “General!”


    One of the soldiers stepped in quickly, recounting the moment Dominic had copsed and the chaos that followed.


    After listening, Dominic let out a low chuckle, unconcerned, and lifted a hand in a casual wave, brushing it all aside.


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    “It’s nothing serious. Death has not imed these old bones yet.”


    A sharp resolve ignited in his eyes, cutting through the lingering weakness. “I will see my granddaughter, even if I have to drag myself there.”


    At the mention of “granddaughter,” Cade’s heart skipped a beat. He drew in a steadying breath, forcing his voice to remain calm despite the tremor threatening to surface.


    “General, can you guess… who saved your life just now?”


    A bright, almost feverish light danced in Cade’s eyes as he fixed them on Dominic.


    Dominic frowned, confusion creasing his brow. He shot Cade a weak re, impatience flickering through it. “Cade, you brat, when did you learn to toy with people like this? I was unconscious — how am I supposed to guess?”


    Yet in the very next moment, his expression stiffened abruptly.


    Slowly, his eyes widened, reflecting Cade’s barely contained excitement. Why would Cade ask such a question?


    A tremor crept into Dominic’s fingers as his breathing quickened, unease flooding his chest.


    “Could it be…” His lips parted slightly, yet the name refused to cross them. What if it was only an illusion — a fragile hope that would copse the moment he reached for it?


    Cade couldn’t hold back any longer. His hands mped around the metal railing of the bed, knuckles whitening under the force of his grip.


    “It was your granddaughter, Maia Watson,” he dered.


    The truth struck Dominic like a violent thunderp, rattling every remaining trace ofposure.


    .


    .


    .