Daniel laughed softly while wiping blood from his chin.

“There he is.”

Luke grabbed him by the collar.

“You touched my accounts.”

Daniel smirked.

“You signed power of attorney during the divorce proceedings.”

“You isolated Elena.”

No hesitation.

No shame.

Luke’s grip tightened.

“Why?”

Daniel looked directly into his brother’s eyes.

“Because she made you weak.”

Luke nearly hit him again.

But Daniel spoke first.

“You know what Father used to say about you?”

“He said you could’ve ruled the city if you weren’t cursed with a conscience.”

Luke released him violently.

Daniel straightened his shirt.

“You walked away from power because of her. You testified against men who would’ve made us untouchable because she asked you to become someone decent.”

“She saved my life.”

“No,” Daniel snapped suddenly. “She ruined ours.”

The fury in his voice echoed through the penthouse.

And beneath it, Luke finally heard what had always been there.

Jealousy.

Daniel took another drink.

“You were supposed to build an empire with me.”

“Instead you sold Elena to Victor Hale?”

Daniel’s smile returned.

Slow.

Ugly.

“I only gave Hale information.”

Luke lunged.

Marco intercepted him this time.

“Boss.”

Daniel chuckled darkly.

“You still don’t understand the best part.”

Luke’s eyes narrowed.

Daniel leaned closer.

“The baby.”

Something in his tone changed the air.

Luke went silent.

“What about the baby?”

Daniel tilted his head.

“You really think tonight was the first time I knew Elena was pregnant?”

A sick feeling spread through Luke instantly.

Daniel smiled wider.

“She found out almost two months ago.”

Luke’s pulse pounded.

“You’re lying.”

“No.” Daniel’s voice softened. “She came to me crying because she was terrified to tell you.”

Luke remembered Elena saying she didn’t know.

But trauma fractured memory.

And Daniel knew exactly how to manipulate vulnerable people.

“What did you do?” Luke asked quietly.

Daniel took another sip of whiskey.

“I told her the truth.”

“What truth?”

“That the child wasn’t safe.”

Luke stared at him.

Daniel’s expression became almost thoughtful.

“Victor Hale wanted leverage over you. A pregnant ex-wife was very useful.”

Luke’s entire body tensed.

“So I offered him another arrangement.”

Marco’s hand moved toward his weapon.

Daniel noticed.

Still smiling.

“You should ask yourself why Elena was starving.”

Luke’s voice turned deadly calm.

“Say it carefully.”

Daniel shrugged.

“She was hiding.”

“From Hale?”

“From everyone.”

For the first time all night, uncertainty touched Luke.

Because part of this sounded real.

Daniel saw it.

And pressed harder.

“She believed someone was following her. She stopped using her cards. Stopped staying in one place.”

Luke remembered the bruises.

The malnutrition.

The terror in Elena’s eyes.

Daniel moved closer.

“You want the real tragedy?”

Luke said nothing.

“She still loved you the entire time.”

The words landed harder than the punch had.

Daniel smiled sadly.

“And she thought you wanted your own child dead.”

Absolute silence.

Then Luke’s phone rang.

Marco answered first.

His face changed instantly.

“Luke.”

Something in Marco’s tone emptied the room of oxygen.

Marco lowered the phone slowly.

“St. Catherine’s just went into lockdown.”

Luke felt ice spread through his chest.

Marco swallowed.

“Someone tried to enter Elena’s recovery room with a forged medical badge.”

Daniel stopped smiling.

Because this time…

he hadn’t expected it either.

Luke arrived at St. Catherine’s in under eight minutes.

The hospital entrance swarmed with police.

Nurses whispered nervously behind the front desk.

An officer tried stopping Luke at the elevator.

Marco handled that problem with one icy sentence:

“Move.”

Room 347 stood open.

Empty.

Luke’s heart slammed once.

Then Dr. Bennett appeared from inside another room farther down the hall.

“She’s alive,” she said immediately.

Only then did Luke breathe.

“She’s in imaging under security.”

Luke followed her.

Dr. Bennett lowered her voice.

“A woman in a red coat entered the maternity wing using falsified credentials. She asked specifically for Elena Ross.”

Luke stopped walking.

“A woman?”

“She disappeared before security reached her.”

Marco frowned.

“That doesn’t fit Hale.”

“No,” Luke agreed quietly.

“It fits someone else.”

The imaging room door opened.

Elena sat upright on the examination bed now, pale but conscious.

The moment she saw Luke, relief crossed her face before she could hide it.

That single involuntary expression nearly destroyed him.

Dr. Bennett checked the chart.

“The baby stabilized. No active bleeding. But stress could trigger serious complications.”

Luke nodded.

Then Elena spoke.

“There was a woman.”

Everyone looked at her.

Elena’s fingers trembled against the blanket.

“She came to my apartment last month.”

Luke stepped closer.

“What woman?”

“She wore a red coat.”

Elena swallowed.

“She told me to stop looking for you.”

Luke’s stomach tightened.

“What exactly did she say?”