At an old desk cluttered with papers and multiple screens, Luri stared intently at the footage she’d spent days tracking down. Her eyes were sharp, moving from one image to another, analyzing every detail. After two nights of sleepless work, she finally had sothing—a clue.
She clicked the final footage, and her eyes narrowed in disbelief. Ethan. There was a flash of him being carried into a dilapidated hospital. It was old and abandoned, but the footage was clear enough. His chest was stained with blood, and the n carrying him looked just as rough. A flash of Isaac’s face ca into view next, followed by Leclair’s, both showing signs of injury. And then, Yuin Sebanil—the missing heir of the Sebanil family.
Her fingers flew over her phone.
"Jay," she called, not bothering with any pleasantries. Her voice was urgent.
Jay’s voice was calm on the other end. "What’s the update?"
"I’ve got footage of Ethan being shot. They were taken to so barren hospital. It’s old and looks abandoned. Isaac, Leclair—they’re with him. They seem injured. And there’s soone else. Yuin Sebanil."
Jay’s usually calm deanor shifted, and his voice tightened. "Yuin?"
"Yeah, from the Sebanil family. You need to move fast. I’m keeping watch, but they don’t look good. I’ll try to get a way to contact them."
"Understood. Keep an eye on them," Jay said, his tone professional but tense. He hung up quickly, already moving to action.
Jay wasted no ti. He picked up another phone and dialed a number he rarely used. The Sebanil family head. When the man answered, Jay’s voice was cold and direct. "Your heir, Yuin. He’s been located. He’s with Isaac Shaw and Leclair Levistis. I have footage of him in a hospital, badly injured. I’ll send it over."
The voice on the other end was shocked but composed. "Yuin? We’ve been searching for him for months. Send everything."
"I already have. Prepare to get him out of there."
Jay ended the call and quickly sent the footage to Lucas through an unknown number. He knew Lucas was in contact with the Levistis family and that the news needed to reach them as soon as possible.
In Levistis Manor, Lucas was pacing when his phone buzzed. He frowned, seeing an unknown number. His instincts kicked in, and he quickly opened the ssage. His heart froze when he saw the footage—a brief clip of Ethan, bloodied and unconscious, being carried into an abandoned hospital.
"God, no..." he whispered under his breath. Without wasting a second, he grabbed his things and rushed toward Adrian and Augustin.
Lucas burst into the living room where Adrian was sitting on the couch, a sketchbook in his lap. Adrian looked up, startled by Lucas’s sudden entrance. The calm mont was shattered as Lucas’s expression said everything before he even spoke.
"What is it?" Adrian asked, his voice already quivering, sensing sothing terrible.
Lucas walked up to Adrian, holding the phone out, his voice soft but urgent. "I have news. We found Ethan."
Adrian’s hand trembled as he took the phone from Lucas. His eyes went wide as he saw the image on the screen—Ethan, unconscious, his chest covered in blood. Tears welled up in his eyes instantly, his breath catching in his throat.
"No... no..." Adrian’s voice broke as he clutched the phone tightly to his chest, as if holding it close would bring Ethan back to him.
Augustin, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward, his face pale. "What happened?" His voice was tight, filled with fear.
"They were taken to an old hospital. Ethan’s been shot, Leclair and Isaac are injured too. And Yuin Sebanil is with them." Lucas’s voice was steady, but the weight of the situation hung heavy in the air.
Augustin’s eyes widened at the ntion of Leclair’s na. He reached for the phone, his hand shaking as he took it from Adrian, who was now crying softly, repeating Ethan’s na. As soon as Augustin saw Leclair in the footage, battered and bruised, his heart clenched painfully. He felt like the world was spinning. His vision blurred, and for a mont, he felt like he couldn’t breathe.
"Leclair..." Augustin whispered, his voice filled with despair. He staggered back, clutching his chest, trying to steady himself. The man he loved was out there, suffering, and he had no idea how to reach him.
Lucas quickly supported him. "We’ll find them, Augustin. We will."
But Augustin wasn’t listening. His mind was racing, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn’t lose Leclair. Not now. Not after everything. His voice was hoarse, desperate. "I have to go. I have to find him."
"Augustin, we can’t rush this," Lucas said firmly, though his own worry was clear. "We have to be smart. They’re already in danger. We need to get the right people involved."
"I don’t care!" Augustin snapped, his emotions boiling over. "Leclair is out there, hurt, and I can’t just sit here doing nothing!"
Adrian, still clutching Ethan’s bloodied image, sobbed quietly, his heart breaking with every passing second. He couldn’t bear the thought of Ethan being in pain, so far away from him.
"Ethan..." Adrian’s voice was fragile as he looked up at Lucas with tear-filled eyes. "We have to get him back. Please, Lucas, do sothing."
Lucas knelt beside Adrian, his hand resting gently on his shoulder. "I promise you, Adrian. We’re doing everything we can. But right now, you need to stay strong for the babies. Ethan wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger."
Adrian nodded through his tears, though the pain in his heart was overwhelming. He whispered Ethan’s na again, clutching his stomach protectively, as if willing Ethan to co back to him.
Augustin, on the other hand, paced the room, his mind racing. He couldn’t stand the thought of Leclair out there, hurt and vulnerable. His fists clenched tightly at his sides. He knew Lucas was right—they had to be careful. But the fear gnawing at him was unbearable.
Lucas glanced at the two n, his heart heavy with the weight of the situation. "I’ll make so calls. We’ll get them out of there."
--
The Sebanil family had arrived in full force, their patriarch Cain Sebanil leading the way, his expression a combination of calm authority and deep concern. Jesper Xain, with his long blonde hair and striking silver eyes, hurried toward Yuin’s ward, unaware of the emotional storm brewing around him. Cain, on the other hand, was about to confront sothing that he never expected to find—his lost son.
Lucas arrived with Adrian and Augustin in tow, thanks to Ethan’s private jet. The mont they touched down, the weight of everything that had happened ca crashing down on Adrian. His mind was filled with images of Ethan lying motionless, the pale look on his face haunting him. As they rushed into the hospital, Adrian’s worry over Ethan consud him, leaving little room for anything else.
But Cain Sebanil had noticed sothing imdiately when his eyes landed on Adrian. The resemblance was uncanny. Adrian’s dark hair and silver eyes reminded him so much of Jesper when he was younger, back when they had lost their son 17 years ago. The boy who had vanished from their lives without a trace, a loss that had torn the Sebanil family apart. Now, in front of him, stood soone who looked like a mirror image of Jesper at the age of five.
Cain’s heart clenched as he observed Adrian’s frantic movents, his obvious distress as he passed him without a second glance, not recognizing the connection. His eyes drifted to Adrian’s slightly swollen stomach, a clear sign of pregnancy. Cain felt a surge of emotions—anger, sadness, and guilt. How could he have missed all of this? His son, who had endured so much pain and hardship, was now standing in front of him, but he didn’t even know his own father.
Jesper, oblivious to the silent reunion happening behind him, rushed straight to Yuin’s ward. His heart ached for his son, the child he had raised and loved. Inside, Yuin was still unconscious, recovering from the ordeal. Jesper stood by the bed, his fingers brushing lightly through Yuin’s hair. The sense of relief was overwhelming, but the lingering fear of what could have happened gnawed at him.
Back in Ethan’s ward, Adrian could barely hold back his tears as he approached Ethan’s bedside. His beloved lay there, still and pale, the only sound the soft beeping of the machines monitoring his vitals. Adrian’s trembling hands reached for Ethan’s, clutching them as if holding on tightly would sohow bring him back.
"Ethan..." Adrian’s voice broke as he leaned over, his lips brushing gently against Ethan’s cheek. "Please wake up... I need you. The babies need you. You promised you’d be with us..." His words were soft, desperate, filled with love and longing. He kissed Ethan’s cheek, his forehead, and then gently pressed his lips to Ethan’s unresponsive ones, as if hoping the kiss would sohow awaken him.
Cain stood at the doorway, his heart heavy as he watched his lost son pour his soul into trying to wake Ethan. The sight of Adrian’s tearful face only made the reality harder to bear. For 17 long years, Cain had searched, hoped, and grieved for the boy who had been stolen from him. And now, here he was, pregnant, suffering, and married to soone Cain had never even heard of. The anger inside Cain flared. His son had gone through so many hardships, and Cain hadn’t been there to protect him.
Adrian wiped his tears, his voice shaky as he spoke to Ethan. "I can’t do this without you. You have to co back to ... Please, Ethan... You have to fight." His hand moved to Ethan’s chest, resting over his heart, trying to feel the faint beat beneath his palm.
Across the room, Augustin stood frozen at the sight of Leclair in the bed beside Ethan, bandaged but awake. Tears welled up in Augustin’s eyes, but there was a hint of frustration, too—anger that Leclair had been so reckless. The mont their eyes t, Augustin stord over to Leclair’s side, a mix of relief and anger on his face.
"You... you idiot," Augustin choked, his voice trembling. "How could you get yourself hurt like that? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Leclair smiled weakly, reaching up to touch Augustin’s cheek. "I’m sorry, my love," he whispered. "I didn’t want to worry you... but I’m here now."
Augustin couldn’t hold back any longer. He leaned down, kissing Leclair softly but deeply, his lips conveying both the relief of having him back and the anger that he had put himself in danger. "Don’t ever do that to again," Augustin whispered against Leclair’s lips. "I can’t lose you."
Leclair chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around Augustin and pulling him close. "I promise," he said softly. "I’ll be more careful."
Isaac, who was sharing the sa ward with Leclair, rolled his eyes at the display of affection. "Great, now I have to deal with this love fest," he muttered, though there was a hint of jealousy in his tone. He glanced over at Lucas, who stood awkwardly at the foot of the bed, watching the scene unfold with an equally single expression.
Isaac sighed dramatically. "Can you believe this?" he asked Lucas, gesturing toward Leclair and Augustin, who were still hugging and whispering to each other. "Now I’m stuck in here feeling like a third wheel."
Lucas chuckled softly, nodding. "Yeah... I know the feeling."
The two singles shared a brief mont of mutual understanding. As Isaac leaned back against the pillows, his eyes shifted toward the door, where Adrian was still sitting beside Ethan, talking softly to him. Despite his earlier teasing, Isaac’s heart ached for his little brother. Seeing Adrian like this, vulnerable and hurting, made Isaac want to punch sothing—preferably the people responsible for this ss.
Lucas caught the look on Isaac’s face and nudged him lightly. "He’s strong. He’ll pull through."
Isaac nodded, though his jaw clenched. "He better," he muttered. "For Adrian’s sake, Ethan better wake up soon."
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