"Milo Preston?"
’What important business could he possibly have, other than eating, drinking, and fooling around?’
Aiden Sinclair’s head was throbbing. He leaned it back against the rear seat. "Have you found her?"
Jay Keane hesitated for a mont. "Not yet. Hospital surveillance shows Miss Walsh getting out of the elevator on the lower level and into a blue Ferrari. But the footage is incomplete—it didn’t capture the license plate. I’ll have soone pull the surveillance from outside the hospital tomorrow."
"Mm," Aiden Sinclair nodded.
The thought of Nina Walsh brought a storm of emotions, his feelings ricocheting between wanting to see her and not daring to.
"A blue Ferrari?"
Sothing suddenly occurred to Aiden Sinclair. The car Milo Preston usually drove was a blue Ferrari, and he had said he was coming to the hospital to see him today.
Aiden Sinclair shot upright and pulled out his phone. He had a feeling that the important matter Milo Preston ntioned had to be about Nina Walsh.
The phone rang five or six tis without an answer. Aiden Sinclair had never felt so anxious. He wished his hand could travel through the phone signal straight to Milo Preston’s bedside and slap him awake.
"Hello? Who is this? Who the hell is calling in the middle of the night!?" Milo Preston roared from the other end of the line.
"It’s ."
The mont Aiden Sinclair’s deep voice sounded, Milo Preston sobered up instantly. "Aiden, it’s... it’s so late. Is sothing wrong?"
"You ca to see this afternoon. What was the important thing you wanted to say?"
"Oh, oh," Milo Preston was still groggy from sleep. It took him a mont to rember. "Right, right, it’s about Nina Walsh!"
"What about Nina Walsh?"
Aiden Sinclair’s agitated voice jumped an octave. He had been right. Nina Walsh really had gotten into Milo Preston’s car.
"I ran into Nina Walsh at the hospital. She begged to take her away. Her stomach was hurting, so I took her to another hospital. The doctor said... Aiden, I know you two have already broken up, but I still think I have to tell you this, because I know you’re a responsible guy..."
"Stop rambling. What did the doctor say?" Aiden Sinclair’s tone turned harsh.
Milo Preston was taken aback. "The doctor said Nina Walsh was pregnant, but her health is poor, and she couldn’t keep the baby... It was... it was twins."
Aiden Sinclair froze. A mont later, his heart felt like it was being sliced by a knife, and he was completely subrged in regret and anguish.
’So I couldn’t save the children after all? And I still hurt her in the end?’
...
The car stopped in front of a small hospital. Aiden Sinclair rushed inside without a second thought, heading for the room Milo Preston had ntioned.
The door to the hospital room was open, but it was empty.
Nina Walsh was gone. He was too late.
Aiden Sinclair stood dejectedly at the doorway, staring blankly for several minutes. Once he confird the room was truly empty, he turned and left with heavy steps, his head bowed.
Suddenly, a woman ran toward him, threw herself into his arms, and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
"You finally ca to see . I knew you would."
Aiden Sinclair looked down in surprise, only to et Clara Jacobs’s expectant eyes. His expression instantly plumted.
Clara Jacobs’s supposed suicide attempt that afternoon—slitting her wrists—was one part real and nine parts fake. She had only scratched her wrist, not losing much blood. It was all a show for Aiden Sinclair. To avoid unnecessary trouble, she had chosen this small hospital instead of the main city one.
"Aiden, I was wrong. I’ll be good and listen to you from now on. Can you forgive this once?" Clara Jacobs pleaded.
Aiden Sinclair wanted to push her away in disgust, but her hands were pressing right on his wound. He frowned and looked up.
Not far away, Nina Walsh, who had just stepped out onto the balcony for so air and was returning to her room, happened to see the entire scene.
She was wearing a thin hospital gown, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her small, pale face fixed on Aiden Sinclair.
"Nina Walsh?" Aiden Sinclair cried out in surprise when he saw her.
Ignoring the pain in his body, he reached out to push Clara Jacobs’s arms away.
But not only did Clara Jacobs not let go, she hugged him even tighter. "Aiden, I’m pregnant."
"What did you say?"
Aiden Sinclair stared at Clara Jacobs. She could feel the imnse pressure from his gaze, but an arrow, once loosed, cannot be recalled.
"Aiden, I’m pregnant. I... I only just found out after I got to the hospital. Aiden, you love children so much. For the baby’s sake, can you not break up with ?"
Aiden Sinclair looked up again. Nina Walsh’s figure was gone from the hallway.
He knew she was utterly disappointed in him this ti. Aiden Sinclair stood frozen in place. The twisting pain in his heart was so much worse than the ache in his side that it stole his breath away.
"Aiden, can you give another chance? Please don’t break up with . I want to be with you," Clara Jacobs sobbed.
After a long silence, Aiden Sinclair spoke. "As you wish. Our engagent will proceed as planned."
Clara Jacobs thought she had misheard. She let go of him and asked again, "Aiden, are you serious?"
Aiden Sinclair turned to leave. "Tomorrow, I will reissue the announcent to the dia about our engagent and your pregnancy."
Jay Keane asked nervously, "Mr. Sinclair, are you sure about this?"
He really couldn’t figure out what his boss was thinking now.
"Yes. Do as I say." Aiden Sinclair collapsed back into the rear seat, his breathing heavy.
"Then... should we keep looking for Miss Walsh?"
The car was silent. After a long mont, he said, "No. Stop looking."
...
「The next day」
Aiden Sinclair and the Aethel Group dominated the headlines of every dia outlet.
Aethel Group had reached a partnership with HT Group, the largest conglorate in Ferelden. The scope of their collaboration had expanded significantly, covering a wide range of industries. With this overwhelmingly positive news, Aethel’s stock hit its daily limit within half an hour of the market opening.
At the sa ti, Aiden Sinclair also announced that his engagent to Clara Jacobs would proceed as planned.
The dia dug deeper and discovered that Clara Jacobs had found out she was pregnant after being hospitalized the day before. Aiden Sinclair had rushed to the hospital overnight and, out of extre remorse and heartbreak for Clara and their unborn child, had collapsed from illness himself.
Julian Sinclair turned off the TV and casually tossed the remote aside.
His assistant, Aaron Zane, remarked with a sigh, "This Aiden Sinclair is really sothing else. He gets stabbed and can still run around working all day."
Julian Sinclair chuckled. "That’s nothing. When he was five, he dislocated his right shoulder while sneaking off to play. He was so afraid *that mother* of his would find out that he used his right hand to do three hours of howork before going to the doctor to have it set. He almost lost the use of his arm."
Aaron Zane was amazed. He then asked, "Mr. Sinclair, what’s our next move?"
Julian Sinclair picked up the file Nina Walsh had given him. "Next up is Selene Isle. Get soone to contact that Mr. Young and bring him over to our side. Without the Selene Isle project, even if Aiden Sinclair can work miracles, Aethel will be finished."
"Yes, I’ll arrange it right away."
Aaron Zane stood up to leave, but Julian Sinclair stopped him. "Have you found Nina Walsh?"
Aaron Zane shook his head. "This Miss Walsh is no simple character either. After she left the hospital, none of the surveillance caras along the route caught her. It’s like she’s vanished into thin air."
Julian Sinclair waved a hand dismissively. "Let know the mont you find her. For now, I’m going to pay a visit to my dear nephew."
Due to his stab wound and extre exhaustion, Aiden Sinclair was admitted to the city’s central hospital that night. Clara Jacobs was also transferred there, and their rooms were on the sa floor.
Just as Julian Sinclair’s car entered the hospital parking garage, he spotted Sophia Sawyer getting out of her car in the distance.
Sophia Sawyer was dressed in an expensive coat, her hair impeccably styled. She exuded the air of a well-maintained, high-society madam from head to toe.
She stood to the side, directing a nanny and a chauffeur to take things out of the car.
There was fresh fruit and expensive nutritional supplents.
"Take these things directly to Clara’s room in a mont."
Sophia Sawyer said, turning to walk toward the elevator. Suddenly, a car charged straight at her.
"Ma’am, look out—"
Sophia Sawyer was so frightened her face paled, and she forgot to move. Fortunately, the chauffeur beside her reacted quickly, pulling her back just in ti to narrowly avoid it.
Sophia Sawyer stumbled, nearly falling to the ground. Half a ter away, the car’s wheels ruthlessly crushed the gift boxes scattered on the pavent. Bright red cherries were smashed into a pulp, looking like a pool of blood.
Still shaken, Sophia Sawyer looked toward the person in the car. The window rolled down to reveal a smiling, roguish face.
"I didn’t do it on purpose." Julian Sinclair was smiling, without a hint of apology in his expression. A second later, his tone shifted abruptly, and he said coldly, "The brake pads are a little faulty."
Sophia Sawyer’s pupils contracted. She turned and walked into the elevator without saying a word.
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