Alexander POV.
The call came in just before dawn, jolting me awake. I fumbled for my phone, squinting at the screen, and immediately recognized James’s number. A call at this hour could only mean something was seriously wrong.
“James, what is it?” I asked, my voice thick with sleep and unease.
“Sir, there’s been an incident,” he said, his voice urgent. “Christiana’s mansion–there was a fire. The house… it’s gone. She and the children are at St. Mary’s Hospital. I’m on my way there now.”
The words hit me like a freight train. I shot out of bed, my heart pounding in my chest. “A fire? Are they alright? What happened?”
“Christiana and the kids made it out alive, but she’s injured. Twisted her ankle. The mansion is a total loss.”
I didn’t wait for more details. Throwing on the nearest clothes I could find, I was out the door in minutes. My mind raced as I sped through the early morning streets. A fire? In the middle of the night? This wasn’t a coincidence. Someone was trying to kill them.
When I arrived at the hospital, I barely noticed the stares from the staff as I stormed through the corridors. My thoughts were singular, focused solely on finding them. As I reached the room, the door swung open, and there she was–Christiana, lying on the hospital bed, her ankle bandaged, her face pale but composed. The doctor was standing beside her, checking her vitals, but it was clear from the tension in the room that this was more than just a routine examination.
“Daddy!” Ethan’s voice rang out, high–pitched and filled with relief. He ran towards me, followed by Emma, their small faces streaked with tears but showing a glimmer of hope now that I was here.
I dropped to my knees, pulling them both into my arms. The weight of their little bodies against mine nearly broke me. I pressed my lips to the top of their heads, trying to calm the storm inside me. “I’m here, I’m here. You’re safe now.”
But the storm didn’t calm. It grew.
I looked up at Christiana, who was watching us, her eyes steady but betraying a hint of the turmoil she must have been feeling She was always strong, but I could see the exhaustion in her posture, the way she held herself together by sheer will.
“Christiana…” I started, but she cut me off with a tired sigh.
“Alex, it wasn’t an accident,” she said, her voice firm despite her weariness. “Someone set the house on fire. They wanted to kill us. All of us.”
Her words hung in the air, thick and heavy, fueling the anger that was already bubbling beneath my skin. I could feel my hands balling into fists, my mind racing with possibilities, suspects, enemies. How could anyone dare to harm them? My family?
“I won’t let this go unpunished,” I growled, more to myself than to anyone else. My voice was low, deadly, filled with the kind. of promise that I always kept.
Christiana met my gaze, her eyes sharp despite her condition. “I don’t need your promises, Alex. I need you to understand that this isn’t about us anymore. It’s about the kids. Whoever did this… they won’t stop until we’re all dead.”
The words cut deep, but I refused to let her see how much they affected me. She was right, of course. This wasn’t just about her or me. It was about Ethan and Emma, who were too young to understand why someone would want to hurt them.
My jaw tightened as–I stood, still holding onto the kids. “I’m going to find out who did this, Christiana. And when I do..”
“Just be careful,” she said, softer now, as if all the fight had drained out of her. “We can’t afford to lose anyone else.”
I looked at her, feeling a mix of emotions I hadn’t expected. Concern, anger, guilt.. and something else, something I wasn’t ready to admit. I leaned down and pressed a kiss to Emma’s forehead, then Ethan’s. “I’ll keep you safe,” I whispered, more them than to myself.
But as I straightened, I caught Christiana’s gaze again. There was something in her eyes, something that reminded me of the woman I fell in love with all those years ago. The same fire, the same determination, but also a deep, unspoken pain.
11:00 AM
Chapter 45
I wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I turned to James, who had been standing silently by the door, his face a mask of professionalism but his eyes filled with concern. “Get the best security on them,” I ordered, “Around the clock, no exceptions. I want whoever did this found. No stone unturned.”
James nodded, his expression grim. “Already on it, sir.”
I turned back to Christiana one last time, my chest tight with emotions I couldn’t quite name. “I’ll be back,” I promised, my voice rough with determination. “And when I do, we’ll make sure this never happens again.
Christiana didn’t respond, just gave me a small, exhausted nod.
The door to the hospital room burst open, and Daniel stumbled in, his eyes wild with panic, his hair a disheveled mess on top of his head. He looked like he had run here, desperate to get to Christiana. My heart clenched as I watched the kids, who had been clinging to me just moments ago, suddenly light up at the sight of him.
“Daniel!” Ethan’s voice was filled with relief as he bolted from my side, Emma right on his heels.
My arms felt empty as they left me, the warmth of their small bodies replaced by a cold, gnawing sensation in my chest. 1 watched as they ran to him, their small hands gripping his clothes, their faces buried in his legs as if he were their true protector. And he just stood there, looking down at them with an expression that only deepened the pit of rage forming in my stomach.
“Are you okay?” Daniel’s voice was strained as he knelt to their level, ruffling their hair with a tenderness that made me sick. “Did anything happen to you!”
“No, we’re okay,” Emma whispered, her voice muffled as she clung to him.
“Good. That’s good,” Daniel muttered, pressing a kiss to each of their heads before finally looking up at Christiana. His eyes softened as they met hers, and 1
could see the fear, the concern, the damn tenderness in them.
