Chương 3
Daniel felt like he could not breathe.
"You followed him?"
"I needed proof."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I thought you would confront him immediately."
Daniel looked away.
Because she was right.
That was exactly what he would have done.
He would have walked into Michael's office and demanded answers.
He would have destroyed any chance of discovering the truth.
Victor moved toward the table and placed the phone down.
"The person behind this knows Daniel reacts emotionally."
Daniel looked at him sharply.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying your anger has always been predictable."
The words were harsh.
But they were true.
Daniel had built his life around being decisive.
He was the person who solved problems.
The person who took control.
The person who never backed down.
But tonight, his emotions had nearly caused him to lose control completely.
He looked at his hands.
The same hands that had pushed Victor.
The same hands that had almost turned a search for answers into a disaster.
Emily noticed the change in his expression.
"Daniel."
He looked at her.
"I'm sorry."
She blinked.
It was the first time that night she saw his anger disappear.
"I should have listened."
Emily wiped away a tear.
"I should have trusted you enough to tell you."
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
The pain between them was still there.
The betrayal was still there.
But underneath it was something else.
A chance to repair what had been broken.
Suddenly, Victor's phone began vibrating.
He looked at the screen.
His calm expression changed for the first time.
Daniel noticed.
"What happened?"
Victor looked toward the hallway.
"We need to leave."
Daniel immediately became alert.
"Why?"
Victor showed them the message.
Three words appeared on the screen.
They know everything.
Emily's face turned pale.
Daniel looked toward the hospital door.
The feeling of being watched became impossible to ignore.
The hospital room that had felt like a place of safety now felt like a trap.
Victor quickly grabbed the phone and moved toward the exit.
Daniel stood in front of him.
"No."
Victor stopped.
Daniel looked at him with determination.
"I spent my entire life thinking I knew who the enemy was."
He looked at Emily.
"I was wrong."
Then he looked back at Victor.
"So I am not running."
Victor studied him for a moment.
For the first time, there was a small sign of respect in his eyes.
"Then you need to understand something."
"What?"
"Once you step into this fight, there is no going back."
Daniel looked at Emily lying in the hospital bed.
He thought about everything they had built together.
He thought about his father.
His company.
His family.
Then he looked at the door.
"Good."
Victor nodded slowly.
"Because they already made their first move."
Outside the room, footsteps began approaching.
The footsteps outside the hospital room grew louder with every passing second.
Daniel stood completely still, watching the door handle.
His heart was beating faster, but this time it was not because of anger.
It was because he finally understood that the danger was real.
Victor moved quietly toward the side of the room and turned off the main light.
The sudden darkness made Emily gasp softly.
"Stay close to the bed," Victor whispered.
Daniel looked at him.
"You expect me to trust you after everything?"
Victor glanced at him.
"No."
The answer surprised Daniel.
"I expect you to trust what you have seen with your own eyes."
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
Nobody spoke.
The three of them waited.
Then the door slowly opened.
A hospital worker entered carrying a tray of medical supplies.
For a moment, Daniel relaxed.
But Victor did not.
His eyes remained fixed on the person standing in the doorway.
Something was wrong.
The worker looked too calm.
Too confident.
The tray in his hands was not filled with normal medical equipment.
Daniel noticed it too late.
Victor stepped forward.
"Get down."
The warning came instantly.
Daniel grabbed Emily's arm and pulled her lower against the bed just as the man dropped the tray and rushed forward.
The metal equipment crashed onto the floor.
The sound echoed through the room.
Daniel reacted without thinking.
He pushed the attacker away from Emily.
The man stumbled backward but recovered quickly.
He was stronger than he looked.
Victor moved between them with controlled precision.
Unlike Daniel, Victor did not move with anger.
Every movement was calculated.
The attacker swung toward him, but Victor blocked the strike and forced him back.
Daniel watched in shock.
This was not a random hospital worker.
This was someone trained.
Someone sent there for a reason.
The attacker looked toward Emily.
That single glance told Daniel everything.
He was not there for Victor.
He was not there for him.
He was there to silence Emily.
Daniel's anger returned, but this time it was different.
It was not reckless.
It was focused.
He grabbed the nearby medical tray and threw it between them, creating enough distance for Victor to move.
Victor pushed the attacker against the wall.
"Who sent you?" Victor demanded.
The man said nothing.
He only smiled.
That smile made Daniel uneasy.
Then the attacker reached inside his jacket.
Victor immediately reacted and knocked his hand away.
A small device fell onto the floor.
Daniel stared at it.
"What is that?"
Victor's expression became serious.
"Something that proves we were right."
The attacker suddenly twisted free and ran toward the hallway.
Victor followed.
Daniel almost chased after him, but Emily grabbed his hand.
"Daniel, wait."
He stopped.
She looked terrified.
"Don't leave me."
Those three words changed everything.
A few hours earlier, he would have ignored everything and chased the person responsible.
But now he understood.
Emily was not a problem to solve.
She was the person he had promised to protect.
He stayed.
Victor returned moments later, breathing heavily.
"He escaped."
Daniel looked disappointed.
"How?"
May you like
Victor looked at the device on the floor.
"Because he was never supposed to fight us."
