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The air in the City Hospital's archive wing was thick with the scent of rubbing alcohol and old dust. Gabriella stood frozen, her midnight-blue leather jacket reflecting the sterile white lights above. Beside her, Felix remained a calm, dark shadow in his denim jacket, his eyes never leaving the two women standing before them.
The Nurse's Tale
The young hospital staffer stepped aside, revealing a woman about 58 years old with tired eyes and graying hair. "This is my mother," the staffer whispered. "She was the head nurse the night Marina was admitted."
Gabriella's heart hammered against her ribs. She took a step forward, her voice trembling. "Do you remember Marina? Do you know what happened to her family?"
The old woman sighed, her gaze drifting toward the past. "How could I forget? Marina's second pregnancy was critical. We needed her husband's signature for the surgery, but he wasn't there. I was the one who called him. He was a businessman, away on a trip, but he rushed back."
"Did you see him?" Felix asked, his voice low and intense. "Would you recognize him now?"
"Yes," the nurse nodded. "He arrived terrified. He wanted to save her so badly. But Marina... she knew. Before they took her in, she pleaded with him: 'Please, take care of my son. Let the world know he is yours.' I don't think she was his first wife."
Gabriella's eyes narrowed as the truth began to bleed through. The old woman leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Promise me... You won't tell anyone what I'm about to say."
Gabriella and Felix nodded solemnly.
"He lost her that night," the nurse continued. "He cried so loudly it shook the halls. But afterward... he didn't take his two-year-old son. He handed the boy to a friend's family and told us to handle the 'legal formalities.' He wouldn't even look at the newborn girl. He said he couldn't see her because he had lost his Marina. When we went to find him for the final paperwork... he was gone."
Gabriella gasped. "But the records said the baby girl died!"
The nurse's eyes shimmered. "That was the miracle. We thought she wouldn't survive an hour, but she pulled through. She lived."
Minutes later, the staffer led Felix away to discuss the price for truth, leaving Gabriella alone with the old nurse. Gabriella pulled out her phone, her fingers shaking as she pulled up the photo of the hospital records she had snapped earlier.
"Is the husband's name... Richardson Lucien?" Gabriella whispered, her breath hitching.
The nurse squinted at the screen. "I don't remember the face perfectly, but that is the name on the settled bill. That is him."
Gabriella's world shattered. Richardson, her own uncle —was Kevin's biological father. He had abandoned his own son and turned his back on a daughter who survived.
The phone slipped from her hand, but before it hit the floor, a hand caught it. Felix.
Gabriella scrambled to snatch it back, her eyes wide with terror. I can't let him see the name. Not yet, she thought.
"What's wrong?" Felix asked, his face a mask of confusion.
"Nothing," Gabriella snapped, her face tightening with a cold, vengeful fury. "I was just asking about the mysterious man. How could he just leave his children like that?"
The young staffer returned and gently led her mother away, leaving Gabriella and Felix in the silent, haunted hallway.
"How much did they want?" Gabriella asked, reaching for her phone to avoid Felix's gaze. "I'll transfer the money to you for the information."
Felix didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed her hand, his grip firm and hot. He pulled her close, his eyes burning with an intensity that made her want to run and stay all at once.
"I don't want your money, Gabriella," he whispered, leaning down so his lips were inches from her ear.
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The Orphanage of Lost Souls
The air at St. Jude's Orphanage felt heavy with the scent of old wood and forgotten dreams. The building was a gloomy, gray stone structure with creeping vines that looked like tangled veins. Gabriella stood at the iron gates, her breath hitching. She was wearing a fitted black leather jacket over a crimson turtleneck, looking sharp yet guarded. Beside her, Felix was a steady presence in his charcoal denim jacket, his eyes scanning the windows for any sign of a trap.
As Felix turned to walk toward the main office, Gabriella grabbed his hand, her fingers cold. "I don't think they'll just tell us if we ask," she whispered.
Felix stopped, looking at her. "You're right. We need a different way in."
Suddenly, a middle-aged woman in a simple floral apron passed by. She stopped and squinted at Gabriella. "I've seen you before," she said slowly.
Gabriella's heart hammered against her ribs. Not now, she thought.
"I think you've got the wrong person," Felix intervened smoothly. "There's no way."
But the lady snapped her fingers. "No, I remember! You came to this orphanage before!"
Before Felix could question her, Gabriella stepped forward. "Yes," she said, cutting the lady off. "I'm back because I need help. The same reason as before."
Felix's eyebrows shot up, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, but Gabriella ignored him. She turned to the lady. "I need details about a baby admitted on this specific date. I know she had no one, but she actually has a father. I want to reunite them."
Felix watched her, his mind racing. Why is she making up this story? She hasn't even found the real father yet.
The lady sighed. "I understand, but it's too late. These children were adopted by well-known families. If I reveal the truth, it could collapse their entire lives."
Gabriella leaned in, her voice dripping with fake sincerity. "We won't interfere if she's happy. We just want to know. Her father... he's actually my father. He's too sick to come, so I came as her step sister."
Felix leaned against a pillar, a tiny smirk playing on his lips. She's a dangerously smooth liar, he thought.
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The 22-Year-Old Secret
The lady was eventually compromised. she led them into a dim, dusty record room and pulled out a heavy, leather-bound ledger. "Find it quickly," she whispered, flipping the yellowed pages.
She pointed to an entry. "That baby girl... she was adopted by a woman on this date."
Gabriella's eyes widened as she looked at the ink. The date was exactly twenty-two years ago—the same day Roselette, the woman she called Mom, had brought her home. Gabriella snatched the book, her eyes scanning the signature.
Adopted by: Roselette Lucien.
A single, hot tear traced a path down Gabriella's cheek. Everything fits, she thought, her world tilting. I was adopted when I was two years old. This baby was adopted at two years old. That means... I am Kevin's real biological sister.
Felix reached for the book, his hand inches from the page. "Let me see—"
SLAM. Gabriella closed the book shut before he could see the names. She turned to the lady, her voice trembling. "Was any other child adopted on that same day?"
The lady checked the ledger again. "No. Just her."
The Silent Retreat
"Let's go, Felix," Gabriella said, her voice hollow.
Felix stood his ground, confused. "Wait, let's get her current address. We came this far!"
Gabriella dragged him by the arm toward the exit. "No need! We're leaving!"
Once they reached the car, Felix spun her around. "What happened to you in there? Why are you dropping this now?"
"I don't want to interfere in her life," Gabriella said, her voice a low, jagged whisper. "If she finds out about her tragic family... it will destroy her peace. Let her live in the dark."
Felix followed her.
She began to walk away down the sidewalk. "Leave me alone, Felix!"
Felix stood by the car, watching her retreating figure, his heart heavy with an emotion he couldn't name. Suddenly, the orphanage lady ran out toward him, breathless. "Wait! The girl dropped her phone in the room!"
Felix took the phone. "Oh... thanks."
As the lady turned to leave, Felix grabbed her sleeve. "Could you do me one favor? Please... tell me who took that baby. I need to know for her safety."
The lady looked at his serious, pleading face and slowly nodded, whispering the name into his ear.
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The Elevator of Ash & Agony
The Emilda Enterprises Headquarters towered over the city like a giant of glass and steel. Inside, the atmosphere was cold. Ever since Robert was hauled away in handcuffs, his son Jake had stepped into the power vacuum. Jake sat in the massive executive suite, wearing a sharp, midnight-black suit with a blood-red tie, looking every bit the ruthless successor.
"Collect everything," Jake commanded his assistant, his voice as sharp as a razor. "I want every photo, every file, every trace that proves Felix is a government secret agent."
The assistant blinked. "But sir, why focus on him now?"
Jake tilted his head, a cold, calculated smirk crossing his lips. "Because Gabriella has one weakness: she can never forgive a liar. If she finds out Felix has been living a double life, she won't marry him. And if she doesn't marry him, she stays mine."
Jake dismissed the assistant and headed for the private elevator. The building was nearly empty, the silence echoing through the marble halls as the sun began to set.
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The Ambush in the Dark
The elevator dived toward the lobby, but before the doors could fully open, a shadow stormed inside. Jake was slammed against the back wall, a strong arm pinning him down. Before he could even draw a breath, the cold, lethal edge of a knife pressed against his throat.
Jake chuckled, unfazed. "So, you finally showed up,? I knew you'd come for me—Fel..."
But Jake stopped mid-sentence. He looked at the reflection in the polished gold of the elevator door. It wasn't Felix.
The figure pulled back their black baseball cap, revealing a face full of cold, burning fury. It was Gabriella. She was dressed for a hit—all-black tactical gear, a combat vest, and heavy boots, her eyes glowing with a vengeful fire.
"You," Jake whispered, his heart skipping a beat in genuine shock.
"Of course," Gabriella hissed, her voice dripping with ice. "Who else would it be?"
Jake's shock lasted only a second. Without a hint of fear, he reached up, grabbed the blade of the knife with his bare hand, and used the momentum to twist Gabriella around. In one swift move, he had her pinned against the railing, his strong grip locking her arms.
He chuckled in disbelief, his face inches from hers. "Why, Gabriella? Why this?"
Gabriella struggled against his grip, her breath coming in ragged gasps of pain and rage. "You have no right to live!" she roared.
Jake's grip loosened for a fraction of a second, his heart stinging at her words. Sensing the opening, Gabriella twisted back, breaking free and pointing the knife directly at the center of his neck. They stood face-to-face in the small, moving box, the tension thick enough to suffocate.
"So you really believe it?" Jake asked, his voice low and gravelly. "You believe I'm the Silverstorm member who killed Kevin?"
"Yes!" Gabriella screamed, her eyes welling with tears she refused to shed. "It was you!"
Jake scoffed, stepping closer until the tip of the blade drew a tiny bead of blood from his skin. "Then kill me. If you're so sure, do it right now."
He grabbed her hand, forcing the knife deeper against his own throat. Gabriella's eyes wavered. Her hand began to shake. Something deep inside her—a memory of the boy she once loved—made her feel weak. Her grip on the handle loosened.
Jake felt the shift. He looked down at her bandaged hand—the wound she had gotten while saving him just days ago.
"The wound you got protecting me hasn't even healed yet," Jake said, his voice turning into a painful, deep whisper. "But here you are... striking your own hand just to hurt me."
Gabriella's face softened, the mask of revenge crumbling into pure, raw agony.
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To be Continued.....
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(Sorry for delay...I will make sure to upload Chapter everyday for you.....)