Chapter 4 - The Hospital Room Fortress
The sterile, quiet hum of the private VIP maternity ward at Sterling Memorial Hospital felt like a different universe compared to the frozen stone of the mountain retreat.
When I woke up, the first thing I felt was warmth—deep, permeating warmth from heated blankets wrapped around my limbs. The second thing I felt was a gentle, calloused hand holding mine.
I turned my head slowly on the pillow. My father sat in the armchair beside the bed, his shoulders slightly slumped, though his eyes burned with an intense, protective fire that hadn't aged a day.
"Dad," I whispered, my voice raspy and dry.
Alvin looked up, instantly squeezing my hand. He leaned over, pressing a gentle kiss to my forehead. "I've got you, sweetheart. You're safe. The babies are safe. The medical team monitored their heart rates all through the flight—they're strong, and they're holding steady."
Tears spilled over my eyelids, hot and unbidden. "How did you... how did you know to send the chopper so fast?"
Alvin’s jaw tightened, a muscle ticking in his cheek. "That medical bracelet you refused to take off when you were discharged from your last checkup? Best investment I ever made. The moment your body temperature dropped below critical thresholds, my private dashboard flagged it. And when the exterior security cameras panned to the pool... I saw everything, Tory."
A heavy silence settled over the room for a moment, thick with unsaid fury.
"Where is Diego?" I asked, my voice dropping to a whisper.
"Right where he belongs," Alvin said grimly, standing up to walk over to the window that looked out over the city skyline. "My security team locked down the retreat until local authorities arrived with a proper magistrate warrant. Federal agents from the White-Collar Crime Division are executing a search of his home office right now. They found the forged property transfer agreements, the offshore accounts tied to his mistress, and the digital logs proving he disabled the interior smart-locks to keep you from getting back inside."
Before I could answer, a soft knock came at the door.
A nurse stepped inside, holding a secure encrypted tablet. "Mr. Sterling? You have an urgent video call on the encrypted line. It's from Diego's defense counsel... and he's patched in someone unexpected."
Alvin frowned, walking over to take the tablet. He tapped the screen to accept the connection, turning it slightly so I could see.
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The screen split into two video feeds. On the left was a slick corporate defense attorney sweating through his collar. On the right was Diego’s mother, Brenna, sitting in the back of a police cruiser, her haughty composure completely shattered.
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