At the hospital, in the corridor outside the emergency room, Victoria Jordan continuously wiped away tears, her eyes swollen and red from crying.
“Victoria, what happened to my father?” Kimberly asked, her face tight with worry.
Victoria dabbed at her eyes as she explained, “Your father stepped out to the stairwell for a cigarette. When he didn’t come back after a while, I went to check on him. When I opened the emergency door—” her voice caught, “—I found him unconscious on the floor with blood pooling beneath his head.”
“How could this happen…?” Kimberly whispered, her gaze unfocused.
“He just went out for a smoke,” Victoria said through her tears. “How could he have fallen? He’s not exactly elderly—he can still see where he’s going perfectly well.”
Victoria’s words struck Kimberly with sudden clarity. It was Tom Malfoy. It had to be Tom Malfoy. The psychopath couldn’t get to the Blackwoods and couldn’t find her, so he went after her family instead. His objective was obvious—to flush her out of hiding.
Kimberly’s lips trembled with rage, fury building to a breaking point within her. Why was Tom Malfoy targeting her family? First Lucy, now her father. Kimberly’s fists clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. In this moment, her legal training and rationality vanished entirely, consumed by white-hot rage. Despite her years studying law, she wanted only one thing: revenge. Tom Malfoy. This name, I will remember it.
After the medical team stabilized Ronald, they transferred him to a private room. Outside the room, two security professionals stood guard on either side of the door. Victoria approached with a thermos, eyeing them warily. “Who are you two?”
Kimberly opened the door from inside. “Victoria, my father’s fall wasn’t an accident. Asher sent these security specialists to protect him.”
Victoria’s forehead creased with concern. “What are you saying, Kimberly?”
“Come inside. I’ll explain everything.”
Ten minutes later, Victoria’s expression had transformed to one of horror, her eyes wide with fear. “So Blackwood’s illegitimate brother arranged this to draw you out?”
Kimberly nodded grimly. “Everyone needs to be extremely careful now. Victoria, don’t go anywhere without security, and Lucy needs to stay home from school for a while. The people who kidnapped her before were working for Malfoy.”
“I understand,” Victoria replied, visibly shaken. “I’ll arrange private tutors immediately.”
Kimberly cautioned, “Make sure the tutors are completely trustworthy. Their backgrounds need thorough investigation. I’m worried they might send someone posing as a tutor to get to you and Lucy.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll only use tutors we’ve worked with before.”
“Thank you for handling all this,” Kimberly said, massaging her temples from exhaustion. “How’s Lucy doing? Yesterday didn’t frighten her, did it?”
Victoria shook her head. “We haven’t told her anything. Your father’s accident happened right as the birthday party was ending. I just told Lucy that her father had to leave for an urgent matter.”
“Smart thinking. I’ll have Asher send over his best security team to protect both of you.”
“That would be a relief.”
The following afternoon, Asher finally managed to visit the hospital after completing his urgent business. Victoria sat beside the bed, helping Ronald with his medication, while Kimberly worked on her laptop at a small table nearby, balancing her professional responsibilities while keeping her father company. Asher entered the room with Matt Ford following behind, carrying various gift baskets and nutritional supplements which he placed on a side table.
“I’m terribly sorry, Uncle Ronald,” Asher said, “I’ve been preoccupied with tracking down those responsible and couldn’t come sooner.”
Ronald responded with a curt “hmm,” barely acknowledging him.
Kimberly looked up from her computer. “Have you found who did this?”
“Yes,” Asher replied.
Kimberly’s eyes blazed. “Where are they?”
“They’ve been handed over to the police, but Malfoy has covered his tracks meticulously. At present, we can only prosecute the actual attacker. We don’t have grounds to arrest Malfoy himself.”
Kimberly’s expression darkened. “He wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave any connection to himself.”
Asher turned to Ronald in the hospital bed, his tone apologetic. “Uncle Ronald, I’m truly sorry you’ve been caught in this. This situation exists because of me.”
Ronald looked pale and frail, his condition clearly serious.
“Asher, Kimberly has explained everything. With all the power and influence the Blackwood family has, you really can’t do anything about this Malfoy character? You’re just going to let him continue hurting people?”
“I apologize, sir. While we’re convinced he’s behind this, we have no concrete evidence. The police can’t help us without it.”
“Sometimes, Asher, playing by the rules isn’t the answer,” Ronald said wearily. “When your opponent fights dirty, you may need to fight dirtier. You’re not the police—why do you need evidence?”
Asher lowered his eyes. He understood this logic perfectly. It wasn’t that he needed evidence to confront Malfoy. The problem was that Malfoy had only recently returned to London and was constantly on the move, never staying in one place. His team had tracked Malfoy’s whereabouts several times, only to find he’d already moved on.
Asher patiently explained the current situation to Ronald. Ronald seemed thoroughly unsatisfied, sighing deeply as he took his medicine in silence.
After explaining the details about the assailant to the Jordan family, Asher produced a bank card. “Uncle Ronald, please accept this small token of my concern.”
Ronald’s displeasure was evident. He didn’t need money. His eyes fell on the card with disdain. “Don’t bother with these useless gestures. Catching Malfoy would be far more meaningful.”
For Kimberly’s sake, Asher maintained impeccable politeness in front of his future father-in-law, his manner beyond reproach. He nodded slightly. “Of course.”
As Asher prepared to leave, Kimberly closed her laptop and spoke quietly: “Asher, I’ll come with you.”
Ronald’s cool gaze swept over to her, his expression darkening.
Kimberly sighed. “Dad, they hurt you to draw me out. Only if I’m visible will you, Victoria, and Lucy be safe.”
Victoria looked startled. “Kimberly, we have security now—we should be fine. It’s you who needs to be careful!”
Ronald gave a cold snort. “If an alliance with the Blackwood family puts our lives at risk, perhaps this engagement shouldn’t continue.”
Kimberly froze, her heart sinking as she felt a sudden chill envelop her. She understood Ronald was deadly serious, not merely testing them. What made it most painful was that she had no grounds to object. The victims were her sister and father, not herself. She couldn’t justify subjecting her family to continued danger for the sake of her own romantic happiness.
“Dad,” Kimberly’s voice was strained, “I’ll talk this through with Asher.”
Ronald’s tone was grave. “Yes, you certainly should.”
In the hospital’s underground car park, the car’s heating system created a cocoon of warmth. Asher removed his coat, revealing a black shirt with a tie—clearly he had come directly from Blackwood Industries.
“Asher,” Kimberly began, “we need to talk.”
Asher kept his eyes lowered, concealing his emotions. “What about?”
Kimberly felt a sharp pain in her heart. The words she needed to say were impossible to voice. But her family had been repeatedly harmed, and she couldn’t selfishly prioritize her own love and happiness. Yesterday it was Lucy’s kidnapping, today her father’s injury. What would tomorrow bring? Would it be Victoria next, or herself?