Medical staff always dreaded dealing with patients like Dahlia. But in this line of work, they didn''t have the luxury of choice. With a sigh, they handed Dahlia her phone, suppressing their own feelings.


    Dahlia wasted no time and dialed Charles. The first call went unanswered. Not one to give up easily, she tried again. Still nothing. It wasn''t until her third attempt that someone finally picked up.


    Before the person on the other end could even say hello, Dahlia was already in tears. "Charles..." she sobbed.


    But before she could continue, a familiar voice interrupted her, "Ms. Dahlia."


    She frowned. "Where''s Charles? I need to talk to him-it''s urgent."


    "Mr. Jenkins is unavable at the moment," Aiden replied, his voice tinged with exhaustion.


    "What''s he doing that''s so important? Tell him I had an ident while visiting Charliest night. I fell off a hill, and now I''m in the hospital with a serious spinal injury."


    Aiden''s heart skipped a beat at the mention of her injury. He knew how much Dahlia meant to Mr. Jenkins. Her condition was no trivial matter.


    "Ms. Dahlia, which hospital are you in? I''ll send someone over right away..."


    "No, I want Charles toe himself! Give him the phone!" Dahlia demanded, though she knew she had to tread carefully. Aiden was close to Charles, and she couldn''t afford to alienate himpletely.


    "Mr. Jenkins is in the ICU," Aiden confessed, sounding utterly drained. "He was moved there after leaving the emergency room at four this morning. It''s been seven or eight hours, and he''s still not in the clear."


    "What did you just say?" Dahlia''s face went pale, panic setting in. "How did Charles end up in ICU?"


    Aiden remained silent.


    "Which hospital is he in?" she


    pressed, desperation evident in her voice. Dahlia knew that without Charles, she had no safety. The thought of him being at death''s door left her terrified. Without his protection, she''d be at Evelyn''s mercy.


    In her frantic state, Dahlia momentarily forgot about her paralysis and tried to get out of bed only to copse awkwardly to the e floor. That''s when she noticed her hospital gown was wet. The awful smell she''d woken up to was her own doing-she''d lost control due to her injury.


    "Ah!" she cried out, a mix of anger and humiliation. From the neighboring bed, she heard someone snicker, making her cheeks burn with shame. Never had she felt so defeated. And it was all because of Evelyn, who had pushed her down that hill!


    Meanwhile, at Brooks'' ce, Evelyn


    was asleep in the master bedroom


    upstairs. Brooks sat by her side, having kept watch all night. When his phone rang the previous night, he was wide awake, the volume cranked up so he wouldn''t miss a call if Evelyn needed him.


    The call came in the dead of night. Instantly, he picked up, expecting it might be her. But it wasn''t—it was Aiden, his executive assistant, unable to reach him. Aiden instructed Brooks'' assistant to fetch Evelyn from Evermore Court.


    Brooks didn''t waste time with questions. He hung up, realized Evelyn wasn''t in her room, and sped off to Evermore Court, where the butler was already waiting at the door.