Chapter 13
532words
"Get out now, or I'm calling security," I warned, my hand moving toward the emergency call button.
The man lunged forward with surprising speed, seizing my wrist in a grip that made me gasp with pain.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be," Emma glided to Owen's bedside, staring down at his sleeping form. "After tonight, you'll have nothing left to blackmail Nolan with."
"What are you planning?" I asked, cold terror washing over me as I fought against the man's iron grip.
"Don't worry, it will be painless," Emma said with chilling gentleness, her manicured fingers hovering over Owen's oxygen tube. "He'll simply drift away in his sleep, like he never existed."
"No!" I screamed, but the man clamped his hand over my mouth, muffling my cries.
Emma calmly pulled on latex gloves and reached for Owen's oxygen supply. Just then, the door burst open.
A man in civilian clothes charged in, swiftly tackling Emma's accomplice to the ground.
"Freeze!" the newcomer commanded. "Ms. Emma, step away from the child immediately."
Emma whirled around, her face contorted with shock, then turned to me with pure hatred. "You scheming bitch. You even brought your lover to set me up?"
"What?" I stared at the stranger in complete confusion, having no idea who he was.
"Stop the innocent act!" Emma shrieked. "This is all a setup, isn't it? You're after Nolan's fortune, his company, everything!"
The man ignored her ravings and pulled out a phone. "Sir, situation contained. You can come in now."
Twenty minutes later, Nolan appeared in the doorway. Despite the hour, he was perfectly dressed, his face impassive, his eyes glacial.
"Nolan!" Emma instantly transformed, tears springing to her eyes. "Thank God you're here! Chloe and her lover tried to attack me! They're setting me up!"
Nolan took in the scene with a clinical gaze, then nodded to the man. "Good work, Jackson."
"Just doing my job, sir," the man replied professionally.
Emma's face went slack with confusion. "Nolan... what's happening?"
"This is my head of security," Nolan said evenly. "I assigned him to monitor this room and ensure Owen's safety."
The color drained from Emma's face. "You... you don't trust me?"
"I wanted to trust you," Nolan's voice was deadly calm. "But my security team recorded everything tonight. You attempted to murder a child, Emma. There's no coming back from that."
"No, Nolan, it's not what it looks like!" Emma said frantically. "I was just—just trying to frighten her! I never would have actually hurt the boy!"
Nolan ignored her desperate pleas and turned to his security chief. "Take her to the police station. They're expecting her."
"Nolan!" Emma shrieked as she was dragged away. "You can't do this to me! I love you! Everything I did was for us!"
Her screams faded, leaving an eerie silence. I stared at Nolan, completely stunned, words failing me.
"Thank you," I finally whispered, my voice trembling.
Nolan gave a curt nod, his face still unreadable. "I couldn't take chances. Regardless of whose son he is, Owen is an innocent child."
