An hour later…
Derek had already arrived and was inside the master bedroom, working frantically to stabilize Adrian Blake. The renowned doctor moved with precise, urgent efficiency, issuing quiet commands to the two nurses he had brought with him, checking monitors, administering fluids, and doing everything humanly possible to stop the dangerous amount of blood loss.
The atmosphere outside the closed door was suffocating.
Heavy.
Tense.
Almost unbearable.
Raya stood a few feet away, arms wrapped tightly around her own waist as if the simple pressure could keep her from falling apart. A small group of Adrian's most trusted men lingered in the hallway, silent shadows with hardened faces. No one dared enter the room. Derek had been crystal clear: Adrian's condition was critical. Any unnecessary distraction or noise could cost him his life.
Every second dragged like torture.
Every minute felt like an eternity.
