Alexander's POV
Hospital Emergency Floor
Lucien's hands trembled slightly beside him. For the first time in years, I saw fear crawling visibly across his face.
"I checked the hallway myself," he said quickly. "Nobody entered through the main entrance."
My eyes stayed on him and the rising and falling of his chest became faster.
"The windows were locked before I took position," he continued carefully. "And the cameras outside the ward were working, but when I checked the hospital footage, there was nothing there."
Sebastian furrowed his brows and muttered something under his breath.
My jaw tightened. Whoever was doing this was following the same pattern. The same missing footage. The same silence from the cameras. The same timing.
My fingers curled slightly at my side.
Lucien lowered his head, his body shaking.
"I failed, master."
Silence followed immediately.
The bright emergency light above the theatre doors reflected faintly across the polished floor while distant hospital noises echoed through the hallway.
None of us spoke for a while.
Then finally, Sebastian stepped forward slightly.
"The old woman escaped through the window before Lucien could stop her."
I looked toward him slowly.
"And the guards outside?"
Sebastian's face hardened.
"None of them saw anyone matching the description Lucien gave leave the hospital."
My eyes darkened.
That was impossible. The hospital had been under watch since Elena was admitted.
No ordinary person could enter, attack her, and disappear without leaving a trace. Unless… The thought died halfway inside my head.
The beige suit. The Five Foes. The doctor inside Elena's room earlier. The missing footage. The old woman.
My chest tightened violently.
In an instant, the emergency theatre doors burst open.
All of us looked up instantly as a doctor rushed out wearing stained gloves while another nurse hurried beside him carrying fresh equipment.
I stepped toward him immediately.
"How is she?"
The doctor looked slightly startled by the question before removing his mask quickly.
"She became unstable during the procedure," he admitted.
My breath caught in my throat and my pulse raced.
The doctor continued quickly.
"There was swelling around the airway from the attack. Her oxygen levels dropped again during surgery."
Sebastian's face tightened beside me.
The doctor hesitated briefly before speaking again.
"We almost lost her for a moment."
Everything around me suddenly became very quiet.
The sounds inside the hallway faded strangely into the background.
I stared directly at the doctor.
"What did you say?"
The doctor swallowed visibly.
"Her heart stopped briefly during the procedure," he admitted carefully. "But we managed to stabilize her again."
My fingers clenched slowly into a fist.
Elena's heart had stopped.
For one brief moment… she had died.
Something dangerous shifted heavily inside me.
Sebastian noticed it immediately.
"Master…"
I turned away from the doctor slowly.
Lucien instinctively stepped backward. The fear on his face deepened instantly.
I pulled out my phone without delay. Sebastian watched me carefully without speaking. The call connected immediately.
"Seal every exit in this hospital," I ordered quietly.
My voice sounded cold enough to freeze the air around us.
"No doctor, nurse, patient, or visitor leaves the building."
Lucien's breathing stopped briefly.
"Yes, master", the men on the other side of the call immediately responded.
I ended the call then I lifted my eyes toward the emergency theatre doors again.
My chest rose once before settling completely.
"She almost died tonight," I said softly.
The hallway became deathly silent.
"So now…" I broke the silence.
I looked at Lucien, then Sebastian, and finally the terrified doctor standing nearby.
"We find out who touched her."