The sharp knock at the door snapped Julian Sin back to reality. Dr. Min, the Sin family's private physician was ushered in.
The doctor moved quickly, drawing a small vial of blood from Evelyn's arm. Two minutes later, her face was grave. "Mr Sin, she hasn't been given a simple sedative. This is a dark virus from the black market. It's lethal. If her body temperature isn't stabilized through physical contact over the next twelve hours, she will develop a permanent respiratory failure."
Julian dismissed the doctor with a wave of his hand. He stood by the bed, watching Evelyn thrash against the sheets, her clothes nearly torn in her delirium. He had never hesitated so much in his life.
He looked at Evelyn, then at his phone. His conscience warred with his desire. Finally, he dialed a number he knew by heart.
"You better get down here Michael" He muttered into the receiver. "And If you don't get here early enough, she becomes my woman." He ended the call.
Back in Arise City, Michael Thorn slammed his phone down. The jealousy didn't matter now; only her life did. He bypassed his assistants and ordered Dominic to ready the private jet immediately.
Erica Jones, who had come to the office to "comfort" him, saw the terrifying coldness on Michael's face. "What's wrong, Michael?"
"Go home, Erica," he snapped, leaving the office without a backward glance.
The flight from Arise City to Germany's capital usually took four hours. Michael's pilot did it in two. When the jet touched down, Michael was the first one off, within minutes, he was at the Venice Holiday Hotel.
When he burst into Evelyn's suite, two hours and one minute had passed since Julian's call. Julian was sitting by the window, a second cigarette burning out in the ashtray.
"It's the dark virus," Julian muttered, a faint, mocking smile on his lips. "I wouldn't mind a second marriage with her if you fail to protect her again, Michael."
"I don't intend to let her have a second marriage," Michael growled.
The two men stood at the peak of their respective worlds, one a king of the industry, the other a Federal Chancellor of a nation. If they fought, the world would shake. But Michael didn't have time for a duel. He went straight to the bed, closing the door on the Julian.
At noon the next day, Evelyn fought to open her eyes. Her body felt like it had been run over by a freight train. She reached out for her phone but touched something warm and solid instead.
She bolted upright, staring at the man lying next to her, propped up on his elbow.
"Am I dreaming?" she whispered. "Weren't you at Arise City?"
"You don't know your husband Again? Evelyn."He reached out and pinched her cheek.
"How did you get here? Am I ill?"
"You were poisoned. I cured you," he said simply, a dangerous light in his eyes.
Evelyn's memories of the previous night were blurry, but one thing was clear. "She had been drugged."
"Who did it? Was it Erica? I know she wants me gone!"
Michael sighed, his expression turning frustrated. "Evelyn, don't think so poorly of Erica. She can be difficult, but she wouldn't resort to something so lowly"
"You're blinded, Michael! That dog, the company frame-up, and now this? It has to be her. Tanya Banks doesn't have the brains for a move this complex!"
Michael didn't want to argue. He stood up, wrapped a towel around his waist, and headed for the shower. "We're heading back home in an hour. Get prepared."
Evelyn made a face at his retreating back. Fine, be a fool, she thought. But I'm finding out the truth by myself.
As they prepared to board the jet back to Arise City, Michael's phone buzzed. It was a message from Julian Sin. He contemplated for a second, after reading the short line of the text. He decided that, 'the Federal Chancellor of a country should have better intel than his own security team.' He typed back a brief "Thank you" and turned off his phone.
It seemed the "brainless" rival according to wife had finally learned how to play dirty, or she had a very dangerous partner helping her from behind.
The air in Arise City had turned frigid, and not just because of the change in season. Michael didn't wait for Evelyn to play detective. The night they returned, he made three phone calls and spent an hour at his terminal. By noon the next day, the "invincible" Banks Enterprise declared bankruptcy, Tanya's father, Senator Banks, was booted out of his position. The Meyers Corporation, now the Watson's corporation was forcibly acquired by Thorn International, and the Watson Father and Son were ousted from the board of executives.
But Evelyn didn't know this yet. She had refused to go back with Michael and had arrived back in Arise City exhausted, her heart heavy. She didn't want to go to Springfield Villa while Erica the pretentious witch was still there, so she went back to the old Villa for two days of solitude.
However, she needed her credentials to apply for a new job at an Entertainment Company. She went back to Springfield, hoping to slip in and out unnoticed.
The villa was quiet; Mrs. May was off duty with some of the other staff, and those left had gone out to perform their various tasks. Evelyn hurried to the master suite, grabbing a few of her stuffs and credentials, then hurried down. As she turned to leave, she found Erica standing in the doorway of the guest room, leaning lazily against the frame.
"Look who's sneaking?" Erica mocked, her voice dripping with malice. "I thought you'd hide in Germany forever like a little mouse and not come back here "
"That's none of your business, madam 'superstar'," Evelyn said, refusing to look at her. "Enjoy your stay, Erica. Once I find the evidence that you had a hand in the poisoning, I'll make sure you're the one 'staying' somewhere, in a prison cell."
Erica's eyes flashed with a momentary panic, but she quickly masked it with a sneer. "Evidence? You're delusional, Evelyn. Michael doesn't even believe a word you say."
"Move," Evelyn commanded, trying to pass.
"No. We're going to finish this conversation," Erica snapped, grabbing Evelyn's wrist.
"Let go of me! You filthy bitch!" Evelyn wrenched her arm away, her face contorted with disgust.
"You think you're so high and mighty," Erica hissed, lunging forward again. The two women grappled at the top of the marble staircase. Evelyn stepped back, trying to gain leverage, but her heel caught on the edge of the top step.
Time seemed to slow down. Evelyn's eyes widened as she felt herself falling backward. She tumbled down the long flight of stairs, her body hitting the marble with sickening thuds until she landed in a crumpled heap on the first floor.
Erica stood frozen at the top, her heart hammering. 'Did this bitch really fall off?' "Evelyn? Stop joking around. Get up."
There was no answer. Evelyn was curled into a ball, clutching her stomach, her face white with agony. Then, Erica's eyes drifted downward. A dark, crimson stain was beginning to spread across Evelyn's light caramel coat, pooling onto the white marble floor.
Erica's knees went weak. The amount of blood... there was only one possibility. 'Evelyn was pregnant.' 'This was not the plan.'
She Panicked and scrambled down the stairs, She couldn't stop now, she had already started and was going to carry on. With that, she ran back upstairs, took her phone but instead of calling an ambulance, she dialed a number. "Joseph! Get to Springfield now! Something happened, there needs to be a change in plan!". The man spoke a few words and hung up.
Ten minutes later, the man appeared. He stared at Evelyn's lifeless form, and passed a hand through his hair. "Did you kill her?" He questioned looking straight at Erica.
"I didn't mean to! She just fell!" Erica sobbed. "Is she dead?"
Joseph checked for a pulse. "She's breathing, but barely. We have to move her." He scooped Evelyn up and carried her to his car. "Erica, clean this up. Every drop. If Michael sees this, we're both dead. I'll handle the hospital. You stay here and act normal."
Erica worked like a woman possessed. She grabbed a mop from the tool room and scrubbed the marble until the stone gleamed. She rinsed the mop five times, her hands shaking. She then found Evelyn's discarded clothes and credentials on the stairs, she hurriedly parked them, ran upstairs to the master suite, and put them away.
By the time one of the staff returned from the grocery store, the house looked pristine. The staff saw a car speeding away from the gates but didn't think much of it until she entered the villa and saw Erica sitting calmly on the sofa, though her face was unusually pale.
At the hospital, the red light of the emergency room finally went out. A team of nurses pushed a gurney into the hallway. Evelyn looked like a broken porcelain doll, her skin translucent under the fluorescent lights.
Joseph intercepted the lead surgeon. "Doctor, how is she? And, the baby?"