Chapter 3 - The Hospital Walls
The hospital doors burst open,
admitting a whirlwind of rain and power.
Lucien Arkwright didn't wait for a gurney;
he carried Adeline straight to the triage desk.
"I need the best neonatal team on this floor,"
he commanded,
his voice echoing off the sterile white walls.
The nurse behind the desk began to protest,
"Sir, you have to register—"
Lucien didn't say a word,
he simply looked at her.
The woman paled,
recognizing the face from every financial news outlet in the world.
"Right away, Mr. Arkwright,"
she stammered,
hitting the emergency button.
Adeline felt herself being moved onto a bed,
the bright lights above making her squint.
She was surrounded by doctors within seconds,
their voices a blur of medical jargon and urgency.
"Triplets,"
one whispered,
checking the monitors.
"Contractions are three minutes apart."
Adeline reached out,
her hand searching for something to hold.
She found a large, warm hand,
calloused and strong.
Lucien didn't pull away.
He stood by the bed,
a pillar of darkness in the white room,
watching her with an unreadable expression.
"You're safe here,"
he said,
leaning down so only she could hear.
"The bill is paid."
"The security is in place."
"And Nick Drayke will not set foot in this wing."
Adeline tried to thank him,
but a fresh wave of pain stole her voice.
She felt the coldness of an IV needle,
the rush of fluids into her veins,
and the steady beep of the heart monitors.
Three heartbeats,
fast and rhythmic,
filling the room with the sound of life.
The doctors began to wheel her toward the delivery suite,
but a commotion at the entrance stopped them.
A man was shouting,
his voice familiar and grating.
Nick Drayke had arrived.
He was soaked,
his expensive suit ruined,
with three men in suits behind him.
"That's my wife!"
Nick yelled,
pointing a finger at Adeline.
"I have rights to those children!"
He tried to push past the security guards,
his face contorted with greed and desperation.
He had found out.
Somehow,
the news of the triplets had leaked,
and the man who had thrown her out for a model was now claiming his "heirs."
Lucien stepped forward,
releasing Adeline's hand slowly.
He walked toward the entrance of the wing,
each step deliberate and heavy.
The guards stepped aside,
knowing who the real authority was.
Lucien stopped inches from Nick,
towering over him with a calm that was more frightening than a scream.
"She is no longer your wife, Nick,"
Lucien said,
his voice like a rolling thunder.
"And these children,"
"will never know the sound of your name."
Nick sneered,
though his eyes showed a flicker of fear.
"This is a legal matter, Arkwright."
"I have the best lawyers in the city."
Lucien smiled,
a cold,
predatory tilt of the lips.
"And I own the city."
"Now leave,"
"before I decide to buy your company just to fire you."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Nick looked at the lawyers,
who were suddenly looking at their shoes.
He looked at Lucien,
and then at Adeline,
his eyes filled with a bitter,
venomous hatred.
He turned on his heel and walked away,
May you like
but Adeline knew it wasn't over.
The war had just begun.
