As Daniel stormed out of the office, the assistant who had been waiting outside quickly rose from his seat and hurried toward the door.

Inside, Tristin had already returned to reviewing documents as though nothing had happened.

A knock sounded.

"Come in."

The assistant entered cautiously.

"Sir, I’m very sorry. I tried to stop him—"

"It’s fine."

Tristin cut him off before he could finish.

The assistant visibly relaxed.

"About the matter we discussed earlier... have you found him?"

"Yes, sir."

The assistant immediately straightened.

"We tracked him down yesterday. The location, along with all the evidence we gathered, has already been handed over to the police."

A satisfied smile appeared on Tristin’s face.

For the past several days, he had quietly been investigating everything connected to the warehouse fire.

When Daniel first approached him with his plan to remove Alexander, Tristin had refused to participate in anything that would harm the company.

Yet Daniel had proceeded anyway.

By the time Tristin learned what had happened, the damage had already been done.

At first, he had been furious.

He had even threatened to expose Daniel.

But Daniel had convinced him otherwise.

He insisted it was all necessary.

That once Alexander was removed, the company would recover and become stronger.

Looking back now, Tristin felt disgusted with himself for believing those lies.

The deeper he investigated, the uglier the truth became.

The warehouse fire had never been an accident.

The missing employee had been hired by Daniel.

The worker who died that night had been heavily intoxicated and manipulated into starting the fire.

Even the grieving wife who later appeared in interviews had been paid by Daniel to fuel public outrage.

Everything had been carefully orchestrated.

And Tristin had unknowingly helped conceal it.

Now that he finally understood Daniel’s true intentions, guilt weighed heavily on him.

Which was why he had decided to uncover everything.

The missing employee had been hiding in another city under Daniel’s protection.

The moment Tristin located him, he forwarded the information to the police together with all the evidence they had gathered.

The assistant continued:

"It was submitted yesterday."

He hesitated briefly before adding,

"I believe the police will move against Daniel Caldwell very soon."

Tristin nodded.

"And there’s more."

"The shareholders of Echelon Industries have become increasingly dissatisfied."

"They’ve already begun discussing a vote to replace Daniel as CEO."

In other words, it was only a matter of time before Daniel started losing everything.

"Good."

Tristin closed the file in front of him.

"Maintain contact with the police."

"And be prepared to assist whenever necessary."

"Understood, sir."

The assistant nodded.

"If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

Tristin was about to dismiss him when the assistant suddenly remembered something.

"Actually, sir..."

He stopped near the door and turned around.

"The legal department contacted me regarding Chairwoman Roseline’s will."

Tristin looked up.

The position of chairman remained vacant.

And the contents of Roseline’s will could determine the future direction of the entire group.

"When is the reading scheduled?"

"Tomorrow morning."

The assistant’s answer made Tristin fall silent.

Tomorrow.

The board had been waiting for this moment ever since Roseline passed away.

He tapped his fingers lightly against the desk.

"Make sure everything is prepared."

"Yes, sir."

With that, the assistant finally left.

The office became quiet once more.

But this time, Tristin found himself unable to focus on the files spread across his desk.

Instead, his thoughts drifted toward the upcoming will reading.

Most of Roseline’s children had little interest in managing Blackwood Dominion.

That left only a handful of realistic candidates.

Yet knowing Roseline, things would never be that simple.

A faint frown appeared on his face.

Who exactly had she chosen?

And what would happen when the board found out?

By this time tomorrow, every answer would finally be revealed.

Alexander’s POV

"Sir Alexander, the will reading for the late Chairwoman has been scheduled for tomorrow," Jane said over the phone.

I stood still as I listened.

Since my grandfather passed, Grandma Roseline inherited the largest shares, while my father’s portion was transferred to me. That made me the second-largest shareholder in the company after her.

Now that she was gone, and the funeral was over, the will reading would decide who becomes the next chairman.

It should have mattered more.

But my eyes drifted away anyway.

Alicia was on the balcony.

Still.

Quiet.

Staring out at the sunset like she had been doing more often lately.

"Jane," I said after a pause, "you should go in my place."

There was silence on the line.

"Sir?"

"Just cover for me. Find an excuse."

After a moment, she answered, "Understood, sir. I’ll brief you after the meeting."

"Thanks."

I ended the call.

But I didn’t look away from Alicia.

Something about her had changed since we returned from the hospital.

She wasn’t ignoring me.

But she wasn’t really there either.

She spoke less. Ate less. Reacted less.

Like she was carrying something heavy inside her and refusing to let anyone see it.

The doctor’s warning kept replaying in my head.

Not good for her. Not good for the baby.

A knock came at the door.

Maria stood there with a covered tray.

"Sir, Mrs. Alicia hasn’t eaten much. I made her favorite soup."

"I’ll take it," I said.

She nodded and stepped aside.

I walked out onto the balcony.

"Alicia," I called softly.

She turned slightly.

Her expression was unreadable.

"Maria made soup for you."

"I’m not hungry," she said.

I placed the tray beside her anyway.

"Alicia... you’ve barely eaten. That’s not good for you or the baby. Remember what the doctor said."

At the mention of the baby, something shifted in her expression.

Slowly, she took the spoon.

She ate.

One spoon.

Then another. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

I watched her carefully.

But then she stopped.

Her brows tightened.

Before I could say anything, she stood up and rushed into the bathroom.

I followed her immediately.

She was bent over the sink, vomiting.

My chest tightened.

I moved behind her, holding her hair back and rubbing her back gently while she struggled.

I stayed until it stopped.

When she finally rinsed her mouth, I handed her a towel.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

She nodded.

That was all.

She went back to the balcony.

Back to silence.

Back to that distant place I couldn’t reach.

She tried again to eat.

A few more spoons.

Then stopped again.

I didn’t even let her stand this time.

I placed the bin beside her before she could move.

"Don’t force it," I said quietly.

She nodded.

And I hated how easily she gave in to everything now.

I carried her inside and laid her on the bed.

"Rest," I told her. "You’ll feel better."

She didn’t respond.

After discarding the trash bin, I took out my phone and called the doctor.

"It’s me."

"Mr. Blackwood. How is Mrs. Alicia doing?"

"Not very well."

I leaned against the wall and briefly explained everything that had happened.

"Since returning from the hospital, her appetite hasn’t improved. She barely touches her meals. Today she tried eating soup but couldn’t keep any of it down."

The doctor remained silent for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"I think Mrs. Alicia may be developing an eating disorder."

My expression darkened.

"What do you mean?"

"It’s common in patients dealing with severe emotional distress. Her body is reacting to psychological pressure."

I tightened my grip on the phone.

"What should I do?"

"I recommend finding a therapist as soon as possible.".....