The Tyrant's Stolen Bride-Chapter 124: Too Late

The chaos at the hospital didn’t end with the shooting and the abduction of the two doctors.

Police officers and civilians injured during the chase were rushed in one after another, stretchers filling the crowded corridors.

Among them was Rowan.

Doctors and nurses rushed forward, hustling him into the operating room.

"Doctor! Please, save him!" Damian shouted, panic cracking his voice.

"You can’t go in," a nurse said firmly.

The doors slammed shut, leaving him alone in the hallway.

He stepped backward until his back hit the wall, then slumped down onto the floor, slick with blood, just as another nurse approached him.

"Sir, please come with me so we can treat your injuries."

He shook his head, refusing to leave. His boss was on the brink of death. How could he bring himself to tend to his own wounds now?

Left with no choice, the nurse stepped into a nearby room, gathered medical supplies, and returned to treat him right there, just outside the room.

She gently coaxed him, helping him to his feet and guiding him to a chair instead of leaving him on the floor. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

A few cleaners arrived to scrub the blood from the tiles. Once they were done, they quietly withdrew, leaving him alone.

Not long after, Albert and Monica arrived. They hurried toward Damian, who sat hunched over outside the room, his head bowed in silent dread.

His head and hand were wrapped in bandages.

"Damian... how did it get this bad? How is he now?" Albert asked, disbelief heavy in his voice. Rowan was skilled—this shouldn’t have happened.

Damian shook his head. "He’s still inside..."

He lifted a hand, fingers running through his hair in frustration. "They were waiting for him. They were aiming for him. I knew it was a trap..."

His jaw tightened. "They managed to escape with Madam and Alex."

The operating room doors suddenly swung open, and a nurse stepped out holding a clipboard.

"Is the family of Rowan Pierce here?"

Albert rushed toward her, Monica and Damian right behind him.

"I’m his father," Albert said.

The nurse handed him a pen and the documents. "Please sign here, sir."

Albert signed quickly as Monica’s voice trembled. "How is my son, nurse?"

"I’m sorry, ma’am. I can’t say much yet—the surgery is still ongoing, and the doctors are doing everything they can."

"Is it serious?" Albert pressed.

The nurse hesitated. "Besides multiple injuries, the worst is to his head. His skull is fractured. His condition is critical, and the family should be prepared for any outcome."

She offered just enough information to brace them for what might come. Taking the signed documents, she turned and went back into the operating room.

Monica collapsed.

Albert caught her just in time as she broke down in tears, barely holding herself together.

The corridor outside the operating room was heavy with grief when Kane and Martin arrived.

They had only just landed with Gio in custody and secured him in a holding cell before Lyra’s tracker suddenly sent out an alert.

Kane drove like a man possessed, the engine screaming beneath them. But by the time they arrived, it was already too late.

The kidnappers had vanished.

In a matter of hours, Mistvale had plunged into chaos.

Martin remained silent as he leaned his back against the wall.

His thoughts raced, replaying every step they had taken, searching for where they might have gone wrong.

As far as he was concerned, they had been careful enough. With Kiera in Mistvale, she was their main suspect in the kidnapping.

Albert tilted his head from where he was seated when he heard footsteps.

He patted Monica’s shoulder as he murmured something, a quiet gesture meant to reassure her, before striding toward Victor.

"Did you manage to contact Theo?" Albert asked quietly as he drew closer to Victor.

Victor shook his head, jaw tightening.

"He’s out of reach right now. But I got through to an officer at the military base—they’ll alert him immediately."

Victor delivered the message calmly, though the details left Albert unsatisfied.

Theo was always unreachable when he was on a mission.

Suddenly, Albert’s phone rang. Hale Estate’s number flashed on the screen.

He answered immediately.

"Albert... Nora told me. Lyra and Alex—is it true?" Agnes’s voice trembled over the line, though she tried to keep it steady.

"Yes..."

"Who? Is it Kiera who did this?"

"I can’t confirm that yet," he said.

"Lyra and Alex... they’ve never had enemies, never caused trouble. Dominic is with me—he doesn’t know what’s happening, and I can’t keep it from him for long. Please, find them immediately," she pleaded.

"Yes... I will find whoever did this, and when I do, they will regret it."

He had promised Harold long ago to protect his family and he meant it.

Agnes nodded silently, trusting him to handle the rest. With Rowan’s condition already critical, she had said all she could.

Albert shoved his phone back into his pocket after the call. He had taken only a few steps toward his wife when it buzzed again.

His mother—Elean was calling.

Albert had no mood to answer. She would only call to blame someone. He turned back to Victor.

"Victor, send someone to my mother’s house. Tell her not to worry too much, and make sure she doesn’t come here," he instructed.

"Yes, sir," Victor said before leaving immediately to carry out the task.

Elean didn’t need to know. Dealing with her would only exhaust everyone further. With her health already fragile, it was better for her to stay home and rest.

Albert returned to Monica and sat beside her, waiting.

After a while, the police arrived, took their statements, and then left.

Later, Jane, Nora, and Lewis joined them, staying close in case any news came about Lyra and Alex.

They knew Albert would be the one to receive any updates, and they waited, bound together by worry.

At last, after hours of waiting, the operating room door swung open. The doctor stepped out, and Albert rushed toward him with the others.

The doctor shook his head, his gaze lingering on each of them as he prepared to deliver the bad news.