Victoria Windsor's wheelchair froze under the weight of stares in the hospital corridor.

The pampered socialite now resembled a plucked peacock.

"Push me away!" she shrieked at her maid. "Get me away from this lunatic!"

Grace Langley sprang to her feet.

She flung aside her scarf and loomed over Victoria. "You homewrecking witch!"

Victoria's face turned ashen.

Skilled in backstabbing, she was defenseless against Grace's direct assault.

"Move!" She pinched her maid viciously.

The wheelchair lurched forward, nearly colliding with a pregnant woman.

The woman's mother-in-law exploded.

"Watch where you're going!" The elderly woman grabbed Victoria's collar. "If anything happens to my daughter-in-law, I'll tear you apart!"

Garlic breath assaulted Victoria's senses.

She gagged.

The crowd thickened around them.

Flustered, Victoria flung a wad of cash. "Take this and get lost!"

Sophia Laurent watched from around the corner, lips curling upward.

Ethan Sullivan returned from his call to find her smiling.

"What's amusing you?" He brushed a leaf from her hair.

"Seeing Victoria humiliated." Sophia's eyes sparkled. "So satisfying."

Ethan's gaze darkened.

He remembered Victoria's screams in the warehouse that rainy night.

"Indeed," he murmured.

The CT scan showed no nasal fracture.

After treating her wounds, the doctor prescribed medication.

Ethan specifically added two boxes of blood-tonic supplements.

He escorted Sophia home before rushing back to a corporate meeting.

The moment Sophia sat down, her phone rang.

"Is your mother alright?" Kyle Grant's deep voice carried concern.

"She's fine. Thank you."

A brief silence followed.

"You're injured," he stated abruptly.

Sophia stiffened. "How did you know?"

"A guess." He paused. "Rest well."

Hanging up, Sophia pondered the odd timing.

That evening, Ethan returned early to supervise her supplement intake.

"Are your meds in your bag?"

"On the shoe cabinet."

Ethan opened her purse. A glint of steel flashed.

His pupils contracted.

The military-grade tactical knife wasn't commercially available.

"Where did this come from?" His tone was casual.

"Kyle gave it to me for protection."

Ethan's fingers stilled.

Stepping onto the balcony, he called his assistant. "Buy ten premium tactical knives. Immediately."

An hour later, ten elite blades covered the coffee table.

"Replace that one." Ethan's voice was calm. "I dislike you using gifts from others."

Sophia sighed. "He was repaying a favor."

Ethan studied her before kissing her crown. "Ten for one. Fair?"

At dawn, the silver knife returned to Grant Auction House.

Kyle entered his office and froze at the sight on his desk.

He lifted the blade slowly, thumb tracing the engraved sheath.

The faint scent of gardenias clung to the metal.

Sophia's fragrance.