Sebastian chuckled dismissively. "He's trying to pressure Celeste into submission, but she's Liam's mother—she would never betray him. If he dares to play dirty with Celeste, not just me—even Theodore Whitmore himself wouldn't stand idly by."

He'd already seen the headlines about Benjamin.

But truthfully, he couldn't be bothered to intervene.

If it were Amy in trouble, he'd move heaven and earth to help her. As for those around her? Well, he wasn't exactly known for his generosity.

The only reason he'd stepped in this time was because Benjamin and Samantha's mess had dragged Amy into it. That was his sole motivation for acting.

And as he dug deeper, he uncovered far more than he'd expected.

Sebastian smirked to himself—this drama was becoming more entertaining by the minute.

"If he'd just been honest from the start, maybe Celeste would've believed him. But he wanted to manipulate the situation—too clever by half. Sooner or later, his arrogance will be his downfall."

In the hospital, Alexander stirred awake not long after.

His vision blurred as he made out a slender figure slumped beside his bed.

His voice was hoarse as he murmured, "Amy..."

At the sound of his voice, the figure jolted upright, her face lighting up with relief. "Alex! You're awake!"

Alexander blinked in confusion, his voice uncertain. "Victoria? What are you doing here?"

"You were hurt—of course I'd stay with you."

Victoria noticed his gaze flickering around the room, searching for someone else. Instantly, she understood.

Her fingers curled into fists, but her voice remained soft. "Alex, after your surgery, Amy didn't even step inside. She left immediately."

Alexander's expression darkened.

"Did she... say anything?"

Victoria studied him carefully. "She just said you wouldn't harm her, then walked out. Alex, this time she nearly killed you. We can't let her get away with this!"

But Alexander didn't respond right away. His mind drifted into memories.

For some reason, he suddenly recalled the first time he'd fallen ill with a fever.

It was Amy who had taken care of him then.

He'd been working nonstop for days—exhausted, skipping meals, until finally, his body gave out. His fever had spiked dangerously high.

Amy had stayed by his side day and night, refusing to sleep, refusing to rest, tending to him without complaint.

When he finally woke, his first instinct had been to return to work.

Amy, usually so composed, had snapped at him for the first time.

She'd even turned on Isabella, his secretary, saying sharply, "Isabella, I'm fairly certain a company won't collapse because its CEO takes a few days off. If it would, then it was already doomed. If you truly cared about Alexander, you wouldn't be bringing him files right now."

Alexander hated when anyone interfered with his work, but that time, he hadn't been angry. Instead, he'd listened—and actually rested.

Later, when the doctor mentioned his chronic stomach issues from years of poor eating habits, Amy had started preparing special meals for him daily.

No matter how late he returned home, she always left a light on for him...

He didn't know why, but all those forgotten details suddenly flooded back with startling clarity.

He had never regretted any of his choices before.

But now...