The Harding bodyguards were well-trained, but standing across from a pack of men who'd built their lives on the edge of a blade, their confidence crumbled in an instant.
I stepped over Harold's body, shielding Brick and Amy as we pushed toward the exit.
Georgia screamed behind us, hysterical: "Call the police! Call the police right now! Have these thugs arrested!"
I didn't even turn around.
The moment we cleared the Harding Estate, the SUV roared to life and tore out of there.
"Our private hospital! Now!" I shouted from the back seat.
Amy lay across my lap, her face white as paper, her breathing so faint I could barely feel it.
I'd already cast a Divine Sigil in secret, channeling a thin thread of divine energy into her body to protect her heart meridian.
But in the mortal world, a celestial's power was severely constrained.
If I overused my abilities, it wouldn't just invite heavenly punishment. It would accelerate the collapse of her mortal body.
By the time we reached the Dunn Group's private hospital, the top medical team was already waiting at the entrance.
Amy was rushed straight into the ICU.
I sat on the row of chairs in the corridor, both hands still covered in her blood.
A rapid set of footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway.
My father, Nelson Dunn, strode toward me in a loose traditional jacket, flanked by several of his lieutenants.
The man who commanded fear across every corner of the city looked nothing but frantic.
"Pansy! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
He grabbed my arms and looked me over head to toe.
I shook my head and pointed at the sealed ICU doors. "I'm fine. But Amy's barely hanging on."
Nelson's expression darkened.
"Those animals. Their own flesh and blood, and they'd go that far."
He squeezed my shoulder. "Relax. This hospital is ours. The doctors are the best money can buy. They'll bring her back."
But things were far worse than I'd imagined.
Two hours later, the attending physician emerged drenched in sweat, his face grim.
"Mr. Dunn, Miss Dunn... Miss Harding's condition is extremely critical."
"She's had an excessive amount of bone marrow forcibly extracted. Her hematopoietic stem cells have sustained catastrophic damage. She needs an immediate blood transfusion and emergency medication."
"However..." The doctor swallowed hard.
"However what? Spit it out!" I snapped.
The doctor's voice shook. "Ten minutes ago, every unit of compatible blood in our hospital's bank was requisitioned by the Health Department. And the supplier for the medication we need just called to unilaterally terminate our contract. They're refusing to deliver."
My head went blank, like a bomb had gone off inside my skull.
"Who did this?"
Nelson's phone rang.
He answered, listened for two seconds, and his face turned to iron.
He hurled the phone into the floor. It shattered into pieces.
"The Hardings."
Nelson's jaw clenched so tight the muscles in his neck stood out. "That old bastard Myron Harding gave the order. They've pulled every political and business string they have. They didn't just cut off our medical supplies. They've rallied several of the major families to launch a full-scale assault on every legitimate business we've been building."
The Hardings moved fast.
Less than half a day.
The internet was already on fire.
#CriminalGangInvadesPrivateHome#
#HeiressAndMobPrincessBeatTheirOwnParents#
#BoycottDunnGroup #ShutDownOrganizedCrime#
The posts were plastered with security camera stills of me and my crew smashing through the Harding Estate gates, alongside interview footage of Georgia and Lena sobbing in a hospital, faces wrapped in bandages.
In the video, Georgia wailed like her heart was being ripped from her chest: "We just wanted Amy to come home! But she blamed us for favoring Lena, and she brought gangsters to destroy our house! She tried to kill her own brother! Where is the justice?!"
