Chapter 24: Noah’s Silence
The sterile scent of antiseptic clung to the hospital corridor as Sienna walked briskly toward the private wing. Her heels clicked against the polished tiles, yet her steps felt heavier with each echo. The walls seemed to close in on her, suffocating her with memories of too many nights spent in hospitals—the night her father’s body was brought in after his sudden heart attack, the nights of corporate stress that sent her into emergency rooms.
But this… this was different.
Noah lay motionless, pale against the crisp white sheets, wires and monitors surrounding his lean frame. His chest rose and fell rhythmically with the assistance of machines, but his silence was deafening. Sienna’s throat tightened. He wasn’t just her bodyguard or assistant—he was someone she trusted, someone who had sworn loyalty not to her fortune but to her.
She sat at the edge of his bed, brushing her fingers lightly against his arm.
“Noah… wake up. Please,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I can’t fight this war without you.”
The steady beep of the monitor was her only answer.
Her gaze drifted to the side table. His phone wasn’t there. She checked the drawers, the cabinet—nothing. Noah’s phone, his lifeline, was missing. Panic twisted in her stomach. That phone wasn’t just personal—it contained security codes, meeting schedules, and confidential information about her movements.
Before she could dwell further, a faint rustle caught her attention. The nurse assigned to Noah, a timid young woman, stood near the doorway, her eyes darting nervously down the hall before stepping inside.
“Mrs. Blackwood,” she whispered, leaning closer, “there’s something you should know.”
Sienna straightened, her heart thundering. “What is it?”
The nurse hesitated, her voice trembling. “He… he told me before the crash. He said he felt like someone was following him. Watching him. He was scared, but he brushed it off, said he’d handle it.”
The words pierced through Sienna like ice. Someone wanted Noah silenced.
Her grip tightened on his hand, her mind racing. Was it connected to the gala? To the whispers in the boardroom? Or… to Eve?
The fluorescent lights hummed above as Sienna stepped out of Noah’s room, her composure fraying with every breath. She was still clutching the folded note she had found on her car, its threat echoing in her mind.
A firm voice stopped her.
“Mrs. Blackwood.”
She turned and found Officer Raj Malhotra standing a few feet away, his dark suit slightly wrinkled from long hours, his expression grave. His notepad was tucked under his arm, but his eyes were sharp, observant.
“Officer Raj,” Sienna exhaled, relief and worry tangled in her tone. “Any updates?”
He shook his head. “Noah’s car showed signs of tampering. Brakes cut clean. It wasn’t an accident.”
Sienna’s chest tightened, confirming her worst fears. “So, someone wanted him dead.”
Raj’s gaze hardened. “Someone wanted him silent. That’s what it looks like.” He paused, studying her carefully. “But that’s not the only reason I’m here. I wanted to ask you about the girl… the one you brought in a few weeks ago. Eve.”
Sienna stiffened. Just hearing that name made her pulse spike. “What about her?”
“I remember,” Raj said slowly. “You hit her with your car. She had no ID, claimed she couldn’t remember anything. I left her in your care because you insisted.” He tilted his head slightly, his voice lowering. “Was that wise?”
Sienna’s nails dug into her palm. She leaned closer, her words almost a plea.
“I regret that decision every day. There’s something about her… something wrong. She smiles like an angel, but I swear she’s hiding something. She watches me, studies me. She inserts herself into my life as if she belongs there. And Noah—” her voice faltered, “Noah warned me about her before the accident.”
Raj’s brows rose. “You’re saying you suspect her?”
“Yes,” Sienna whispered fiercely. “Take her away from me, Raj. I don’t care where—just… out of my life. Before she destroys everything.”
For the first time, Raj’s stoic mask cracked, a flicker of concern crossing his face. He lowered his voice even more.
“I’ll do something, Sienna. But right now, my hands are tied. Noah’s investigation has to come first. Once I have solid ground, once I can move without making this look like paranoia, I’ll dig into her. I promise you that.”
Sienna’s shoulders sagged, frustration warring with desperation. “I don’t know if I have time, Raj. She’s already inside my home, my life. If she’s behind this, if she’s the reason Noah’s lying in there…” She glanced toward the hospital room, her eyes burning. “Then I might be next.”
Raj’s expression hardened with quiet resolve. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his tone firm.
“Stay alert. Don’t let her see your fear. And don’t worry—if Eve has skeletons in her closet, I’ll find them. I always do.”
Sienna nodded, but deep inside, dread coiled tighter. Because she knew—by the time Raj uncovered the truth, it might already be too late.
Hours later, exhausted, Sienna finally left the hospital. But as she reached her car, her blood froze.
A slip of folded paper was wedged under the windshield wiper. With trembling fingers, she pulled it free and unfolded it.
The note was scrawled in jagged black ink:
“Stop digging or you’re next.”
Her breath caught, eyes darting around the parking lot. The shadows seemed to move, every parked car now a threat. Clutching the note, she slid into the driver’s seat, her pulse pounding like a war drum.
The walls were closing in, and Sienna knew—Noah’s crash wasn’t an accident.
Across the city, in the lavish apartment Daniel had rented for her, Eve lounged at her desk, her lips curling into a slow, satisfied smile. The moonlight poured in from the window, illuminating the stack of documents she had been poring over all evening.
Sienna’s empire was vast, but no empire was flawless. Hidden among her legitimate contracts were private deals, partnerships Sienna had kept buried from the board, details even Daniel hadn’t been told.
“Oh, darling Sienna…” Eve murmured, tracing a manicured finger across the paper. “Even queens have cracks in their crowns.”
She reached for her pen and began to forge Sienna’s elegant signature across a set of fake contracts, her handwriting precise, practiced. Each stroke was deliberate, malicious. By the time she was finished, the documents looked indistinguishable from the real thing.
She leaned back, holding the papers up to the light, her smile sharpening into something cruel.
“Let’s see how your precious shareholders like this,” she whispered, her voice dripping with venom.
And as she placed the forged papers into a sleek black folder, her eyes gleamed with the triumph of a predator circling its prey.