Chapter 3: The Race Against Time
Chapter 3: The Race Against Time
The first drop of blood hit the white marble floor with a sound so faint that no one but Jonathan Pierce noticed it.
Then came another.
And another.
Each crimson drop spread into the polished stone like shattered rubies.
For one suspended moment, the room fell unnaturally silent.
Even Damian stopped breathing.
Jonathan was the first to move.
"Call an ambulance!" he shouted.
One of the corporate security officers immediately reached for his phone.
Evelyn slowly shook her head.
"No..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Northwestern..."
Jonathan leaned closer.
"Mrs. Cross?"
"My doctor..."
"...Northwestern Memorial."
Another wave of pain tore through her abdomen.
She instinctively wrapped both arms around her stomach.
The twins kicked almost simultaneously.
Tears finally burned behind her eyes.
Not because of the pain.
Because she was terrified.
Please...
Just keep breathing...
Please stay with Mommy...
Damian stared at the blood on the floor.
His expression remained unreadable.
Then—
He looked at his watch.
"How long until the Board meeting starts?" he asked Jonathan.
The room froze.
Jonathan blinked.
"What?"
"The emergency meeting."
Damian's voice was calm.
"I need to stop this acquisition."
Jonathan couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Your wife is hemorrhaging."
"I asked about the meeting."
Evelyn slowly lifted her eyes.
For the first time in years...
She truly saw him.
Not the ambitious young entrepreneur she had fallen in love with.
Not the charming husband who once promised they would build an empire together.
Standing before her was a complete stranger.
Someone incapable of compassion.
Someone who looked at the mother of his unborn children and saw nothing but an obstacle.
Something inside Evelyn quietly broke.
Not her heart.
That had shattered years ago.
This was something else.
The final thread connecting her to Damian Cross simply... disappeared.
Celeste stepped backward.
"I..."
"I didn't think..."
She stared at the growing pool of blood.
"This isn't my fault."
Nobody answered.
"It isn't!"
Her voice became louder.
"I never touched her!"
Jonathan turned toward her.
"No."
"You only encouraged the man who did."
Celeste opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Downstairs...
The ballroom had descended into chaos.
Television screens mounted throughout the penthouse suddenly interrupted the music.
A breaking news banner appeared.
LIVE
Cross Capital Removes Billionaire CEO During Investor Gala
Guests gathered around the screens.
Reporters stood outside the company's downtown headquarters.
Employees streamed out carrying boxes.
Financial analysts spoke over one another.
"Cross Capital shares have entered a temporary trading halt..."
"...the Board confirmed emergency leadership changes..."
"...sources indicate Executive Chair Evelyn Cross now controls voting rights exceeding sixty-two percent..."
Investors exchanged uneasy glances.
One billionaire quietly placed his champagne on a passing tray.
"I need my attorneys."
Another was already walking toward the exit.
"So do I."
Within minutes...
The celebration Damian had spent months organizing began falling apart.
One guest after another quietly left the penthouse.
Nobody wanted to be associated with a collapsing empire.
Upstairs...
Jonathan knelt beside Evelyn.
"We're getting you out of here."
She nodded weakly.
Another contraction stole her breath.
This one was stronger.
Much stronger.
She gripped Jonathan's sleeve until her knuckles turned white.
He looked toward Marcus Hale.
"Get the elevator ready."
Marcus immediately spoke into his radio.
"Medical emergency."
"Secure the private elevator."
"Clear the lobby."
The security team moved instantly.
Years protecting corporate executives had prepared them for many situations.
Hostile shareholders.
Bomb threats.
Kidnapping attempts.
They had never imagined protecting the company's Chairwoman from her own husband.
Damian suddenly stepped in front of the bedroom door.
"No one leaves."
Marcus stopped.
"Excuse me?"
Damian's voice was cold.
"If she leaves now..."
"...the media will photograph this."
Jonathan stared at him.
"You cannot be serious."
"I won't have this become another scandal."
Evelyn couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She was bleeding.
Their babies were in danger.
And Damian...
Was worried about headlines.
Marcus slowly approached him.
"Move."
Damian folded his arms.
"No."
Marcus had spent twenty years in military special operations before entering executive security.
He recognized dangerous men immediately.
Damian wasn't dangerous because he was strong.
He was dangerous because he had convinced himself he was untouchable.
Marcus spoke once more.
"Last warning."
Damian smirked.
"You work for me."
Marcus answered quietly.
"Not anymore."
In one swift movement, Marcus gently but firmly pushed Damian aside.
Damian stumbled backward into a marble column.
The room fell silent.
No one had ever touched Damian Cross that way.
Not in public.
Not in private.
His face flushed with humiliation.
"You'll regret that."
Marcus didn't even look back.
His attention remained on Evelyn.
As Jonathan and Marcus carefully helped Evelyn stand, another sharp pain radiated through her lower back.
She gasped.
Warm liquid soaked through her gown.
Jonathan immediately understood.
His heart sank.
"This isn't just bleeding."
He looked at Marcus.
"Her water broke."
The words hit the room like an explosion.
At that exact moment...
The private elevator doors opened.
Instead of paramedics...
Nearly twenty reporters poured into the hallway.
Camera flashes exploded.
"Mr. Cross!"
"Is it true you've been removed as CEO?"
"Mrs. Cross!"
"Did you orchestrate a hostile takeover?"
"Is Cross Capital facing bankruptcy?"
Then one camera swung toward Evelyn.
The room fell silent.
Its lens captured everything.
The blood staining the marble.
Her trembling hands.
The bruises darkening her wrists.
The swollen belly she desperately tried to protect.
The torn silk gown.
One reporter lowered his microphone.
"Oh... my God."
Another cameraman whispered,
"Keep rolling."
Within seconds...
Millions of viewers watching the live financial broadcast witnessed the image.
The billionaire's pregnant wife...
Bruised.
Bleeding.
Barely able to stand.
Social media exploded.
#SaveEvelyn began trending worldwide before anyone upstairs realized it.
Damian lunged toward the cameras.
"Turn them off!"
No one listened.
Another reporter shouted,
"Mr. Cross!"
"Did you assault your pregnant wife?"
"No comment."
"Were those injuries caused inside this penthouse?"
"No comment!"
"Did you drag her across the floor?"
"I said NO COMMENT!"
His shout echoed through the hallway.
Every microphone captured it.
Every camera recorded it.
Jonathan quietly closed his eyes.
Damian had just destroyed himself.
Evelyn barely noticed the reporters.
Her vision had begun to blur.
She could hear voices.
Footsteps.
Camera shutters.
Everything sounded far away.
Her entire world had narrowed to two tiny heartbeats she silently prayed were still fighting beside her.
She placed one trembling hand over her stomach.
"Mommy's here..."
Another contraction slammed into her.
Harder than any before.
She cried out despite herself.
Jonathan caught her before she collapsed.
"We're losing time."
Marcus looked toward the elevator.
"Where's the ambulance?"
Before anyone could answer...
The hallway echoed with another sound.
The unmistakable roar of helicopter blades.
Growing louder.
Closer.
Closer still.
Every reporter rushed toward the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking downtown Chicago.
A black-and-gold medical helicopter descended toward the rooftop landing pad of the neighboring tower.
Painted across its fuselage in bold silver letters were the words:
NORTHWESTERN MEMORIAL MATERNAL-FETAL CRITICAL CARE
Jonathan looked at Evelyn.
She managed the faintest smile.
May you like
"My doctor..."
"...came herself."
