Beatty paused, then replied, "That's not necessary, Mr. Lane. I don't need time off. I'll be at work tomorrow as usual."

"Suit yourself," Andrew said dismissively. "You can head home now. There's no need to accompany me to the hospital."

"Mr. Lane, I'm your secretary," she insisted immediately. "Let me at least get you to the hospital safely. I wouldn't feel right leaving you like this."

He merely gave a curt nod and said nothing more.

As he moved to get into the SUV, his body suddenly swayed. Alarmed, Beatty hurried forward to support him. "Mr. Lane!"

Just then, Andrew's Extraction Team, who had been busy handling the kidnappers in the woods, emerged with the police's assistance. They trudged over, leaning on each other for support.

Spotting him from a distance, they halted and greeted, "Boss."

Glancing between Andrew and Beatty, the mercenaries sensibly kept their distance.

Andrew pulled his arm from Beatty's grasp and addressed the team. "Good work. The rest of your payment will be wired tomorrow. You're dismissed."

Having received their orders, the men nodded and walked off. They bypassed the police cruisers, opting to take their own vehicles. Hired muscle rarely mixed well with the authorities.

Andrew climbed into his vehicle, his tone flat. "Get in."

Since both Emily and Andrew required immediate medical attention, the convoy headed straight for the hospital, with the police tailing closely behind.

Upon arrival, both Emily and Andrew were rushed into emergency surgery. Tristan was corralled into a series of examinations, while the officers pulled Elizabeth and Rose aside to get a preliminary statement.

Tristan's injuries weren't life-threatening mostly superficial lacerations and minor internal bruising that just needed rest. After getting stitched up and bandaged, the police immediately cornered him for questioning.

The most pressing issue was the settlement letter Rose and her grandmother had been coerced into signing for Isabella. With the crisis resolved and the police verifying the duress involved, the document was officially voided.

Half an hour later, Emily was wheeled out of the operating room.

She had suffered some internal bleeding in her abdomen and would need to be hospitalized for observation. Andrew's condition, however, was far more critical.

The object that had impaled him was a rusty steel rod. It had missed his spinal cord by mere

millimeters-a hair's breadth away from paralyzing him forlife. Fortunately, the angle had been just off enough to spare him permanent damage.

Though his spine was intact, he had lost a massive amount of blood and required immediate transfusions. Luckily, the hospital had an ample supply, preventing the situation from turning dire.

In fact, the medical staff had been

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completely floored upon realizing the extent of his blood loss. The man had titerally walked himself onto the operating table without any assistance. With that level hemorrhage, a normal person would have been unconscious fong ago, yet Andrew had remained upright and functional.

When Emily was brought to recovery, Andrew was still in surgery.

Tristan, Elizabeth, and Rose gathered around her bed as a couple of officers gently asked her a few questions.

Emily answered them all patiently.

There wasn't much left to say. The facts were already clear, making this mostly a formality.

After jotting down the essentials, the officers nodded at her. "Get some rest. We'll be outside if you need anything."

"Thank you," she replied.

The moment the door clicked shut, Elizabeth leaned in. "How are you feeling?"

Emily shook her head weakly. "I'm okay, don't worry."

Rose wiped away a lingering tear. "Thank God you're safe. You gave us all a heart attack tonight."

Emily managed a faint smile. "I'm sorry for scaring you."

Elizabeth furrowed her brows. "Don't apologize. It's all Benjamin's fault. And don't you worry, he and his. goons are behind bars. The cops a still tracking down his informant, but they've got leads. They'll naik them soon enough."