Caleb’s jaw dropped.
These were the Doyle family's elite enforcers.
And the Captain's fiancé had wiped the floor with them without breaking a sweat?
Just who exactly was this man?
It was terrifyingly impressive!
But then again, it made sense.
Serena was the heiress to the wealthiest family in the country.
Naturally, her fiancé would be a force of nature.
"How is she?" Serena asked, ignoring Caleb's shock as she walked up to Nicholas.
Nicholas glanced at Caleb, his gaze darkening. "Not great. Those animals had no intention of keeping her alive."
The Doyles likely hadn't intended to let Mrs. Sommers live since the moment Caleb betrayed Bianca Doyle.
If Caleb had surrendered, the Doyles would have killed Mrs. Sommers anyway.
Even if Caleb followed their orders.
She was as good as dead.
It was their sick punishment for his initial rebellion.
The realization hit Caleb like a physical blow. The blood drained from his face, and his legs wobbled, but he forced himself forward and burst into the ICU room.
Serena followed him inside.
On the bed, the frail old woman was hooked up to a ventilator. Her skin was a lifeless gray, looking like a skeleton beneath the sheets.
Her breathing was shallow, and the heart monitor beeped erratically, the line dipping precariously close to flatlining.
Death was hovering in the room.
"Grandma!"
Caleb’s eyes burned as he collapsed at the bedside, grasping her withered hand and breaking down into gut-wrenching sobs.
Serena stepped up to the bed, her sharp eyes scanning the patient.
"Move," she ordered.
Caleb looked up, tears streaming down his face.
Serena drew out her acupuncture needles. Her fingers moved in a blur, sinking the needles into precise pressure points.
"The Doyles pumped her full of toxins to force your hand," Serena said coldly.
"Those bastards!" Caleb gritted his teeth, staring at his grandmother's failing body. "She's just a sick old woman. How could they do this?"
To blackmail him.
They pumped a frail elder full of lethal drugs.
They were less than human!
Serena worked with blistering speed.
After three precise strikes.
The erratic beep of the heart monitor began to shift.
It spiked rapidly, then finally settled into a steady, rhythmic pulse.
Mrs. Sommers' shallow breathing deepened into a steady rhythm.
Though she was still pale, the heavy shadow of death had lifted from her face.

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