I immediately plugged the oxygen tube back in and hit the call button, anxiously waiting for the doctors.

"Oh my, what happened to her? Is she dead?"

"It wasn't me! I didn't know..."

Sierra covered her mouth in mock horror, but her eyes were filled with glee.

My clenched fist loosened, and I slapped her hard across the face.

The next second, a powerful force pulled me back, and Landon’s voice boomed from above me.

"Aria, I sent Sierra here to apologize! How could you hit her?"

I turned and pointed at the flat line on the monitor.

"Landon, open your eyes and look! Does this look like an apology to you?"

Landon stared at the screen, his pupils dilating in shock.

Before he could say anything, a team of doctors rushed in.

After a series of checks, they looked at me with defeated expressions and bowed their heads.

"The patient's breathing, heartbeat, and pulse all ceased at 10:50 AM. We have confirmed she is deceased..."

The voice was like a death sentence from the grim reaper himself.

My face went pale, and I collapsed to the floor, unable to even cry.

"Aria, don't be like this..."

"Sierra really crossed the line this time. I'll definitely..."

Landon knelt and held me tight, whispering words of comfort in my ear.

I didn't struggle, I didn't cry. I just spoke with a chilling calm.

"Get out."

"All of you, get out."

Landon said many things, but I didn't hear a single word.

Funerals, licenses, weddings... the words swirled around me until everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up, Landon was gone.

My parents were sitting by my bed, looking as if they had aged decades.

They couldn’t understand how Chloe, who had come here happy and healthy for my wedding, was suddenly gone.

But they didn't dare show too much grief in front of me, forcing smiles as they asked if I was feeling unwell anywhere.

We all tacitly avoided the subject, but the sorrow hung heavy in every word and gesture.

"Let's go home."

"Mom and Dad will take you home..."

Landon sent me messages every day, saying he was busy but never explaining with what.

I didn't reply to a single one.

The day I was discharged, I waited at the hospital for my parents to collect Chloe's ashes and take me home.

But as evening fell, a call from the police department shattered what was left of my world.

"Ms. Song, your parents were in a car accident. Their injuries were severe... they died at the scene."

"Please come to the downtown hospital to identify the bodies."

In that moment, my limbs went numb.

I don't even know how I made it to the morgue.

When I had to sign the papers to claim their bodies, my hand was shaking so much I couldn't hold the pen.

"Ms. Song, my condolences."

The police investigation concluded that the taxi my parents were in skidded while making a turn, throwing them from the vehicle where they were then run over by a large truck.

The video footage was too gruesome for me to watch.

The officer was the same one who had investigated Chloe's fall. He looked at me, hesitating.

As I turned to leave, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer.

"There's something I have to say. Stop fighting the Holt family. You can't win."

My feet froze. I heard the sound of a nerve snapping in my mind.

I frantically called Landon, but none of the calls went through.

When I got to his office, the secretary at the front desk stopped me, looking awkward.

"Aria, Mr. Holt has a... guest in his office."

I ignored her completely, slipping past and heading for the small side door.

Landon’s office door was slightly ajar. Through the crack, I saw Sierra, topless, leaning against Landon's chest.

"Brother, I really know I was wrong."

"But this time, I didn't mean for it to happen. It was her parents who came looking for me, wanting to settle scores. I just lost my temper and had someone run their car into them."

"I didn't think the truck would hit them that hard!"

The cigarette in Landon's hand burned down to the filter. He sighed, stood up, and pulled on his pants.

"Sierra, this is the last time."

"If you cause any more trouble, I really won't be able to protect you."

Landon leaned over and pressed the intercom. "Book an appointment for me and Aria to get our marriage license."

A second later, Landon stood by the window and made a call on a secure line.

"Forge, I've sent the details to your email. You need to keep Aria's mouth shut on this."

I knew he was calling The Forge, the fixer we used for our gray-area operations before he took over the company.

He hadn't used them in a long time.

I never imagined the next time he did, it would be to silence me.

The cold doorknob felt like a sword piercing my palm.

My phone rang in my pocket. Landon, still holding his own phone, glanced toward the door.

His dark eyes narrowed as he walked toward it.