She shuddered to think how much Longer Holden and Mitchel would have kept her in the dark.
Holden drew in a shaky breath before he began to explain, the weight of the situation evident in his tone.
âSadie escaped from the hospital, found a window of opportunity, and ambushed Ariana and Adele at the restaurant.
She took Adele hostage.
â
Holdenâs voice faltered slightly before he continued, âAriana, desperate to save Adele, went after Sadie.
By the time I arrived with the bodyguards, Adele had been found unconscious on the shore, while Ariana and Sadie were in the lake.
Ariana⦠She canât swim.
Sadie used that to her advantage and stabbed Ariana.
â
Rodneyâs legs gave way, and Catalina quickly helped him onto one of the hospital benches.
Trembling with rage, Rodney barely kept himself together as he processed Holdenâs words.
âWhat do you intend to do about Sadie?â Rodney asked Holden.
Holden met his gaze steadily.
âDonât worry.
She wonât get away with this.
â
Rodneyâs rage simmered down a bit, his rigid posture softening slightly.
He looked at Holden, noticing how disheveled the man looked, and didnât press further.
After all, his granddaughter loved Holden, and he was satisfied with Holden on the whole.
âIâll let it slide this time,â he muttered, though the edge in his voice remained.
âBut mark my words, if my granddaughter gets hurt again-if you allow anything like this to happen again-Iâll never let you see her again.
â
Holden said firmly, âI swear on my life, I wonât let anything Like this happen again.
â
Rodney, calming down now, settled into the seat across from Holden.
Together, they waited in tense silence for the light above the emergency room to blink off.
After a while, the emergency room door burst open, and a nurse rushed out, panic etched on her face.
Holden sprang to his feet.
âWhat happened?â
The nurseâs words came in a breathless rush.
âThe patient is hemorrhaging and needs an immediate blood transfusion, but her blood type is RH negative.
We donât have that type of blood in our storage.
Does anyone in the family share her blood type?â
As Holden absorbed the nurseâs urgent words, his mind immediately flickered to Adele.
However, the gravity of the situation quickly sank in.
Ariana had lost a dangerous amount of blood, and while Adele was a match, her young age and weakened state made her an unsuitable blood donor.
The little girl, still unconscious from nearly drowning, couldnât risk further strain on her fragile body.
Holden found himself in a dilemma.
The nurseâs voice cut through his thoughts, tinged with growing anxiety.
âMr.
Fredrick, weâre running out of time.
Is there anyone who can help?â
His jaw clenched, Holden turned to his black-clad bodyguard.
âAdeleâs blood type is RH negative.
Bring her here first.
You go and find compatible adult donors immediately.
â
âYes, Mr.
Fredrick.
â The bodyguard nodded and pivoted to leave, but Catalinaâs voice halted him.