His grip involuntarily tightened on his own lap, his previous contact leaving an inexplicable imprint on his heart, one that lingered even after he had withdrawn his touch.
Ariana, blissfully unaware of Theodoreâs internal conflict, continued her joyful musings about their future after the babiesâ arrival.
But soon, exhaustion caught up to her, and she succumbed to sleep.
Theodore, gazing at the slumbering Ariana, found himself reminded of the doctorâs grim words.
He was acutely aware of the ordeal her body was currently enduring.
His hand moved on its own accord to brush through Arianaâs hair.
The sheer exhaustion evident on her face filled him with guilt and regret.
The reluctance he had felt before to let their babies go melted away completely.
Ariana was his paramount priority.
Should he be forced to choose between her and their children, there was no doubt in his mind that Ariana would prevail.
After gently tucking Ariana under the blanket, Theodore exited the room with the doctor.
Their whispers filled the corridor as they discussed the preparatory steps for the surgery.
Once everything was meticulously planned, Theodore instructed, âInform all the physicians and staff involved in her surgery to withhold any related information from her prior to the procedure.
â
Inside the hospital room, Ariana was roused from sleep by soft whispers.
Blinking awake, she saw Sarah and Sonia seated by her bed.
Sonia exhaled in relief as she noticed her waking up.
âYouâre up, thank goodness.
Youâve been in and out of the hospital more times Lately than in the past twenty years.
â
Ariana offered a weak smile, but before she could respond, Sarah cut her off, a bit disgruntled.
âYou know what? It took a while for Theodore to finally agree to Let us visit you.
â
âWhat? What do you mean âfinallyâ?â Ariana asked, puzzled.
Sarah rolled her eyes, a mix of amusement and annoyance on her face âWhile you were out, Theodore had guards all over your room.
No one could get close.
We tried to visit you multiple times, to no avail.
I even attempted a window entrance, but his guards found me and showed me the door.
â
Sonia jumped in, âAnd when you were kidnapped, he went crazy.
The man practically turned Eleymond upside down Looking for you.
â
Ariana was at a loss for words, but a warm feeling spread through her chest.
âItâs still hard to believe that Jasper could do such a thing.
Itâs terrifying,â Sarah admitted, starting to peel an apple for Ariana.
Sonia seethed, âWe all didnât expect him to pull off a kidnapping.
With the Anderson building locked down, I wonder where he got the connections to commit such a horrible act.
â
âThe Anderson building is locked down?â Arianaâs brows shot up.
It seemed she had missed quite a bit.
âYeah,â Sarah confirmed, but then looked thoughtful.
âBut, you know, Theodore seems unaffected by the bankruptcy.
He still frequents the Mercy Hospital Like he owns the place.
â
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Ariana furrowed her brows, deep in thought.
She used to believe that Theodoreâs free access to the Mercy Hospital was due to his ties with the Andersons.
But now, it seemed he had other connections with the hospital.
And Adrian was the one who helped him unseat Darian from the directorâs position.
He was also the CEO of BRD Group.
Could it be that Theodore also had ties to the BRD Group?
Sonia broke into her thoughts with a smirk.
âMaybe heâs got some secret CEO life like in those novels.
â
Her words were meant in jest, but Ariana felt a jolt of realization.
Was it true? Theodoreâs power reached far beyond Anderson Group, enough to secure a place in Eleymondâs high society.
After some more teasing, they switched topics.
âItâs shocking that Brielle is gone too,â Sarah said.
âJasper was crazy, and it seemed to me that he had never really loved anyone.
â