A frantic pounding at her chamber door roused Sienna sharply from contemplation. Her pulse quickened immediately, sensing danger. She swiftly concealed the USB again, heart hammering at the urgency in the servant's voice:
"Fourth Young Madam, please come quickly! Fourth Master's illness has worsened!"
Sienna's thoughts spun. Silas's condition was already dire—any deterioration now could mean disaster. Without hesitation, she gathered her medical kit and hurried down the grand hallways toward Silas's quarters.
Inside his luxurious bedroom, chaos reigned. Patriarch Augustus stood stiffly near the bedside, surrounded by grim-faced family elders. Servants scrambled anxiously, silenced immediately as Sienna entered.
She approached calmly, silently assessing the scene. Silas lay pale and motionless on the bed, dark veins stark against porcelain skin. He shivered violently, breaths shallow and labored.
Josephine, hovering nearby, sneered openly at Sienna's arrival. "Finally arrived, Fourth Madam. Perhaps this was your intention all along—to marry Silas and quietly hasten his demise."
Ignoring her venomous words, Sienna moved swiftly to Silas's bedside, laying a cool hand against his clammy forehead. Fever burned alarmingly hot beneath her touch.
Augustus's voice cut sharply. "Sienna, you claim medical skills. Prove it now—or suffer the consequences."
She met Augustus's cold gaze directly, voice firm yet respectful. "To cure him, I must understand his condition fully. Is this truly an illness—or poison?"
Augustus's expression hardened dangerously, suspicion igniting again. "What exactly are you implying?"
She raised her chin boldly, unwavering. "Silas's symptoms mirror a rare toxin. Traditional medicine won't cure this. Only extreme measures might succeed."
"Speak clearly!" Augustus demanded fiercely.
She turned steadily to face him, voice ringing clearly. "If you truly wish Silas to survive, then as tradition dictates, I must take heart's blood from myself—a risky yet effective method for counteracting severe poisons."
Shocked gasps erupted around them. Josephine's face twisted in fury. "Heart's blood? Ridiculous!"
Sienna ignored the outburst calmly, voice coolly clinical. "Unless, of course, this illness is more complicated—perhaps neurological rather than merely toxic. In which case, I propose an alternative treatment." Her eyes glittered coldly. "Extracting spinal fluid directly from Silas to analyze the poison's source."
Instant uproar filled the chamber. Augustus's face flushed crimson with anger, eyes blazing. "You dare suggest such brutality?"
Sienna stood firm, calmly defiant. "Only to save his life."
Suddenly, a deep voice sliced sharply through the chaos, silencing everyone instantly.
"An interesting proposal."
Heads turned abruptly toward the doorway, revealing Spencer Sterling standing coolly, recently returned from abroad. His eyes, cold yet calculating, observed the room intently. "Perhaps Fourth Sister-in-law has merit in her drastic approach."
Augustus hesitated visibly. Spencer's unexpected support clearly threw him off balance. "You agree with her?"
Spencer smiled coldly, glancing deliberately at Sienna. "It's preferable to doing nothing, is it not?"
Augustus wavered briefly, then nodded stiffly. "Very well. Sienna, you have my permission—but know this: if Silas dies by your hand, your life ends with his."
Without hesitation, Sienna opened her medical kit, pulling out slender silver needles. She approached Silas gently, fingers trembling imperceptibly—an act only Silas, even in his weakened state, seemed to notice. His eyes fluttered open slightly, meeting her gaze through fevered haze.
"You truly mean to pierce my spine?" he murmured weakly, amusement lingering faintly even in his dire state.
She leaned close, whispering fiercely yet softly. "Trust me."
His faint smile deepened slightly. "Do I have a choice?"
"No," she replied bluntly, yet the softness in her eyes revealed deeper concern. "Just stay alive."
She steadied her breathing, fingertips gently tracing the sensitive area along his spine, senses acutely aware of the silence surrounding them. With careful precision, she pressed the needle's tip delicately against his skin, feeling Silas tense slightly beneath her touch.
Suddenly, her fingers froze as something unnatural halted the needle's progress. Heart racing fiercely, she probed carefully once more, dread pooling within her chest.
"What is it?" Augustus demanded sharply.
She lifted her eyes slowly, voice quiet yet filled with chilling intensity. "There's something embedded in his spine."
Horrified whispers rippled through the room. Augustus's expression darkened dangerously. "Explain yourself clearly."
Silently, she reached into her kit, pulling out surgical forceps. Ignoring the shocked protests around her, she swiftly extracted a tiny metallic implant from beneath Silas's skin, blood glistening darkly along its polished surface.
Holding it up carefully under the lamplight, Sienna's eyes widened sharply at the engraved letters visible clearly along its edge:
K-19.
The entire chamber froze. Augustus's voice trembled with sudden fury. "What is the meaning of this?"
Sienna's gaze locked fiercely onto his. "It means Silas is no mere victim of poison—he's been deliberately implanted with a device designed to kill him slowly from within."
Spencer's face paled briefly in shock, quickly masked by cold composure. Josephine backed away slowly, eyes wide with genuine fear for the first time. Even Augustus looked momentarily shaken.
Yet, Silas's weak voice unexpectedly broke the stunned silence. "Interesting… is it not, Grandfather?" His eyes flickered briefly open, focusing intensely on Augustus, accusation burning beneath the fevered glaze.
Before Augustus could respond, Silas's body convulsed violently, blood dripping from his lips, staining the sheets crimson. Sienna moved swiftly, catching his weakening form carefully, ignoring the shocked stares around her.
"I need everyone out, now," she commanded sharply, authority ringing through her voice. "Silas's survival depends entirely on immediate intervention."
Slowly, reluctantly, the family dispersed, leaving her alone with Silas, his breathing shallow yet steady beneath her touch. Once certain of privacy, she leaned close again, whispering fiercely yet softly:
"What exactly is K-19, Silas?"
He smiled faintly, eyes glittering with secretive amusement despite his pain. "A ghost from our past, Sienna—yours as much as mine."
Her breath caught sharply, pulse racing at his cryptic words. But before she could press further, Silas's eyes slid shut once more, consciousness slipping gently away.
She sat back slowly, staring thoughtfully at the deadly implant resting in her palm. K-19 was no random device—it bore her master's unmistakable medical signature, as well as an undeniable link to Silas's mysterious illness.
Her fingers tightened fiercely around the implant. To save Silas meant unraveling the darkest secrets buried within her master's legacy and Sterling Pharmaceuticals itself. Danger now surrounded her on every side, yet her determination only deepened.
She would face whatever horrors lay hidden, even if it meant confronting the most painful truths—about herself, her past, and the dangerously enigmatic man fighting for his life beside her.
Tonight, the shadows that had haunted them both would finally begin to lift, revealing secrets far darker and deadlier than either had imagined.