Chapter 2

"As for the kids, we've got nannies and baby nurses. She's not needed," Edmund added.

I lowered my gaze, masking the icy look in my eyes. Edmund, you'd soon see who could really do without whom.

After hanging up, Edmund walked out of the hospital room in high spirits, not even bothering to look my way.

The door closed behind him, shutting out the rest of the world.

I braced myself, dragging my body step by step to the mirror.

The woman in the mirror was pale as a sheet, her lips chapped, and her hair greasy and limp from days without washing.

Even I was disgusted by what I saw. But those eyes, bright and startling, burned with a fierce, vengeful fire.

I dialed my best friend Joanna's number. "Joanna, it's time to kick off our plan," I said.

It was late at night, and everything was quiet as a grave.

I changed into the cleaning uniform I'd stashed away, put on a mask and cap, and pushed a cleaning cart, gliding silently down the hallway.

I made sure to stay in the blind spots of every security camera, every step spot-on and perfectly executed.

I'd mentally rehearsed these routes hundreds of times towards the end of my pregnancy, during every prenatal visit.

Joanna's calm voice sounded in my ear. "Isabelle, I've unlocked the electronic door to the nursery. You've got thirty seconds.

"Don't be scared, I'm right outside if you need me."

I took a deep breath, steadied my nerves, and shoved the heavy door open.

Inside the nursery, a row of incubators sat under the soft blue lights, casting a chilly glow.

I spotted my four little ones right away. They were so tiny and wrinkled, like four little monkeys fresh out of the womb.

But they slept so quietly, their small chests rising and falling. Honestly, it was the sweetest music I'd ever heard.

My heart went soft in a second.

These were my children, not some trophies for the Wade family to flaunt or tools for them to secure their legacy.

I opened the four special cases I'd brought with me.

They were portable life-support units, custom-built by a top international team that Joanna had arranged for me.

Each one cost a fortune, but every cent I spent came straight from Edmund's so-called "generosity."

Using his money to take away his own flesh and blood. Nothing could be more ironic than that.

With practiced, gentle hands, I picked up each of my babies and nestled them carefully into the cases.

That sweet milky scent still lingered on their tiny bodies.

My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I forced myself to blink them away. I couldn't afford to break down now.

Once I was out of the nursery, I peeled off the cleaning uniform and stuffed it deep into the bottom of the cart.

Then, just like any ordinary family member visiting a patient, I slipped out through the fire escape, leaving that icy, lifeless place behind.

Out in the hospital parking lot, Joanna's car was already waiting for me.

I opened the door and carefully placed the four cases in the back seat.

Joanna floored it, and we sped off into the night.

I turned to look back at the hospital building, watching it fade into the distance.

The brightly lit VIP suite on the top floor looked like a giant eye, watching me with icy detachment.

Edmund, this game was only just beginning.

The first rays of morning hadn't even reached the Wade Estate when a piercing scream ripped through the air.

Someone shouted, "Something's wrong. The four boys are missing."

The head nanny, in charge of the kids, pushed open the nursery door and was terrified out of her mind when she saw four empty cribs.

Maria came running at the sound, and when she saw those empty beds, her world spun and she collapsed on the spot.

The whole Wade Estate erupted into pandemonium in an instant.

Edmund was having breakfast with Lydia, celebrating his newfound "freedom."

He hadn't even had time to wipe the smile off his face when the call came in.

"What's all the fuss about?" Edmund asked.

The butler's voice, quivering with panic, made his smile freeze instantly.

"Mr. Wade... the boys... the boys are missing," the butler stammered.

Edmund shot up from the table, sending his chair crashing to the floor with a loud bang.

He shoved Lydia aside, who was trying to calm him down, and stormed upstairs to the nursery like a madman.

All that was left in the four fancy cribs were neatly folded blankets.

The room was filled with toys and clothes Edmund had carefully chosen for the kids, but the little ones had vanished without a trace.

A wave of panic and rage unlike anything he'd ever felt before overwhelmed him completely.

Edmund immediately thought of me.

Furious, he called my phone, but all he heard was the dead silence of a switched-off line.

"Find her. I want answers. Where did that woman disappear to?" Edmund barked at the bodyguards, the veins on his forehead popping out.

Then Edmund immediately pulled up the hospital's security footage.

On screen, there I was in a hospital gown, barely holding myself together as I shuffled out the front doors, all alone.

No luggage, no kids, nothing at all.

The key footage of my exit had been scrubbed spotless, like some invisible hand had wiped it from existence.

Every clue pointed to me leaving solo, cool as ice, as if nothing ever happened.

'No way... How could this happen?' Edmund's thoughts raced, disbelief hitting him like a truck.

Rage exploded inside Edmund. He roared, "Lock down the whole city. Airports, train stations, highway exits. Don't let a single one slip through.

"Turn the city upside down if you have to, but bring me that woman."

In no time, the Wades locked down every major road in the city.

Bodyguards in black and sleek cars were everywhere, blocking off every exit and street.

Reporters were itching to break the story about this jaw-dropping scandal in the world of the rich and powerful.

But as soon as the news started to leak, the Wade PR team shut it down hard, not letting a single headline slip through.

Nothing mattered more to the Wade family than their precious reputation.