Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1363

1363 /1384

"For the next forty-eight hours, she'll be transferred to the intensive care unit with round-the-clock monitoring," the doctor continued. "You don't need to worry, Mr. Blake."

"Understood," Sebastian replied flatly.

He didn't linger in the hospital for another second, turning on his heel and walking out.

On the other side of the city, despite the late hour, Marcus Parker arrived at Lillian Mercer's residence to report in person.

"I spotted Bella at the crash site in disguise," Marcus said. "She was trying to snatch the target. But by that point, Debbie was barely clinging to life. If Bella had taken her, she definitely wouldn't have risked taking her to a hospital. I couldn't gamble with that, so I flashed a fake badge and scared Bella off."

Lillian nodded approvingly. "You did great, Marcus. What was the exact situation at the scene?"

Marcus shook his head grimly. "Elias Ashford was a highly respected figure in that underworld. To think his life ended because of Bella's scheme... he died instantly. Decapitated. It was a gruesome sight. His family is going to be devastated. The Parker family has done business with him on several occasions, so it's a damn shame. He was supposed to be enjoying his retirement, and his oldest daughter-in-law is due in half a month. Now, he'll never meet his grandchild."

He paused, taking a breath. "One of the Sapphire Enforcers in the car was also killed on impact. We saw a massive semi-truck involved, but it peeled off before we could intercept it. I can't say for sure if it was part of Bella's master plan."

Lillian leaned back, her eyes narrowing. "I didn't expect Bella to be capable of orchestrating something so meticulous. It seems I underestimated her. Hiring a hit, hacking the city's surveillance network, and nearly pulling off a mid-transit abduction. She's surprisingly ruthless."

Marcus offered a faint smile. "But she's still not as brilliant as you, Lillian."

"To coordinate an ambush of that magnitude takes skill," Lillian noted. "What's Debbie's condition? Is she going to die?"