Kyra’s POV

"Is something wrong?"

I looked up at Nathan as I walked into Snow’s hospital room. He sat beside her bed, stroking her hair. I moved to them and kissed Snow’s forehead. She smelled like smoke, but she was still my little girl.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart? Does anything hurt?" I asked.

Snow smiled. "No, Mommy. Aunt Emily and Aunt Ana saved me. They’re heroes like you."

I smiled and looked at Nathan.

"Ana’s in the other room," he said. "She has a small burn."

"Thank you, Nathan."

"Always." His familiar minty scent made me feel safer.

Emily sat on the couch watching us. I walked over and sat next to her.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

I sighed. "Your husband called again. He says he didn’t start the fire. Claims he wouldn’t hurt anyone I love because he wants me to forgive him."

Emily grabbed my hand. "Do you believe him?"

"I can’t trust anything he says anymore, Emily. I’m tired of being let down."

"Then don’t believe him," she said. "Putting yourself first isn’t selfish, Kyra."

I smiled and watched Snow talking to Nathan. My chest tightened. I’d just said goodbye to him, and here we were again. This back and forth was making me crazy.

My phone rang. My assistant’s name flashed on the screen.

I frowned. I didn’t have any meetings today.

"Hello?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Miss Kyra, the shareholders of Foster Enterprises want an urgent meeting at 3 PM today," she said. Her voice sounded stressed.

I rubbed my forehead. "What for?"

"The recent issues about you, Miss. Mr. Foster is already here."

I squeezed my jaw tight. "I can’t leave my daughter today. Tell them that."

Nathan and Emily stared at me. I stood and walked to the window, looking down at the city.

"Mr. Foster says it’s urgent, Miss," my assistant said. "I told him about the fire and your daughter, but he won’t listen."

I breathed out slowly. This fight was coming whether I wanted it or not. "I’ll be there."

I hung up and faced them.

"I have a meeting at Foster Enterprises," I said.

Emily nodded. "I’ll watch Snow."

I bit my lip. "I’m not leaving until I know what happened with the fire."

"I’ll handle it," Nathan said. "I’ll talk to the firefighters and police."

I shook my head. "I need to hear it myself, Nathan. I can’t think about anything else until I know she’s safe."

He nodded. "Then I’ll stay here until you get back."

"Thank you."

Emily clapped her hands and stood. "I’m coming with you, Kyra. You shouldn’t do this alone."

"Please," I said.

"We’ll take my car," she said and left the room.

I walked back to Snow’s bed and leaned down. "Sweetie, Mommy has to go somewhere, okay?"

She smiled. "I’m with Daddy Nathan, Mommy. I’ll be fine."

My chest tightened hearing her call him daddy so easily. "My baby’s a big girl now, huh?"

"Yes, Mommy. Take care and don’t worry about me."

I laughed and kissed her forehead. "Got it, sweetheart. Stay here and don’t go anywhere without Daddy Nathan. Wait for Mommy to come back."

"Aye aye, Captain Mommy!" She saluted.

I turned to Nathan. His eyes burned into mine, looking at every part of my face.

My skin heated up. I cleared my throat. "I’ll be right back."

"I’ll be waiting," he said quietly.

My heart pounded so loud I was sure he could hear it. I grabbed my bag and walked to the door. Before leaving, I looked back. Snow was turning on the TV while Nathan kept watching me.

"Take care," he mouthed the words. I nodded and left.

I stopped in the hallway and took a deep breath. I needed to go to the police station to find out about the fire investigation. Kieran said he wasn’t involved. I didn’t believe him. He said that he couldn’t hurt people I loved because he wanted forgiveness? Complete nonsense! He was so obsessed he’d hurt anyone to control me.

***

"It was an accident, ma’am," the police officer said. "The fire started in the unit next to yours. The tenant forgot to unplug some appliances. They short-circuited and started the fire."

I stared at him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, ma’am. The building management gave their statement, and the fire department confirmed it was accidental."

I nodded slowly. It wasn’t Kieran. The fire really was an accident.

But could he blame me for thinking it was him? He’d shown me his worst side. The threats, the manipulation. That version of him was burned into my brain.

"So now you know Snow’s safe?" Emily asked as we got back to her car.

"I don’t know, Emily," I said, putting on my seatbelt. "Something still feels off."

She nodded and gripped the steering wheel. The engine roared to life. "A woman’s gut is usually right. And protecting your daughter isn’t paranoia. It’s being a mother. I’ll help you dig deeper into this fire."

I looked at her hopefully. "Please..."

She glanced at me as she drove into traffic. "Don’t worry about Snow. You have people who care about her. Focus on yourself and your companies. You can’t lose focus now, Kyra."

Her eyes narrowed. "If you’re right about this fire being intentional, then someone’s trying to scare you. Make you paranoid so you’ll mess up with your companies."

"You think..." I stopped and swallowed. "Do you think my mother’s family could be behind this?"

"Maybe," she said, looking at me again. "You found out your mother’s death wasn’t an accident. If they could kill their own sister, you have every right to worry about your daughter."

Emily’s face hardened as she drove through traffic. "Have you noticed how since you got Foster Enterprises, your private life has been all over the tabloids? Your thing with Nathan, then with Kieran. It feels planned."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Someone’s trying to make you look like a CEO with a messy personal life," Emily said. "When men want to destroy a successful woman, they go after her reputation first. Make her look slutty, crazy, unfit. It’s the oldest trick in history."

A chill ran down my spine. "You think someone’s planning this?"

"Who benefits most if you fall?" Emily asked. "Your mother’s family from the Northern Pack. They don’t get our politics yet, but they know that getting rid of you means billions in company money."

She drummed her fingers on the wheel. "Money’s always the best reason for crime, Kyra. They might be looking for allies here. The timing’s too convenient."

If Emily was right, we were dealing with enemies way more dangerous than I thought.