He immediately thought of Zayn, the younger son, the wild one who always seemed to get into some trouble.

Zayden, on the other hand, was careful, smart, and always in control. He didn’t get hurt, at least not in ways the family heard about until much later, after he had healed and was back to his routine.

Enzo said, "Wait, Zayn is in Miami right now. He’s on vacation—"

"No," Ryan cut in. "Not Zayn. Zayden."

Pause.

"Zayden is in the hospital, fighting for his life. It’s all over the news. Zayden’s in critical condition... and Michael Arthur is dead."

After a moment, Ryan added carefully, "Do you think there’s a connection?"

Enzo didn’t pick up on the question. He didn’t hear anything after that. The words fighting for his life echoed in his head, drowning everything else out.

The phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor. He pressed his other hand against his chest, where his heart was suddenly pounding, racing.

He whispered, "My Zayden... my lion."

The bedroom door was open, and a young, nervous servant was standing by the entrance. He was about to give a message from Isabella about their morning jog, but he hesitated when he heard Enzo on the phone. He waited for the call to finish, but then he saw Enzo drop the phone. The servant noticed Enzo’s hand go to his chest, and he could see the color drain from his face.

The servant stepped closer in a hurry. "Sir? Are you alright?"

Enzo looked at him, but it was like he didn’t see him. He just shook his head slowly, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

The servant had never seen Enzo Virelli cry, not once in all his years of service. Panic gripped him.

"I’ll get Mrs. Virelli!" he shouted, turning to run.

He hurried down the hallway and the stairs, finally finding Isabella in the breakfast room. She was holding a coffee cup and scrolling through a tablet.

"Ma’am! Ma’am!" he called.

Isabella looked up, surprised. "What’s going on?"

"It’s Mr. Virelli. Something’s wrong. I think he got some bad news. He dropped his phone and is crying—"

Isabella was already moving. She set down her coffee and tablet and quickly went up the stairs. She burst into the bedroom.

Enzo was sitting on the edge of the bed, still pressing his hand to his chest and silently crying, tears streaming down his face.

Isabella’s heart broke. She rushed to him, knelt in front of him, and took his face in her hands.

"What happened, love? What’s wrong?"

Enzo looked at her, his eyes filled with devastation.

He said one word.

"Lion."

Isabella’s breath hitched.

Lion.

That’s how Enzo referred to Zayden.

His first child. His heir. His pride.

My lion.

Isabella’s hands started to shake. "What happened to him?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Enzo was at a loss for words. He just pointed at the floor. At his phone.

Still on the line. Ryan’s voice was faint. "Enzo? Enzo, you there?"

Isabella grabbed the phone. "Ryan, what’s going on?"

"Isabella. You need to check the news. Zayden’s in the hospital. He was shot. It’s everywhere—"

She hung up and turned to the servant who had come with her. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were full of fear.

"Turn on the TV. Now. News channel."

The servant, hands shaking, grabbed the remote from the dresser and flipped on the TV mounted on the wall.

He switched to CNN. The screen showed a hospital followed by a photo.

Zayden.

The anchor began to speak.

"Zayden Cole Virelli is in critical condition after a shooting last night. Sources say he was involved in the raid that uncovered the Michael Arthur trafficking operation. He got shot in the chest and is now in surgery at Mercy General Hospital—"

Isabella made a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a sob, covering her mouth with her hand.

Enzo stared at the screen, at his son’s face, at "critical condition," and at the hospital footage.

The anchor continued.

"The Virelli family hasn’t released a statement yet. Hospital officials confirm that Mr. Virelli is in surgery but won’t share more details about his condition—"

Enzo stood up suddenly.

Isabella caught his arm. "Where do you think you’re going?"

"To the hospital. To see my son."

"Enzo—"

"My son is dying!" His voice cracked, raw and broken. "My lion is dying, and here I am, doing nothing!"

Isabella took both of his arms, making him look at her.

"Listen. We’re going. Right now. But you need to breathe. Stay calm. For Zayden. For Azalea. For the family. Can you do that?"

Enzo took a shaky breath and nodded.

Isabella looked at the servant. "Call the driver. Get the car ready in two minutes. And tell Azalea to come home. Now."

"Got it, ma’am," the servant said before rushing off.

Isabella turned back to Enzo, seeing the tears still streaming down his face and the fear in his eyes, the same fear that gripped her. She pulled him in close and wrapped her arms around him.

"He’s strong," she whispered. "He’s a fighter. He’ll get through this."

Enzo’s voice came out muffled against her shoulder. "But what if he doesn’t?"

"Then we’ll be there with him in the end. But I honestly believe it won’t come to that. Our son is too stubborn to lose."

Enzo pulled back a bit and looked at the TV again, at Zayden’s face, his firstborn, his lion.

His son, the man who built an empire, and now the man who was battling for his life.

Enzo wiped his eyes, straightened his back, and grabbed Isabella’s hand.

"Let’s go."

They headed out together, down the stairs and through the door. The car was waiting, engine running. They hopped in.

The driver took off, heading straight for Mercy General Hospital. They were on their way to their son, looking for answers.

In the back seat, Enzo stared out the window, watching the city zoom by.

The sun was completely up, shining on a beautiful morning. But Enzo couldn’t see any of that; he could only picture his son’s face. All he could hear was "critical condition." All he could feel was the heavy fear of losing his lion.

Isabella reached over, took his hand, and gave it a squeeze. They didn’t say anything; they just held on to each other and prayed.

That when they got there, when they walked through those hospital doors, their son would still be alive, still fighting, still breathing.

The car sped through the morning traffic, sirens blaring in the distance, news helicopters buzzing overhead. The entire city was watching, waiting to see if the CEO would pull through.

If the lion would roar again. Or if this morning, which had brought so much hope, would also bring heartbreaking loss.

*****

They were sitting in the lobby when Selina showed up.

As she walked in, she took in the scene. There was blood everywhere, and everyone looked worn out and heartbroken.

"Is it over?" she asked quietly.

Charles nodded. "Alpha’s gone. Maksim’s been arrested. The whole operation’s a bust."

Selina closed her eyes. "That’s good. I saw the news about Alpha, and..."

She paused for a second, then said, "Zayden."

Liam said flatly, "Yeah, he’s been shot and is in surgery... he’s in critical condition."

Selina’s face drained of color. "I get it."

"We have no idea if he’ll make it," Charles added.

Selina dropped into a chair and buried her face in her hands.

She had done awful things, hurt people, and messed up lives. But Zayden had saved her and given her a shot. Now, he might die, and that pressure was suffocating.

Liam looked at her but felt no pity. She had made her choices. Still, she was here, she’d helped in her own way.

He turned to Charles. "I’m heading to my room. If you hear anything, anything at all about Zayden, you let me know right away."

Charles nodded. "I will."

Liam walked away, down the hall, and into his room. He shut the door, leaned against it, and slid down to the floor.

The tears started again.

But this time, he was on his own.

No one was around to see it.

So he just let himself fall apart.

He let himself feel the fear, the sadness, and the helplessness.

Just wait. Hope. And pray.

Outside his room, Charles remained in the hallway, listening to his son cry.

He wanted to go in and comfort him, but he knew Liam needed to let it all out.

Charles turned away and went back to the lobby.

Selina was still there, still sitting, still staring off into space.

Charles sat down beside her.

They didn’t say a word; they just sat there, two people trying to do better.

Two people were waiting for news about a man who had given them both a second chance.

The tower was quiet.

The war was over.

But the price might be too high.

Somewhere else in the city, Zayden Cole Virelli was fighting for his life in a hospital operating room.

And everyone who cared about him could only wait... and wonder if the lion would pull through.