"After I brought Robin to the hospital, I never saw Miss Quinn again."

Mrs. Lander wiped at her tears with trembling fingers before stealing a cautious glance at Dylan.

The expression on his face was somewhat terrifying. His eyes burned with a dark, restrained fury, his lips compressed into a bloodless line. An oppressive chill radiated from his whole body, seemingly dropping the temperature of the entire room.

Instantly, Mrs. Lander’s courage failed her. She didn’t dare utter another syllable. In truth, she had already braced herself to be blamed and summarily dismissed.

The atmosphere kept growing suffocatingly heavy. Standing nearby, Oliver scratched the back of his head awkwardly; he wanted to speak up in the housekeeper’s defense, but he couldn’t bring himself to risk Dylan’s wrath either.

Elise couldn’t help but frown.

Over the past five years, Mrs. Lander had devoted herself wholeheartedly to the Bennett family—she was conscientious, reliable, and deeply attentive. As far as Elise was concerned, the boy’s injury was not the woman’s fault.

Finally, tired of this never-ending tension, she stepped forward, breaking the silence.

"Mrs. Lander called you and sent messages," she said, her gaze settling squarely on Dylan. "You were the one who gave everyone the impression that Quinn was trustworthy. So no, I don’t think Mrs. Lander should bear the blame for this."

The housekeeper’s eyes immediately welled with fresh tears. She shot Elise a look of profound gratitude before turning nervously back to Dylan. Heartened by the unexpected support, she gathered what little courage she had left.

"To be honest, before Assistant Grant checked the security footage, I never suspected Miss Quinn either," she admitted, her voice trembling. "I truly thought Robin had simply fallen by accident while no one was looking. After all, he is still limping because of the dog bite."

Oliver stepped forward without delay. Pulling out his phone, he pulled up the surveillance video and tapped play.

The room fell dead silent as everyone’s attention shifted to the small screen.

The footage showed the second-floor staircase landing. Quinn sat in her wheelchair near the railing, and a few feet away stood Robin. Though the injury on his leg hadn’t fully healed, the little boy was still able to walk normally. On screen, Quinn lifted her hand and beckoned him over.

Without a shred of hesitation, Robin trotted toward her, his complete trust entirely obvious in the big smile on his face. When he reached her side, Quinn smiled and gently patted his head. Then, she pointed downstairs, appearing to say something.

Curious, Robin followed the direction of her finger. He took a few small steps forward, his small body leaning slightly over the staircase as he peered downward.

And then, everything happened in a heartbeat.

Quinn suddenly thrust both hands forward. Hard.

The violent shove sent Robin stumbling blindly. His small frame crashed onto the top step, and then he began tumbling downward—step after agonizing step, utterly unable to stop his momentum. The sickening, hollow sound of impact echoed sharply through the recording.

By the time he reached the bottom, his tiny body lay crumpled on the floor like a discarded rag doll. Completely motionless.

Seconds later, a pool of bright red blood began spreading beneath his head, a horrifying stain blooming across the polished floor.

The entire incident had taken less than five seconds in total, yet, at the same time, the stretch of time felt endless.

Only after Robin had stopped moving did Quinn react.

On the recording, her face twisted into an expression of sudden panic, and she began screaming for Mrs. Lander. The change in her face was so drastic and sudden that it looked utterly fake.

Moments later, the nanny came running from the kitchen. The instant she saw the boy lying unconscious in a pool of blood, she froze in shock—but only for a second.

Instinct took over. She rushed forward, scooped him into her arms, and sprinted toward the front door, leaving a grim trail of crimson smeared across the floor behind her.

The footage cut to black.

A heavy silence engulfed the room. Dylan stared at the darkened screen, his features freezing into a frightening, dangerous cold.

Oliver swallowed hard before continuing in a stiff voice.

"Our people intercepted Miss Quinn at the airport. She was attempting to flee the country using the money you gave her."

His voice dropped to a lower register. "She’s currently being held at Orchard Residence. Everyone is waiting for your decision on how to proceed from here."

Dylan remained silent for several long seconds. Then, he said flatly, "I understand."

His gaze briefly drifted to Elise before shifting back to Oliver. "Before anything else, investigate the previous nanny. I want a full interrogation regarding Robin’s abuse."

Oliver nodded immediately. "Understood."

To everyone’s surprise, Dylan never once blamed Mrs. Lander. He simply instructed her that if anything similar occurred in the future and she was uncertain of what to do, she was to contact Oliver directly.

Relief visibly washed over the woman, and she repeatedly promised to be more vigilant, vowing to take even better care of Robin going forward.

Dylan merely nodded. Then, his attention shifted entirely to Elise, and the tension that had briefly eased snapped taut once more.

"We need to talk," he said. His voice was calm. Too calm. "Let’s go somewhere private."

Elise knew she had no real choice. Zoey and the others were still effectively under Dylan’s control; for now, resistance would accomplish nothing. She gave a curt nod.

"Fine." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

A few minutes later, they stepped onto the small balcony outside the hospital ward. The evening air carried a sharp chill, and below them, the city lights glittered across the gathering darkness.

For several moments, neither spoke. They stood side by side, separated by only a few feet, yet feeling impossibly far apart.

Finally, Dylan turned his head, his deep, unreadable gaze settling on her profile.

After a long pause, he asked quietly, "What do you want me to do with Quinn?"