After several days of torrential rain, Harbour City was swallowed by floods.
Countless roads in the mountainous regions were blocked, cutting off all traffic.
Inside North Ridge Clinic, Lina Gray lay on a sickbed.
She looked frail in her oversized hospital gown, her pale arm hanging limply at her side, revealing deep cuts across her wrist.
The doctor jabbed a needle into her hand without care.
"Lina, savour your final moments."
The icy liquid flowed into her veins, and Lina curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile.
This day had finally come.
Footsteps approached from the doorway, and through her blurred vision, a girl in a matching hospital gown appeared.
"Lina… Lina, are you okay?" The girl's eyes were red with tears as she struggled to steady her trembling lips.
Her face showed concern, yet her hands pressed firmly against Lina's wounded wrist.
Her nails dug into the flesh, and blood gushed out.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…" the girl said, shaking her head, though she made no move to loosen her grip.
"Really?" Lina rasped, her hoarse voice sending chills down the spine. "Then… tearing my heart apart… wasn't intentional either?"
"What kind of attitude is that?!" A man strode over, quickly pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the girl's fingers, distress etched across his face. "How filthy! Didn't I tell you not to touch her?"
"Evan… it hurts me to see her like this… Maybe… we should reconsider…" Tears streamed down the girl's face like a broken dam.
"No. Everything in the Surgical Wing is ready. It has to be today!" Evan Cole said firmly, tossing the blood‑stained handkerchief into the medical waste bin.
The smile on Lina's face grew colder—and strangely beautiful—as she looked at the two people standing by her bed.
One was her older sister.
The other was the man she had loved deeply, the man she once believed she would spend her entire life with.
Their mother had wanted a son for her second child. But at seven months pregnant, she learned the baby was a girl. The disappointment plunged her into deep depression, weakening her body to the point that, during the difficult birth, her uterus had to be removed.
From that moment on, Lina became a thorn in her mother's side—and an object of resentment to the entire family.
Whether she was bullied, belittled, or even abducted, they turned a blind eye.
It wasn't until Tia Gray was diagnosed with a heart condition that their mother finally brought Lina back home.
And the one man Lina loved had eventually become involved with Tia, imprisoning Lina in the lower ward for four long years.
Now, Tia's heart could no longer endure.
They had brought Lina to this remote, isolated place. Evan planned to perform the surgery himself—to transplant Lina's heart into Tia.
"Evan, can I speak to Lina alone… please?" Tia pleaded, her eyes innocent and vulnerable.
"I'll go prepare," Evan said. "And remember—don't touch her again."
His gaze lingered on Lina for a moment before turning to disgust.
The infirmary door closed, taking Tia's false sorrow with it.
"Lina," Tia said, folding her arms, smug satisfaction filling her face. "If you have any last wishes, tell me. I'll see if I can help fulfill them."
"Evan and you…" Lina struggled to speak. "…when did it start?"
"Hehe." Tia sneered. "You really thought Evan liked you? He stayed with you only to make sure your heart stayed healthy—so I could use it when I needed it."
"You…" Rage surged through Lina as she struggled to lift her head.
So that was why Evan had taught her to care for her health—never out of love, but to preserve her heart.
"Let me tell you one more secret," Tia whispered, leaning closer, her bloodshot eyes brimming with malice. "So when you die, you'll understand everything."
"I don't have congenital heart disease. My heart was damaged by drug abuse. Did you know? After taking those drugs, it feels like floating through clouds and mist."
"Despicable!" Lina reached out, grabbing Tia by the collar.
Tia responded by ruthlessly stepping on Lina's oxygen tube.
Lina's face flushed red as oxygen was cut off, her hand flying instinctively to her throat.
"Tia… even if I become a ghost… I won't… let you go!"
"Sadly," Tia said coldly, "you'll only become a lonely, wandering ghost."
She picked up a syringe in one hand and grabbed the IV line with the other. "Lina, you—"
Before she could finish the word die, the door was kicked open.
A tall figure rushed in like lightning, knocking the syringe away and shielding Lina behind him.
Lina finally gasped for air, staring at the man before her in shock.
Adrian Black.
The man who had always opposed her—who wished nothing but death upon her.
The man who controlled the economic lifeline of Harbour City, stood at the helm of Crowe Consortium, and was the youngest man on the Forbes wealth list.
A prince charming in the hearts of countless women—untouchable, distant, and always at the center of attention.
Why would he appear in such a barren, insignificant place?
Before Lina could process it, Adrian had already begun pulling out the monitoring wires attached to her.
Watching from the Control Room, Evan rushed in, suppressing the fury in his chest.
"Mr. Black, this is a family matter."
"She is not a member of the Gray family." Adrian tossed the wires aside, grabbed Lina by the collar, and lifted her up. "She is my enemy."
Evan swallowed. "Since both you and my aunt hate Lina, wouldn't it be better for me to help you eliminate this thorn? After all—"
"You're not worthy," Adrian sneered coldly.
Evan stiffened.
There was an old saying in Harbour City—it was better to offend the King of Hell than to cross the Sky Hawk.
And the Sky Hawk was Adrian Black.
No one knew the extent of his power or his connections, but both the underworld and the legitimate world feared him.
Evan was no exception.
Still, he reassured himself. No matter how powerful Adrian was, he stood alone on Evan's territory.
It would be best to avoid provoking him.
"Mr. Black," Evan said carefully, "if you want my medical achievements, I'm willing to offer them freely. But please, leave Lina alone. She's a critical subject in my experiment."
"An experiment?"
Adrian's cold black eyes flared with terrifying menace.
A bone‑chilling pressure filled the room.
Startled, Evan staggered back and grabbed the walkie‑talkie. "Get everyone to the Control Room. Now!"
He repeated the command three times.
No response.
"Answer me, you useless trash!" Sweat soaked Evan's forehead as dread crept into his chest.
During the chaos, Tia slipped back to Evan's side, clutching his arm. "What's happening? Where is everyone?"
At last, the walkie‑talkie crackled with static, followed by a weak voice.
"A man broke in… we're all… all… Wiped out."
Evan's eyes widened in horror.
Adrian had single‑handedly taken down over twenty men.
Evan was a doctor—capable of saving or ending lives with a scalpel—but fighting was not his strength.
He exchanged a look with Tia, and they turned to flee.
Suddenly, the room shook violently.
Lina nearly fell from the bed but was caught firmly in Adrian's arms.
"Adrian…" Lina whispered weakly, pushing against his shoulder. "I no longer have the strength to fight you. Please… leave."
Adrian looked down at her, his deep eyes cold and sharp.
"Lina," he said quietly, "if you wish to die… it can only be by my hands."