Chapter 4

No.1

"Miss Kensington. Isabella went over the cliff. She fell."

"Find her! Now! I want her body! Dead or alive!"

Pain radiated from every part of Isabella's body at the bottom of the ravine. She needed a moment. Just a moment to breathe.

But noise from above shattered that hope. They were coming for her.

Anger flared, hot and sharp, cutting through the agony. She forced her mind to focus, scanning her surroundings with desperate urgency.

There. A cave, almost completely hidden by thick brush.

She dragged herself toward it, every movement pure torture. Inside the cool, dark silence, she collapsed against the rough wall, exhaling shakily.

The quiet was suddenly broken.

A soft, boyish voice called out, "Mommy? Mommy!"

Before Isabella could process it, a small, warm, mud-caked body crashed into her arms.

No.2

She looked down.

A small, round face stared up at her. Wide, watery doe eyes blinked.

Their gazes locked.

A strange warmth flooded Isabella's veins.

It felt like reuniting with someone precious after lifetimes apart.

Oliver clung to her desperately. His small hands gripped her shirt.

"I was chasing a kitten," he mumbled into her shoulder. "Then I found you, Mommy. The kitten ran away, but I found you instead!"

Isabella stiffened. Gently, she pried his fingers loose.

"I'm not your mother," she said softly. "Where are your parents? Let me take you to them."

His cheerful expression shattered. Pain twisted his features.

No.3

A heart-wrenching sob escaped him.

"Waa... My chest hurts..."

Guilt stabbed her. She released his collar instantly.

Before she could speak, he launched himself back into her arms.

"Hurts... Need hug... Mommy, hug me..." He burrowed deeper into her embrace.

Isabella froze. What kind of parents abandon such a vulnerable child?

A sinister rustle cut through her thoughts.

A snake, thick as her wrist, slithered from the shadows. Its target was Oliver's ankle.

Jet-black scales. Gleaming, venomous fangs.

A king cobra. One bite meant certain death.

No.4

"Look out!"

She snatched Oliver with one hand. Her other shot out, seizing the reptile mid-strike.

The sudden movement provoked it. The cobra twisted, sinking its fangs deep into her forearm.

White-hot pain lanced up her arm. She gritted her teeth against it.

Covering Oliver's eyes, she swung the snake violently. She smashed it against the cave wall.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The sound echoed harshly. The snake went limp, lifeless.

She hurled the carcass into the darkness.

The toxin worked fast. Her limbs grew heavy. Her vision blurred.

She slumped against the cold cave wall, strength draining away.

No.5

Her hand fell from Oliver's eyes.

"Mommy! Mommy! Don't scare Ollie!" His tiny voice was frantic with terror. "Please! Stay here! Ollie will get Daddy!"

He scrambled to his feet and bolted from the cave.

Outside, he fumbled with a phone. Tiny fingers tapped a chatroom. He sent his location.

He hit record. A desperate whimper filled the air.

"Daddy! I'm here! Found Mommy! A bad snake bit her! She needs help! Now!"

Nathaniel Blackwood was tearing through the Montgomery manor with a hundred bodyguards.

His phone screen lit up. He read the message. A deep frown etched his face.

Ten miles away? The boy will be disciplined for this. And who is this 'Mommy'?

He slid into a luxury car. Tires screeched. He dialed a number.

No.6

"Sebastian. Cobra antivenin. My location. Now."

Nathaniel reached the cave entrance. The scene inside made his blood run cold.

Oliver wept uncontrollably next to an unconscious woman.

"Mommy... Wake up! Don't leave Ollie...!" Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Nathaniel's gaze fell on the woman. Pale. Unconscious. Stunningly beautiful, even in distress.

Isabella Montgomery. The adopted heiress.

Oliver spotted him. He sprinted over, clutching his father's leg.

"Daddy, save Mommy! She's dying! I don't want her to die!" he wailed.

"Calm down. Uncle Sebastian is bringing the serum," Nathaniel said, his voice tight.

"Too late! It's been too long!" Oliver shook his head violently. "The poison... her blood... it needs to come out now!"

No.7

Nathaniel's eyes scanned her body. The bite was on her thigh. To extract the venom... her pants would have to come off.

"Ollie. Listen. Men and women are different. Uncle Sebastian is almost here."

Oliver wasn't listening. Pure, unadulterated fear consumed him.

"Help her! Daddy, please! I just found her! I don't want to be mommy-less again! The other kids laugh! Please!"