Davey couldn't help but wonder how Casey would react to the news.

Casey, always with her naive belief that the world outside held something better, that every man out there was pure goodness. She failed to see that in this harsh reality, only he truly loved her.

To Davey, the declarations of love from other men were nothing but hollow echoes, mere jests.

Inside the villa, Raegan's heart raced with anticipation as she awaited news from Erick.

The slightest glimmer of some progress regarding their mother's whereabouts lifted her spirits. It would fuel her hope of reuniting with their long-lost mother.

Even her unborn children seemed to share in her excitement, dancing restlessly in her belly that afternoon.

Raegan settled onto the sofa, her hand gently caressing her swollen stomach. "You want to meet your grandma too, don't you, Little ones?" she murmured softly.

Suddenly, the tranquility of the moment was shattered by a commotion in the hallway.

Erick was being carried in by his assistant and Judd, his face pale, body limp and lips bloodless.

Raegan rushed to his side, her voice trembling with fear as she took in his condition. “Erick, what happened to you?"

But Erick remained unresponsive, his eyes shut tightly in pain.

Observing Erick's blood-soaked shoulder, clearly from a gunshot wound, Raegan's heart sank.

Stefan, trailing behind with a team of doctors, directed Judd to carry Erick to a makeshift surgery room in the downstairs guest room.

Fortunately, Stefan's expertise in such affairs was a boon. The room had been meticulously outfitted with a wide array of medical equipment, mitigating any risk of contamination.

As Erick was whisked away, Raegan's anxiety threatened to overwhelm her. She turned to Stefan, eyes red and her voice trembling. "Stefan, how could this happen?”

Erick had left at noon in good condition, only to return in such dire straits.

Stefan, noting the pallor in Raegan's complexion, didn't immediately respond. Instead, he guided her gently to the sofa as he tried to find the right words. "He went to that doctor's apartment but found nothing. Not a soul. As he was leaving, he encountered a thief, and a fight ensued.”

Hearing this, Raegan struggled to comprehend the coincidence. It seemed improbable that such a confrontation would occur in Aurora, where the divide between the privileged and the common was starkly evident. A thief against someone of Erick's stature seemed highly unlikely.

Erick's attire and the luxurious mode of transportation he employed were unmistakable signs of his affluence. It begged the question of why a mere petty thief would dare to challenge someone so evidently his superior.

Tears welled in her eyes as Raegan spoke, her voice choked with emotion. “I refuse to believe it, Stefan. Is someone trying to kill Erick? Just when we were on the brink of finding our mother, this happens. It can't be mere chance!"