Chapter 4

Morning light sliced through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the VIP suite, painting bright stripes across the polished hardwood floor. Kenzie opened her eyes. The fever had broken sometime during the night. Her head felt clear for the first time since she had woken up in that cardboard box.

She lifted her hand. It was still tiny, still pudgy, but it obeyed her command. She flexed her fingers, feeling the weak grip. She was trapped in this body, but at least she was alive.

She turned her head. Devin Ayers was sitting on a leather sofa a few feet away, his long legs crossed. He was wearing a fresh shirt, no tie, the collar open. He held an iPad in one hand and a cup of black coffee in the other, scrolling through documents with a focused intensity.

Kenzie stared at him, her mind working furiously. She knew this man. Not personally, but by reputation. Devin Ayers. The older brother of Sterling Coleman. The real power behind the Coleman family fortune, hiding behind his mother's maiden name to avoid the spotlight.

"If I remember correctly," Kenzie thought, analyzing the situation, "the Coleman family is about to walk into a meat grinder. And it all starts with that woman from last night."

Devin's thumb stopped scrolling. He took a slow sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving the screen, but Kenzie could see the muscle in his jaw tick. He was listening.

"Desiree Dillon isn't just some bad doctor," Kenzie continued her mental briefing. "She's going to sink her claws into that idiot brother of yours. She wants the Coleman trust fund, and she'll do anything to get it."

Devin set the coffee cup down. It clinked softly against the saucer.

"Her Ivy League degree is a fake," Kenzie thought, dropping the bomb. "She bought her way in. But that's not the worst part. She's the illegitimate daughter of Jiles Patrick."

Devin's hand froze on the iPad. The name 'Jiles Patrick' echoed in his mind, a name he hadn't heard in years, spoken only in the deepest shadows of global power. The rogue agent who had nearly brought down the Aegis Alliance. How could this... voice... know it? A chill crept down his spine as he stared at the infant. The implications were staggering, bordering on the impossible. Was he hallucinating? Or was this child something else entirely? He pushed the questions aside for now. The immediate threat to his brother was paramount. The color drained from his face.

Devin stood up abruptly. He walked over to the window, turning his back to the baby. He gripped the plastic rod that controlled the blinds. His knuckles were white.

Kenzie watched him, oblivious to the storm she was causing. "If she marries Sterling, she'll drug him. She'll film it. She'll use the scandal to take over the entire family security network. And you, Devin Ayers, will be the first one she throws in prison to cover her tracks."

Crack.

The plastic rod snapped in Devin's grip. The sharp sound echoed in the quiet room.

Kenzie flinched. She looked at the broken piece in his hand, then at his rigid back. "What's his problem?" she wondered, feeling a bit annoyed. "Does he work out too much? Who breaks a window rod by accident?"

Devin took a deep breath. He dropped the broken pieces into the trash bin and turned around. His face was a mask of stone, but his eyes were burning with a cold fire. He walked back to the sofa, pulling out his phone.

"Miles," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Change of plans. I don't just want Desiree Dillon's history. I want to know every contact she has with a man named Jiles Patrick. And I want to know if she has any ties to a group called the Aegis Alliance."

He paused, listening to the stunned silence on the other end.

"And find out where that baby came from," Devin added, his gaze locking onto Kenzie. "Search every dumpster in Tribeca. I want answers."

He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Kenzie felt a shiver of apprehension. She hadn't expected him to move this fast. "Not bad," she thought, trying to reassure herself. "He's sharp. But he'll never find out who I am. I didn't exist in this body until last night."

Devin heard the confidence in her thoughts. A faint smirk touched his lips. He stood up and walked over to the crib. He looked down at her, his expression unreadable.

The door opened, and a nurse walked in carrying a bottle of warm formula. "Time for breakfast, little one," she cooed.

Devin held up a hand. "I'll do it."

The nurse looked surprised but handed him the bottle without a word, then backed out of the room.

Devin sat on the edge of the bed. He awkwardly positioned the bottle, pushing the rubber nipple against Kenzie's lips. She was starving. The smell of the milk was intoxicating. She latched on and started sucking greedily.

Then the heat hit her tongue. It was too warm. It border on hot.

"Ow! Are you trying to scald my throat?" Kenzie yelled in her mind, her face scrunching up in displeasure. "This is boiling! Test it on your wrist, you amateur!"

Devin pulled the bottle away instantly. He looked at the nipple, then at the baby's frowning face. He tilted the bottle and let a drop fall onto the back of his hand. It was definitely too hot. A faint flush crept up his neck.

He stood up and handed the bottle back to the nurse, who was still hovering by the door. "Cool it down," he ordered.

Kenzie watched him, her stomach growling. But despite the hunger, a sense of mischievous glee filled her. She let out a mental laugh, a bright, mocking sound. "Serves you right, big guy."

Devin closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath, shaking his head slowly. He was a man who controlled billion-dollar empires, and he was being bossed around by a three-month-old infant.