Dominic was notified of the fate of his car by the police, but the circumstances of the crash were completely unknown to him. They also told him that his driver, Marianne and Melanie had been injured, but at the time, they could not elaborate more on their status, as all three of them were being airlifted to the university hospital of Grenoble. The last thing they informed him on was that, whoever had crashed into them had fled the scene. The police had only found the mangled limo.

Dominic sped off, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. It was one of the few times he wished he could have used his helicopter, but the helipad on the roof of the hospital was reserved for medical use only. The drive to the beautiful, mountain city would not take the usual two hours. Unwilling to stop for anything or anyone, he pressed his foot hard down on the gas of his Lamborghini, in the hope that the two friends had not been fatally wounded.

What the hell happened to you, my little bird? Who did that to you? Why did they run? Damn it, Melanie… Did you have to tag along? Jean is going to be mad at me. Nah, who cares…? He’s always mad at me for something. I’m not going to bother with him. All that matters is that those two are okay. Hang in there, Marianne…

Leaving his car at the parking lot, he stormed into the hospital and asked about them at the reception. Relief flashed in his eyes, as the elderly clerk told him that they were all alive. Marianne was in a hospital room on the second floor, whereas Melanie was on the third. Still, he was so upset that he would not even wait for the elevator. Dominic practically jumped up the stairs, in eager anticipation of seeing her again. He found his girlfriend sleeping, with an IV in her left wrist and a bandage wrapped around her head. A young, female doctor was standing over her, taking notes in a small notepad.

“Doctor…” He gasped, his chest rising up and down, as he walked into the room. “I’m part of the family. How is she?”

“She was lucky.” The doctor said in a voice deep as she looked up at him over her left shoulder. “She has a concussion, several bruises on her legs and torso, but no fractures. Monsieur Thierry Arden is in the next room. He has a fractured leg and four cracked ribs. He’s in some pain; we had to sedate him. His life is not in danger. The same can’t be said for the other passenger.”

“What happened to Melanie?” Dominic asked in a voice filled with tension and fear.

“She’s in the operating room.” The doctor heaved a long, heavy sigh. “She’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Thank you.” He spoke, staring down at Marianne’s tranquil face, as the doctor brushed past him.

“She will have to stay here for a while.” The doctor maintained. “We need to monitor her condition. I’ll check up on her later.”

Dominic rolled his gaze down her body, as his slow, confident footsteps brought him closer to her. Fixing his gaze on her hand, he reached forward and took it into his own. Marianne’s eyes twitched, as her lips parted. He caressed her wrist and ran his thumb across her fingers, as their gazes met. Dominic took one last step towards her and sat down on a stool beside her.

“Hi…” She managed to say in a soft, almost inaudible whisper. “Where am I?”

“University Hospital of Grenoble.” He responded, lifting his other hand to her face. “You scared me.”

“Melanie…” Marianne breathed. “Where is she?”

“She’s going to be fine.” Dominic assured.

“Always the optimist.” Jean interjected, knocking on the open door. “I’m happy to say you’re right, old friend. She just got out of surgery. The doctors told me she will have to stay here for the next 48 hours, but she’s going to be fine.”

“Thank God.” She sighed in relief.

“How did the accident happen?” Dominic asked, his voice calm and steady, as his friend approached. “Do you remember anything?”

“Yeah…” Marianne sucked in a deep breath. “It wasn’t an accident.”

“What?” Dominic furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about?”

“There was this…” Her voice broke, as she blinked back tears. “Huge truck. I thought he was going to brake, but he didn’t. He rammed us. God…” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can still hear that horrible noise.”

“Why in the world would anyone try to do that?” Dominic wondered, unable to keep his voice down. “Who would want to hurt you?”

“Dominic, may I have a word with you?” Jean requested, making his way towards the door.

“I don’t know.” Marianne whispered, as he rose to his imposing, 6’3” stature. He turned around, troubled at the thought that someone had attempted to murder his girlfriend and Melanie. His friend got out of the room and took a few furtive glances around him, before addressing him.

“There is something you need to know.” Jean said, his voice low, as he leaned closer to him.

“Did the police find the truck?” Dominic inquired.

“No.” Jean shook his head sideways. “But I’m sure they will, eventually. This morning, Melanie said that there was something off with Marianne. On the day they spent to Paris, she looked very upset. Whenever her phone rang, she would excuse herself and go outside. Clearly, she didn’t want Melanie to hear anything she had to say.”

“Jean, someone just tried to kill that girl.” Frustration was lingering in his voice. “And you’re telling me she’s been keeping secrets from Melanie? What does that have to do with anything?”

“In your car, Dominic!” Jean used an emphatic tone. “They tried to kill them in your car! They were not after them! Whoever was behind this, they wanted to kill you!”

“So, you think she orchestrated this?” Dominic was struggling to maintain his composure. His friend’s words had made his blood boil in his veins. “First of all, if she had anything to do with it, she wouldn’t be anywhere near that limo. Secondly…”

“I didn’t say she’s involved in this.” Jean interrupted, speaking in frustrated tones. “Dominic, you’re thirty years old. No one has ever tried to kill you. Don’t you think it’s too much of a coincidence that a reporter was here when they did?”

“That’s your opinion, old buddy.” Dominic patted him on the shoulder. “Okay. Let’s say they were after me. Who would want me dead, Jean? Can you think of someone? Because I can’t.”

“Oh, my poor friend.” Jean heaved a deep sigh, running his hand through his hair. “You seem to be forgetting the fact that you are the most powerful man in the Alps. You are the sole proprietor of the finest real estate in the area, your law firm is one of the most prestigious firms in Western Europe and our clients are some of the most influential people in the country. Trust me; you have a lot more enemies than you think.”

Jean’s conclusion made perfect sense. Indeed, there were many people envious of his money and power. Still, just when he was about to ask him to give him some names, Dominic noticed a tall, aging policeman coming their way, accompanied by two, younger officers. He stopped behind Jean, whereas his colleagues stepped inside the room.

“Your majesty.” He said, bowing lightly before him. “My name is Philip Ross, I’m Captain of the Grenoble Police Department. Please, follow me to the police station. I need to ask you a few questions.”