Chapter 87: Clues
Eira and Callian entered the hospital where Marion was taken after her body was found.
The sterile sll of disinfectant stayed in the air, mingling with the low chatter and the occasional beeping dical equipnt.
Callian held her hand, then brushed with his thumb over hers as reassurance.
"Are you sure about this?" Callian asked.
Eira nodded. "I need to know what really happened to her. I can’t rest until I do."
They approached the reception desk, where a young nurse with tired eyes glanced up at them.
"Good morning," Callian said, flashing a polite but assertive smile. "We’re here to inquire about Marion Kim’s records. She passed away recently, and we’re her family."
The nurse frowned slightly, tapping on her keyboard. "I’m sorry, but dical records are confidential. I can’t share that information without proper authorization."
"We’re not asking for her entire file. Just her final hours—anything unusual that might help us understand her death. Please."
The nurse hesitated, glancing around nervously.
Callian slipped a small stack of bills across the desk, his expression didn’t change.
"We just need to know if soone tampered with her body," he said softly. "It’s important."
The nurse’s eyes went to the money, then to their faces.
Finally, she sighed and nodded. "Wait here. I’ll check the logs for anything unusual."
As the nurse disappeared into the back, Eira and Callian moved to a quieter corner of the waiting area.
"What do you think she’ll find?" Eira whispered.
Callian shook his head. "Anything. Nothing. But we’re not leaving until we have answers."
The nurse returned monts later, her face was slightly pale.
"I found sothing. The system logs show that soone accessed Marion’s file a week before her death—soone outside of the hospital staff."
Eira’s heart sank. "Who?"
"I don’t know. The logs only show that the access ca from an external account linked to a high-profile visitor."
Callian’s jaw tightened. "Was it Henry?"
The nurse hesitated, then shook her head. "The na on the file isn’t Henry. But whoever it was used credentials that don’t belong to them. It’s all very... irregular."
"Who visited her body?" Eira asked.
The nurse bit her lip. "There’s no record of Henry, but there was soone matching his brother’s description—Steven Blackwood. He visited Marion once, a few days before her body left the hospital’s morgue."
Eira felt her stomach twist, and she looked at Callian. "Steven?"
Callian nodded grimly. "That explains a lot."
Eira’s voice grew colder. "I need to talk to that examiner who cared for Marion."
The receptionist hesitated again, her gaze flicked toward the hallway. "She’s on break, but I can point you to the staff lounge. Her na’s Miriam."
"Thank you," Callian said, tugging Eira’s hand as they headed down the hall.
As they walked, Callian pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Mike.
-Callian: We need to et. Marion’s case just got more complicated. Steven might be involved.-
As Eira and Callian entered the lounge, spotting Miriam, the examiner who examined Marion.
Miriam’s eyes widened when she saw them approach, but she quickly masked her surprise.
"Can I help you?" she asked in a polite but wary way.
Eira stepped forward. "I need to know about Marion’s last day here. Please. Anything you can tell ."
Miriam hesitated, glancing around. "I don’t think I can—"
"Please," Eira cut her off, her voice cracked. "She was my aunt. I just need to know if she was... if she was murdered."
"She was. It was terrifying actually..."
Eira’s throat tightened.
Miriam lowered her voice. "But I was her close friend, and for to check her dead body was really hard..."
"I understand."
"And the last ti I saw her, she said sothing strange. She said, ’They’ll silence before she finds the truth.’ I didn’t know what she ant."
Callian and Eira exchanged a look, their suspicions deepened and seed to be confird at the sa ti.
"Thank you," Eira whispered.
As they left the hospital, Callian’s phone buzzed with another ssage from Mike:
-Mike: Be careful. This isn’t just about Henry anymore.-
Eira glanced at Callian. "We’re getting closer."
Callian nodded, his jaw set. "But closer to what?"
>__<
When Mike read the text from Callian, he shoved his phone into his pocket.
He was in the Blackwood mansion, pacing back and forth in the office where he spent most of his ti.
He ran a hand through his hair.
"Why did I join this family?" he muttered under his breath.
The question haunted him more than ever.
At first, the money and power had been tempting—a way to escape his diocre life.
But now, every move felt like a trap, pulling him deeper into Reed’s lies, manipulation, and destruction.
He glanced at the partially open door, deliberately leaving it that way before Beatrice entered and left a few days ago.
He wanted Vanesa to overhear just enough.
He wanted her to see him as an ally—or a threat, depending on how things played out.
Mike had been working with Beatrice for months now, subtly feeding her information, earning her trust.
She thought she had him wrapped around her finger, but in reality, Mike was playing a much larger ga.
"I’m going to make them all pay," he whispered to himself.
But he couldn’t let anyone know that yet.
Not Beatrice. Not Vanesa. Especially not Henry.
The sound of heels clicking could be imdiately recognisable.
It snapped him out of his thoughts.
Vanesa appeared in the doorway.
"What do you want from ?" she asked sharply.
Mike leaned against the desk, crossing his arms casually. "Wanting your mother, of course, and then I will tell you why."
He said it for Vanesa’s reaction, ’marionette...’
"I thought you wanted to talk in private?"
"I do. But I’m still waiting for your mother." Mike was testing her again.
"You’re always waiting for her, aren’t you? Do you ever get tired of being her puppet?"
Mike smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "And do you ever get tired of being her punching bag?"
Vanesa flinched at the words but quickly masked it with anger. "What do you want from , Mike?"
"From you?" he said in a slight mocking tone. "Nothing. But your mother? Everything."
Vanesa’s jaw tightened. "You’re disgusting."
Mike pushed off the desk.
He took a step toward her, dropping his voice. He said, "Careful, Vanesa. You have no idea who you’re dealing with."
Vanesa glared at him. "You don’t scare ."
Mike tilted his head, studying her. "Good. Fear’s overrated anyway. But you should know this—I’m on your mother’s side. Always have been, always will be. If you step out of line, I’ll know. And I’ll make sure she knows too."
Vanesa’s face hardened, but Mike could see the doubt in her eyes.
"Stay in line," he warned, softer now, almost soothing. "It’s safer for everyone."
Vanesa turned and stord out of the room, but Mike stayed where he was, his smirk faded into sothing colder.
"You’re all going to destroy each other," he murmured to himself. "And I’ll be there to watch."
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