Rosalba hurried toward the cafeteria and slipped in behind Nico, who was hiding behind a pillar.
She peeked in the direction he was watching, and her eyes fell on Dante and the others, deep in discussion over a al where Lyra sat among them.
Nico leaned closer as he lowered his voice.
"That woman... she’s the one who caused Jas to die. Look carefully."
Rosalba frowned, puzzled. They had co to find Dante’s mistress, yet now they spotted soone else.
"You an... she’s also the doctor attending Cala?"
Nico nodded. "Yes. She’s the one I saw at the mansion."
Hearing that, Rosalba’s anger flared. Without a second thought, she pulled out her phone, snapped a photo of Lyra in the cafeteria, and hurried back to the mansion.
"Cala..." Rosalba called out her daughter’s na the mont she stepped into the mansion. Unease settled over her, and she failed to notice the maid and Griffin nearby.
"Shh... lower your voice, Mom. They’re watching us," Nico whispered as they made their way upstairs.
Rosalba cleared her throat and smiled at the maid, who returned the gesture with a respectful bow.
But the mont she reached the room, her smile faded, and her expression darkened.
Cala heard them coming back and slamd the door shut, jolting upright in alarm.
Her mother rushed toward her and slapped her hard across the face.
"What is your husband doing with your brother’s murderer?" Rosalba huffed, her chest rising and falling as she struggled to contain her fury.
"Jas’s murderer?" Confusion crossed her face. "Which one?"
"You convinced to transfer all my authority to your husband and now he’s circling around that bitch!"
Rosalba clenched her fists.
She had long abandoned any thought of avenging Jas, but the mont she saw Dante with that woman, the fire of hatred flared, and every warning Pierce had ever given her faded from her mind.
Cala was left speechless and confused. She had no idea whom her mother had t, but guilt gnawed at her for persuading her mother to hand over her authority to Dante.
Rosalba slumped onto the sofa, while Cala turned toward her brother.
"Where did you see Jas’s murderer?" she asked.
Nico snorted before answering. "The doctor. She cos here every day, don’t tell you never noticed."
Cala’s eyes widened.
"I asked him to get rid of that woman, yet he hid her," she muttered bitterly.
Her face twisted with anger. No wonder her plan to beco Mrs. Pierce had failed.
"Mom..."
Cala jumped off the bed and went to the sofa, taking her mother’s hand.
"Let’s get rid of both of them. We’ll take back Dolan’s power and avenge Jas."
Rosalba straightened her back and snapped.
"What are you planning to do? beg him to return it?
Do you think it’s that easy to take the power back from him? He has to sign it to hand it over. Idiot!"
Cala was hurt when her mother called her an idiot, but she answered calmly.
"No need for a signature. We’ll just let him rest forever. His inheritance will co to ... his wife."
She smiled at her mother.
Rosalba shook her head. "If you kill him, old Volkhan will co after you."
She sighed helplessly.
"I can’t do anything about Dante... but that woman, I want her finished."
She smiled, the plan already forming in her mind. "We just need to gather evidence of her infidelity."
...
Over lunch, Dante told Lyra that he wanted her to resu the ho visits once his mother-in-law had left.
Later, she invited Dante to her office. There was sothing she needed to discuss with him regarding the visits. She opened Cala’s patient file and laid it out on the desk between them.
"Mr. Cortez, your wife has shown good improvent. I believe her morning sickness has almost subsided. Congratulations, you’ve both made it through the first trister successfully."
Lyra closed the file. "That will conclude my ho visits."
Dante looked caught off guard. "But, Doctor, my wife feels comfortable with you. Why not continue them?"
Lyra shook her head. "I’m sorry, I can’t. My schedule is already extrely tight. I can’t be in two places at once."
"I’ll speak to the director and ask him to reduce your workload," he said imdiately, afraid of losing her.
He didn’t realize that the one who had piled most of that workload onto her was the director himself.
But even if he managed to persuade the director, she remained firm in her decision not to continue the ho visits.
She had already arranged for another doctor, soone under her supervision, to take over Cala’s care.
"I won’t suggest that. It would be an abuse of my position, and the other staff would start talking about . I want to work in a comfortable environnt. I hope you understand."
Lyra refused politely, but Dante leaned forward, cupping his face as his frustration showed. He fell silent for a mont.
She bit her lip when she saw him like that.
"Are you running away from ?" he asked.
"Of course not... we can still see each other here at the hospital." she replied calmly.
But she noticed his expression darken as he raised his gaze.
He stood up from his chair and walked toward the door she had left open earlier, shoved it shut, and turned the lock with a sharp click.
A knot ford in her stomach, and she sprang to her feet.
"What are you doing?"
Dante turned back with a low, dangerous chuckle, strode toward her, and seized her by the waist, trapping her forcefully between his arms.
Lyra struck him as she struggled, screaming, "Let go! Security—sobody help!"
"Yes... scream. Let everyone outside hear. It would be better if they thought we were having an affair."
Lyra stiffened for a mont before struggling again in silence.
Dante moved, forcing her back until she was trapped beneath him, then seized her struggling hands.
"Listen, Doctor. You can’t run away from forever. I’ll make you co to willingly."
He pressed a brief kiss to her neck and inhaled her scent once before releasing her. Then he turned and walked out of the room.
Reviews
All reviews (0)