Chapter 19
In the corridor, Haven and Xiomara stood frozen, watching Seraphine and Valencia follow the assistant into the patient ward.
Haven's eyes narrowed.
That direction... wasn't right.
She'd done her homework before coming.
Orion's room was on the seventh floor of the inpatient wing, VIP section—she'd asked around thoroughly.
She'd even found out the specific room through connections—708, the south-facing room at the end of the corridor.
But the direction Seraphine and the others were heading was clearly the other end of the hallway.
Haven's heart skipped, but she quickly steadied herself.
She pulled Xiomara along, pretending to glance casually in that direction. A slow smile crept onto her face.
"Mara, look." She lowered her voice, leaning toward Xiomara's ear. "They're not going to 708."
Xiomara froze, following her mother's gaze.
Sure enough, Seraphine and Valencia's figures disappeared at the other end of the corridor—completely different from the room they'd been told about.
Xiomara's eyes lit up immediately. "Mom, are you saying..."
"I'm saying," Haven's voice was very low, carrying smug certainty, "they have no idea which room Mr. Orion FitzRoy is in. That assistant they had just now—they probably paid him to put on a show."
Xiomara thought about it and decided her mother had a point.
If Seraphine really knew Orion, if she'd really saved his life, how could she not know which room he was in?
"Mom, you're right." Xiomara's lips curved, the gloom in her eyes swept away. "They're just putting on airs."
"Of course," Haven snorted. "I knew it. Some poor girl kicked out of the Wipere family—how could she possibly have connections to the FitzRoy family? Save someone? Save what? Probably some old man in some random room. She got lucky once and now thinks she can fly up to become a phoenix."
Xiomara covered her mouth and laughed, finally feeling vindicated. "Mom, now that they've gone in, will they actually meet anyone?"
"Meet anyone?" Haven sneered. "Do you know what kind of patients are in that direction? That side is regular VIP—small-time businessmen and minor officials. Not even in the same league as the FitzRoy family. At most, they'll meet some nobodies. Nothing to do with Mr. Orion FitzRoy whatsoever."
Xiomara nodded, completely reassured.
She looked toward where Seraphine and Valencia had disappeared, contempt flashing in her eyes.
'Seraphine, what are you pretending for? You think hiring an assistant to stage a little scene will fool us? Naive.'
"Mom, what should we do? Still wait?" Xiomara asked.
"Wait for what?" Haven stood up, dusting off her skirt. "Why waste time with them? Let's go straight to 708 and see Mr. Orion FitzRoy."
Xiomara nodded and stood with her mother.
Mother and daughter picked up their fruit basket and headed toward the other end of the corridor.
After a few steps, Xiomara suddenly glanced back toward where Seraphine had disappeared, a smug smile curving her lips.
'Seraphine, keep acting. When you come out of that crummy room and realize you didn't even get to see Orion, let's see if you can still smile.'
"Mara, hurry up," Haven urged from ahead. "Don't keep Mr. Orion FitzRoy waiting."
"Coming, coming." Xiomara quickly caught up to her mother, unable to hide the smile on her face.
Mother and daughter arrived at room 708. Haven straightened her hair and clothes, took a deep breath, and knocked.
No answer.
She knocked again.
Still no answer.
Haven's brow furrowed. She reached out to push the door—it was locked.
"What's going on?" Xiomara whispered.
Haven was confused too. She turned toward the nurses' station and hurried over. "Nurse, where is the patient in room 708?"
The nurse glanced at her. "The patient in 708 was transferred yesterday."
Haven froze. "Transferred? Where to?"
"I'm not sure," the nurse said politely. "Perhaps you could contact the family?"
Haven's face turned ugly.
She pulled Xiomara back into the corridor, her heart unsettled.
"Mom, what do we do?" Xiomara asked.
Haven bit her lip, her mind racing.
Quickly, she found an explanation—Orion wasn't feeling well and transferred to a better hospital. That was perfectly normal.
As for Seraphine's side, she'd definitely just gotten lucky—heard somehow that Orion was at this hospital and came to put on a show.
"Let's go," Haven pulled Xiomara toward the elevator. "We'll head back and ask around another day."
Xiomara nodded and followed her mother into the elevator.
The moment the doors closed, she took one last look down the corridor—toward the direction Seraphine had gone.
'Seraphine, go ahead and dream your little dreams in that shabby room.'
The elevator doors closed. Mother and daughter's figures vanished between floors.
In the hospital room, Orion leaned against his bed, watching the two people who'd entered.
The young woman in front wore a white blouse and dark trousers, her hair in a low ponytail, holding a document folder.
Her steps were neither hurried nor slow, each one carrying an air of calm composure.
Orion's gaze landed on her, slightly taken aback.
This young woman was extraordinarily beautiful—features so refined she looked like she'd stepped out of a painting, yet without a trace of delicate affectation.
Her beauty wasn't the kind propped up by styling and makeup. It was a natural, inherent beauty that radiated from within.
Even more remarkable was her bearing.
Cool but not arrogant. Composed but not wooden.
Standing there, she was like an orchid in a secluded valley—neither fighting nor grasping, yet impossible to ignore.
Orion silently praised her in his heart.
He suddenly understood why his grandson—who had such impossibly high standards—had treated this young woman so differently.
A while back, when Octavius had mentioned breaking off the engagement, Orion had scolded him thoroughly.
Later, when he found out the engagement was with Seraphine, the boy changed his tune faster than anyone.
At first, Orion hadn't understood—what was so special about a Windsor daughter who'd just been brought home?
Now, having met her in person, he understood.
This young woman truly was special.
"You're Seraphine?" Orion spoke warmly, full of energy. "Come, sit. Don't stand."
Seraphine nodded slightly and walked to the bedside. She set the folder on the nightstand and pulled out several reports.
She didn't rush to speak. Instead, she first checked the monitor at the head of the bed, then reached out to examine Orion's condition.
Her movements were light and quick, as though performing the most ordinary task.
Orion didn't rush her, watching with a smile.
Moments later, Seraphine withdrew her hand and flipped through the reports.