Chapter 99
Seraphine's POV
Amara approached, her gaze sharp, instinctively scanning the room. She was looking for someone else, checking to see if she had made a mistake. As I expected, it had never occurred to her or Orion that I was the one investigating them.
I feigned a look of confusion. "Mom, I was injured. Who else would be here?"
Amara's brow furrowed, a clear sign of her bewilderment. Before she could process it, I reached for her hand. "Mom, I can't believe you came to see me. You must have heard what happened at the company and came because you were worried, right?"
She blinked. "What happened at the company?"
"I got hurt! There's a huge gash on my arm." I said, pouting, feigning a surge of emotion. "I thought after Brielle came back, you wouldn't care about me anymore. But it looks like you were still worried. You actually came all this way to see me."
A muscle twitched in Amara's jaw. She was clearly struggling to handle my display of affection. She forced an unnatural smile. "We're family. Of course, I'm concerned about you. Why wouldn't I come?" Then, she asked, as if it were an afterthought, "The room next door was empty when I came by. Are there no other patients here?"
She was definitely tracking the signal. She and Orion knew they were being watched.
I kept my expression neutral, feigning ignorance. "This is a private room. There aren't even any other beds. How could there be other patients?"
Amara frowned, lost in thought.
I put on a hurt expression. "Mom, why are you asking all these questions instead of asking about my injury? Are you really here to see me? Or is there something else?"
Her guard went up instantly. She flashed a practiced smile. "Of course, I came to see you. You look well. Just get some rest. I'm going to ask the doctor about your condition." Before I could say a word, she turned and hurried out of the room.
I watched her disappear, my eyes narrowing as my expression turned cold. She had come to confirm if the hacker who was tracking them was here. Thankfully, she hadn't seen the laptop, and my injury, combined with her ignorance of my hacking skills, had thrown her off my trail. Otherwise, I would have been her prime suspect.
I let out a breath and called Soren. "Halt all online tracking for now. Just keep a close eye on Orion's movements within the country."
"Understood, Ms. Whitaker. Your quick thinking saved us." Soren said, relief evident in his voice.
A smirk touched my lips. "Now you see how disgusting our opponents are. Stay sharp." I hung up and glanced at the bandage on my arm. A faint red was seeping through. The frantic typing had likely reopened the wound.
I closed my eyes, my mind racing. I needed to lie low for a few days, to take the heat off Orion. But since their ultimate goal was the company, I had to secure control of the Whitaker Group. If they succeeded, and Heath was no longer a factor, my life would be forfeit. Amara and Brielle despised me. If they gained control of the family, my fate would be sealed. This was more than just a battle between Heath and Orion; my life was on the line.
Chaos was coming. But first, I needed to heal, to conserve my strength for the battles ahead.
I spent two more days in the hospital, and once I was certain I was in the clear, I insisted on being discharged. The doctors couldn't stop me, but they ordered me to have my dressing changed regularly to avoid scarring.
Zander changed it for the last time before I left. He handed me a jar of ointment. "Use this when you get home. It's imported, works wonders. You won't have a scar."
I gave him a bright smile. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me." he said, giving me a meaningful look. "It's not from me. Someone asked me to give it to you."
I froze, understanding immediately. The "someone" was Octavius. But this was just a gesture of gratitude. I had been injured saving him. It was a debt being repaid, nothing more. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have given it to me himself?
I took the ointment, my voice composed. "I don't need Octavius's gratitude, and I don't need him to feel indebted to me. He's helped me a lot in the past. This injury evens the score between us. Thank him for the medicine."
"How can you think that—" Zander started, but I was already standing.
"I'm leaving. Thank you for your care these past few days." I walked away without a second glance. I was surrounded by people with hidden agendas; I couldn't afford to let my guard down for a second. Dwelling on Octavius would only bring me pain, and I had more important things to worry about.
After settling in at home, I went straight to the office. My bandaged arm was hidden beneath my long sleeves. It still hurt, but I could manage simple tasks.
I hadn't even reached my office when Soren informed me that Heath wanted to see me in the top-floor reception room.
A sense of unease washed over me. "Is there an important guest?"
Soren shrugged. "I just got here myself. I don't know anything. But it doesn't seem like a big deal. Why don't you go see?"
I nodded and headed to the reception room. As I pushed the door open, I saw someone I had no desire to see. Quinlan was sitting at the table, talking to Heath. She smiled when she saw me. Brielle was beside her, a look of malicious glee in her eyes.
I composed myself and walked over. "Dad, you wanted to see me?" I glanced at Quinlan. "Ms. Powell, if I recall correctly, I blacklisted the Powell Group from any future collaborations and banned you from our company. What are you doing here?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Heath's face. "Seraphine," he whispered, "let's not bring up the past."
"Seraphine, that's so ungracious of you!" Brielle interjected, her voice dripping with triumph. "Ms. Powell isn't here as a representative of the Powell Group. She's here as Octavius's girlfriend, to thank you for saving her man!"
The words hit me like a physical blow. My breath caught in my throat. I stared at Quinlan. "You're Octavius's girlfriend now?"