Chapter 101: The Perfect Diversion
The room felt like it was closing in. Pierre stood frozen, the brown envelope still hanging in the air. The edge of the paper shook violently. Don Cardios squinted at Pierre. The old man was not someone easily fooled by a doctor's silence. He took another step toward Pierre.
"Why are you staying silent, Pierre? Hand it over," Cardios said. His voice was heavy and demanding.
Pierre flicked a glance at Agatha. Cold sweat rolled from his temple down to his jaw. He tried to open his mouth, but only a choked sound came out. "Umm, that... Great Sir, actually..."
Agatha stood leaning against the wall near the door. She folded both arms across her chest. Her eyes fixed on Pierre with total composure. She had already tossed him a lifeline. She had told Pierre to use Xavier's heart as an excuse. However, the doctor seemed too shattered by fear to string together a sensible sentence.
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
Agatha tapped the tip of her shoe against the floor. The sound rang out sharply in the middle of the silence. Pierre panicked even more. He gripped the envelope until the paper made a loud rustling sound. Cardios began to lose his patience.
"Pierre! Are you deaf?" Cardios barked.
Xavier, sitting on the bed, cleared his throat loudly. "Cough! Cough!"
Agatha immediately moved toward the bed. She touched Xavier's shoulder, but her eyes remained on Pierre and Cardios. She saw Pierre about to release the envelope into Cardios's hand. Agatha knew she had to take it a step further now.
"Grandfather, do not blame Pierre. He is only confused because there is something far more urgent than those routine test results," Agatha interrupted.
Cardios turned toward Agatha. "What do you mean, Agatha? What is more urgent than the condition of you both?"
Agatha walked toward Cardios. She stood between the old man and Pierre. She snatched the envelope from Pierre's hand with a move that was very fast yet looked natural. She did not hand it to Cardios. Instead, she tucked it behind her back.
"Pierre just received a report from the outer security team. There is suspicious movement at the borders of the Volskey estate. It seems the remnants of Marco's followers are trying to regroup. That is why Pierre looks so pale. He was afraid to tell you because he knew you wanted to focus on our recovery," Agatha lied without blinking.
Pierre's eyes widened. He stared at Agatha with his mouth slightly open. He immediately caught the cue from Agatha's sharp gaze.
"Yes! Exactly, Don Cardios. That is what I wanted to convey. I am very worried about the security of this villa right now. I do not want Mr. Xavier to be disturbed," Pierre chimed in with a more stable voice, though a hint of nervousness remained.
Cardios furrowed his brow. He shifted his focus from the envelope. "Remnants of Marco's followers? Didn't you have Julio take care of everything?"
"They are hiding in the western forest, Grandfather. Pierre just got a signal from the motion sensors there. Isn't that right, Pierre?" Agatha stared at Pierre coldly.
"Correct. That signal appeared right before you walked in, Great Sir," Pierre added with a quick nod.
Cardios hissed. He turned his body toward the door. His aura of authority peaked again. Family security matters were his top priority above all else.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? Pierre, come with me now. We need to speak with the security team in the monitor room. I do not want a single one of Marco's rats still breathing on this land," Cardios ordered.
"But, Mr. Xavier..." Pierre tried to point toward the bed.
"Xavier can already talk and eat by himself! Hurry up!" Cardios shouted while walking out of the room.
Pierre exhaled a long breath that sounded like a "phew." He glanced at Agatha with a look of sincere gratitude. Agatha only gave a very slight nod. Pierre quickly grabbed his medical bag and followed Cardios's wide strides out of the room.
"Click."
The door closed tightly. Agatha leaned her body against the door leaf. She closed her eyes for a moment. Her heart was racing. She had managed to secure the envelope for now. She immediately slipped the brown envelope into the pocket of her loose nightgown.
"Agatha," Xavier called.
Agatha turned. She saw Xavier watching her with one eyebrow raised. Her husband was not as foolish as Cardios, who was currently blinded by rage. Xavier knew his wife was hiding something.
"Yes?" Agatha walked toward the bed.
"Since when do you know the ins and outs of the Volskey estate?" Xavier asked with a suspicious tone.
Agatha sat on the edge of the bed. She rubbed Xavier's cheek to distract him. "Maybe Pierre studied it secretly while he was here. Forget about that. You need to rest."
Xavier caught Agatha's hand. He pulled the woman until their faces were only inches apart. "You are lying to Cardios, aren't you?"
"I just want us to have some quiet time, Xavier. If Grandfather stays here, he will ask unnecessary things," Agatha answered softly.
Xavier stared into Agatha's eyes for a long time. He tried to find a lie there. However, he missed his wife too much to keep being skeptical. He took a deep breath, inhaling the calming scent of Agatha's body.
"Ugh," Xavier winced slightly as he tried to pull Agatha closer into his embrace.
"Be careful, Xavier. Your wound," Agatha warned.
Xavier ignored the warning. He wrapped his arm around Agatha's waist possessively. "They are gone. Finally."
"You are so needy today," Agatha chuckled softly. She let her head rest on Xavier's chest.
"I almost died and almost lost you, Agatha. I think I have earned the right to be clingy with my own wife," Xavier replied. His voice sounded very low and deep now.
Xavier began rubbing Agatha's back in a circular motion. He occasionally kissed the top of his wife's head. Warmth spread between the two of them. The sunlight entering the room made the atmosphere feel very intimate.
"Agatha, unbutton your top. I feel suffocated seeing you wear Mother's clothes that are closed up to your neck like this," Xavier whispered.
"Xavier! This is not our house! What if Pierre comes back in?" Agatha protested with a flushing face.
"He won't dare enter without permission. I already chased them all out nicely earlier," Xavier began pulling the string of Agatha's nightgown.
"You did not say a single word, my dear Mr. Xavier," Agatha countered.
Xavier laughed softly. The sound of his laughter was very crisp in Agatha's ears. Xavier flipped Agatha's body so that she was now beneath him. Even though his body was still weak, Xavier still looked very dominant.
"Mmhh," Agatha moaned softly as Xavier began kissing the area below her ear.
"You are mine, Agatha. Completely mine," Xavier muttered between kisses.
Xavier continued exploring Agatha's neck. His hand began crawling down toward Agatha's stomach. Agatha startled when that large hand stopped right over her still-flat belly. She remembered the contents of the envelope in her pocket. There was a big secret she had not revealed yet.
"Why are you so tense?" Xavier asked. He lifted his face and looked into Agatha's eyes.
Agatha tried to smile. "It is nothing. I am just... I am just afraid someone will walk in."
"No one will walk in anytime soon. They are busy hunting the ghosts you created earlier," Xavier smirked.
Xavier brought his face close again. He locked Agatha's lips with a more demanding kiss. Agatha responded by gripping Xavier's shoulders tightly. In the middle of that embrace, Agatha felt a hard object in her pocket pressing against her thigh. The envelope.
"Xavier, wait a second," Agatha whispered between their kisses.
"I don't want to," Xavier said stubbornly.
Xavier kept kissing Agatha's lips with passion. He seemed to want to erase all the bad memories they had experienced with these touches. Agatha felt Xavier's heartbeat clashing with her own. She wanted to say everything right now. She wanted to share this happiness and fear.
"Xavier, listen to me first," Agatha tried to push Xavier's chest gently.
Xavier stopped. He looked at Agatha with eyes dark with desire. "What is it now?"
Agatha reached for Xavier's hand that was on her stomach. She held those large fingers tightly. She took a deep breath, gathering all her courage.
"Actually, the reason Pierre was so pale was not because of Marco's followers," Agatha said quietly.
Xavier furrowed his brow. He looked at Agatha intently. "Then why?"
Agatha reached into her pocket. She took out the slightly crumpled brown envelope. She held it in front of Xavier's face. Her hand shook as she prepared to break the seal of the paper in front of her husband.
"This is the result of the test Pierre did on me this morning," Agatha said.
Xavier went silent. He stared at the envelope with a look that was hard to read. The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned very tense. The breeze from the open window made the curtains flutter softly, blocking some of the light falling on their faces.
"What is in it?" Xavier asked in a very low voice.
Agatha did not answer immediately. She began tearing the edge of the envelope slowly. The sound of the paper tearing felt like a loud thud in Agatha's ears. She pulled out a white sheet of paper with many medical terms on it. Her eyes fixed on the very bottom line written in red ink by Pierre.
"Xavier, you have to see this for yourself," Agatha handed the paper to Xavier.
Xavier accepted the paper with a hesitant hand. He read it line by line. His eyes froze on one word underlined by Pierre. Xavier's expression changed instantly. He looked at Agatha with a gaze she had never seen before.
"Agatha, this..." Xavier trailed off.