Chapter 25 Unable to Help
Janet smirked, teasing. "Is your boyfriend picking you up?"
Cordelia didn't bother responding, just walked out of Janet's hospital room.
Alaric watched her leave, his expression hardening.
Janet's smile grew sly as she turned to Alaric. "Alaric, you're friends with Dr. Stone, right? Ever met her boyfriend?"
Alaric's eyes were cold. "Nope, never met him."
He checked his watch and spoke in a low tone. "I gotta handle something. I'm outta here."
Janet wanted to stop him, but before she could say anything, he was already out the door, looking like he had somewhere important to be.
She clenched her fists, her face darkening.
Cordelia went to the storage room to change out of her scrubs and got a call from Dominic.
"Cordelia, traffic's a nightmare. You might have to wait a bit."
Cordelia answered softly, "No problem. I'll visit my dad in the meantime."
Dominic replied, "Alright, I'll call you when I get there."
Cordelia hung up and glanced at her wrist, then rummaged through her handbag for a bracelet.
The bracelet was a birthday gift from Donald when she turned eighteen. He had told her it was her mother's favorite piece of jewelry.
Having never met her mother, the bracelet held special meaning for Cordelia.
But after emptying her bag, she couldn't find it. It wasn't in her locker either.
She distinctly remembered wearing it when she left the house that morning.
She quickly left the storage room and called Alaric, but his line was busy. Frustrated, she looked up and saw him in the elevator, talking on the phone.
As the elevator doors closed, Alaric glanced her way, his eyes cold.
Cordelia rushed over, but the doors had already shut. When she got downstairs, Alaric's car was gone.
Sighing in frustration, she headed to Donald's room.
Donald was recovering well and already moving around. Seeing Cordelia, he smiled. "Done with work?"
He glanced behind her. "Where's Alaric? Wasn't he supposed to pick you up?"
Cordelia hesitated. "He came to see you?"
Allegra, carrying a tray of fruit, entered the room and answered with a smile. "Mr. Hughes spent quite a while chatting with Mr. Stone this afternoon. He went upstairs when he saw it was time for you to get off work."
Cordelia raised an eyebrow. She'd assumed Alaric had been with Janet the whole time. It turned out she misunderstood him.
Allegra, not seeing Alaric, asked, "Where's Mr. Hughes? Did you two miss each other?"
Cordelia saw the curious look on Donald's face and replied softly, "No, he had some work to take care of."
Donald relaxed a bit. "Seeing how stable your relationship with Alaric is, I feel at ease."
When Cordelia had married into the Hughes family, Donald had always worried she might be mistreated. After all these years, Cordelia and Alaric had only a marriage certificate - no wedding ceremony. Donald knew Alaric's heart belonged to someone else, which was why he had never agreed to one.
With the recent issues at Stone Group, Evelyn had been taking the heat. Although Alaric hadn't intervened much directly, he had quietly offered his support.
Donald was fairly satisfied with Alaric as a son-in-law.
Cordelia remained silent. She was well aware of the state of her marriage to Alaric. With Donald still recovering, she didn't want him worrying about her relationship problems.
After chatting with Donald for a bit, Cordelia got a call from Dominic and said her goodbyes.
Allegra, seeing Cordelia about to leave, offered to walk her downstairs.
"Allegra, you should stay and take care of my dad. No need to see me off. Thanks for all your hard work."
Allegra smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries before heading back to the hospital.
After walking a short distance, Allegra remembered Donald was supposed to be discharged the next day and wanted to invite everyone to the Stone Manor for a meal.
Donald had forgotten to mention it to Cordelia. Allegra was about to relay the message when she saw Dominic pull up in front of Cordelia, get out, and open the car door for her.
Dominic gently supported Cordelia's waist as he helped her into the car, showing his gentlemanly side.
To Allegra, they seemed very close. Cordelia was smiling, and Dominic looked equally warm.
Their easy rapport reminded Allegra of the awkward and tense atmosphere when Alaric had come to the hospital for dinner with Donald.
A bold thought crossed Allegra's mind. Could Cordelia be having an affair?
Cordelia settled into Dominic's car, maintaining a polite smile. "Dominic, thanks again."
Dominic smiled warmly. "No problem at all. Happy to help."
"However, Kevin's being a pain. I've tried negotiating, but he doesn't seem willing to sell the land."
Cordelia frowned. "The Stone family bought that land from the Perez family ages ago. Kevin's just being difficult."
"He's betting on the Stone family not having the time or resources to fight a lawsuit and wants a piece of the action."
Dominic reassured her gently, "Don't worry. We'll discuss it over dinner. If he insists, we'll have to take legal action."
Taking legal action wouldn't necessarily mean the Stone family would lose.
Cordelia nodded slightly. Just then, Dominic's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Kevin. He answered on speaker.
"Kevin."
Kevin's lazy voice came through. "Dominic, sorry, but I have another dinner engagement tonight and can't make it."
Dominic's expression darkened. "Kevin, I've already arranged everything with Evelyn. You can't just cancel on us."
Kevin interrupted with a laugh. "I really can't get out of this one. The host is Mr. Adams."
Bobby Adams was a respected elder in Shadowpine's business circle. Many young businesspeople had benefitted from his guidance, and the Perez family had narrowly avoided bankruptcy thanks to his support.
Kevin really couldn't cancel this dinner.