Chapter 38 Skeptical
Vivienne's POV
The door suddenly opened and I nearly jumped out of my skin. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.
"Miss Vivienne, Boss Raphael just called. He's on his way home," the maid said, peeking her head through the door.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Thank you," I managed to say.
She nodded and closed the door gently.
I looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost seven in the evening. Raphael would be here soon, and I needed to decide what I was going to tell him.
Part of me wanted to tell him everything. About Claudine's threats, about Margot being behind it all, about the suspicious drink and the text message. But another part of me was scared. What if he didn't believe me? What if he thought I was just being dramatic or paranoid?
I picked up my phone again and looked at the threatening text. My finger hovered over the delete button, but I stopped myself. No, I needed to keep this as evidence, just in case things got worse.
I heard the front door open downstairs and Raphael's voice calling out. My heart started racing again, but this time for a different reason. I wanted to run to him, to feel safe in his arms, to tell him everything. But my body still felt too weak to move.
Footsteps came up the stairs, quick and urgent. Then my bedroom door flew open and Raphael rushed in, his face full of worry.
"Vivienne what happened? Claudine texted me that you were sick," he said, coming straight to my bedside. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took my hand in his.
Just his presence made me feel better, safer. I looked into his eyes and saw genuine concern there.
"I don't know," I started, my voice still weak. "I just started feeling sick this morning. Stomach pain, fever. It came out of nowhere."
"Did you eat something bad?" he asked, brushing my hair back from my forehead with his free hand.
I shook my head. "I don't think so. I ate the same breakfast you did."
His frown deepened. "Claudine said she gave you some herbal remedy. Did it help?"
This was it. This was my chance to tell him the truth about what happened. But as I opened my mouth to speak, doubt crept in. What if I was wrong? What if the drink really was just a harmless remedy and I was reading too much into Claudine's words because of my history with Margot?
"It knocked me out for six hours," I said carefully, watching his reaction.
His eyes widened. "Six hours? That seems like a lot."
"That's what I thought too," I said.
Raphael stood up and started pacing the room, running his hand through his hair the way he always did when he was stressed or thinking hard about something.
"Maybe we should take you to the hospital, just to be safe," he said, turning back to me.
"No," I said quickly, maybe too quickly. "No hospitals. I'm feeling better now, really. The pain is mostly gone."
He didn't look convinced, but he came back and sat beside me again. "Okay, but if you're not feeling completely better by tomorrow morning, we're going to the doctor. No arguments."
I nodded, grateful that he cared but also relieved that he wasn't pushing the hospital issue right now.
"Where's Claudine now?" he asked.
"She left about thirty minutes ago," I said. "Right before the maid came in."
Raphael pulled out his phone and started typing. "I'm going to thank her for taking care of you. That was really kind of her, especially after everything."
My stomach twisted with guilt and confusion. Should I tell him? Should I warn him that his friend might not be who he thinks she is?
"Raphael," I started, then stopped.
He looked up from his phone, his full attention on me. "What is it?"
I took a deep breath. "Did you know that Claudine and Margot are friends?"
His expression changed, confusion crossing his features. "Claudine and Margot? No, I don't think they know each other. Why?"
Now I really didn't know what to believe. Was Claudine lying about Margot sending her? Or was she telling the truth and Raphael just didn't know about their connection?
"Just something Claudine said," I replied, trying to sound casual. "I must have misunderstood her. My head's still a bit foggy."
Raphael put his phone down and took both of my hands in his. "Vivienne, if something's bothering you, you can tell me. You know that, right?"
I looked into his eyes and saw nothing but honesty and care there. He really did want to help me. But I still couldn't bring myself to tell him everything, not without more proof.
"I know," I said softly. "I'm just tired and probably overthinking things because I feel so weak."
He leaned down and kissed my forehead, the same way he had done this morning. It felt like a lifetime ago.
"Get some rest," he said gently. "I'll have the cook make you some soup. Something light and easy on your stomach."
"Thank you," I whispered.
He stood up to leave but I grabbed his hand. "Raphael, can you stay with me for a little while? I don't want to be alone right now."
His face softened and he smiled. "Of course. Let me just tell the cook about the soup and I'll be right back."
He left the room and I laid back against the pillows, my mind still spinning. I pulled out my phone again and looked at that threatening text message. The unknown number stared back at me, mocking me with its anonymity.
I needed to figure out what was going on. I needed to protect myself. But I also needed to be smart about it.
No, I needed to gather evidence first. I needed to find out for sure if Claudine and Margot were working together, and what exactly they were planning.
My phone buzzed in my hand and I nearly dropped it. Another text from the same unknown number.
"We're watching you. Every move you make, we know about it. You can't hide behind Raphael forever."
My hands started shaking again. This was real. This wasn't just paranoia or me overthinking things. Someone was really threatening me, really watching me.
I quickly took screenshots of both messages and saved them to a hidden folder on my phone. Then I blocked the number, even though I knew they could just text me from another one.
Raphael came back into the room carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and some crackers. The smell made my stomach turn a little, but I forced a smile.
"The cook made chicken soup," he said, setting the tray down on the nightstand.
"It's her special recipe. She says it can cure anything."
I sat up slowly, accepting the bowl from him. The soup was warm in my hands and smelled good, even if I wasn't sure I could eat it.
"Thank you for taking care of me," I said, meaning it.
He sat down beside me again, watching as I took a small sip of the soup. It was actually really good, light and flavorful without being too heavy.
"You don't have to thank me," he said. "This is what people do when they care about each other."
Those words warmed me more than the soup did. He cared about me. Really cared about me. That had to count for something, right?
I managed to eat about half the bowl before my stomach protested. Raphael took it from me without complaint and set it aside.
"That's good enough for now," he said. "You need to build your strength back up slowly."
He laid down beside me on top of the covers, and I curled into his side. His arm came around me, holding me close, and for the first time since waking up, I felt truly safe.
"Raphael," I said quietly, "if I told you something that sounded crazy, would you believe me?"
He was quiet for a moment, and I could feel him thinking. "I would listen to you," he finally said. "And I would try to understand. That's all I can promise."
It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. Maybe that would have to be enough for now.
"Okay," I whispered, closing my eyes.
As I started to drift off to sleep in his arms, one thought kept running through my mind.
I needed to find out what Margot and Claudine were planning before it was too late. Because something told me that the threatening texts were just the beginning, and whatever they had planned next would be much, much worse.