Chapter 4 Four
Idalia
Five years later, New York.
“Cassian, stop nagging. I haven't even stepped off the tarmac yet, and you’re already giving me a migraine.”
I held the phone away from my ear as Dr. Cassian Vale’s grumpy voice crackled through the speaker.
“I’m not nagging, Solene. I’m reminding you. You are there to operate on a patient, secure the check, and leave. You are not there to commit arson, murder, or anything that requires me to bribe a judge. Do you hear me?”
“Loud and clear, old man,” I smirked, adjusting my oversized sunglasses as the cabin door of my private jet hissed open. The humid New York air hit me instantly, the scent of exhaust, ocean, and old memories. “Besides, if I wanted to burn this city down, I’d do it legally.”
“Solene…”
“Relax. I’ll see you in a few days. Don’t miss me too much.”
I hung up before he could lecture me again. I stepped onto the stairs, looking down at the private airfield. New York.
The city that chewed me up and spat me out five years ago.
Now, I owned the pavement I walked on.
“Mummy! Look! It’s huge!”
A blur of blue and pink shot past my legs.
“Leo! Mia! Slow down!” Zara, my assistant and long-suffering best friend, scrambled after them, her tablet clutched to her chest like a shield. “Dr. Solene, please control your spawns! Leo just tried to bribe the pilot to let him fly the plane!”
I laughed, watching my four-year-old twins terrorize the ground crew. Leo, with his messy dark hair and sharp jaw, and Mia, with her calculating eyes. They were beautiful. They were brilliant. They are mine…
“Leo, stop harassing the nice man,” I called out, descending the stairs with the grace of a woman who knew her worth. “Mia, get off the luggage cart.”
“But Mummy, I’m the Queen of the Luggage!” Mia declared, crossing her arms.
“Get in the car, your majesty,” I said, pointing to the sleek, custom phantom-black Rolls Royce waiting on the tarmac.
Zara herded the twins into the car, buckling them in despite their protests. I slid into the leather seat, the cool air conditioning instantly calming my nerves.
“Where to, Dr. Solene?” the driver asked.
My lips curled into a smirk. I looked at the file on my lap, the medical request begging the world-renowned "Dr. Solene" to save a woman with a failing heart valve.
Patient: Kimberly Devereux.
My former mother-in-law. A low chuckle escaped my lips. What a terrible small world.
“Take us to Le Lumiere,” I said smoothly. “I’m craving something sweet.”
Twenty minutes later, the Rolls pulled up to the restaurant. The same restaurant where I had been dragged out screaming five years ago.
And just as the car parked, I saw her. Camilla.
“Zara,” I said, not looking up from my phone. “Go inside. I want a table. Actually, I want all the tables. Clear the place out.”
Zara blinked. “All of them? Solene, it’s lunch rush.”
“Did I stutter?” I handed her my black card. “Refund everyone’s meals. Double it. If anyone complains, throw them out like trash.”
Zara sighed, but a smile played on her lips. She knew I didn't do things without a reason.
I waited five minutes, watching through the tinted window as confused patrons started filing out, some looking annoyed, others looking at the wads of cash Zara was handing them.
Then, I saw them striding out amongst the crowd. Camilla and her mother, Elena.
My heart gave a single, painful thud, but I crushed it instantly. They looked exactly the same. Expensive clothes, pinched expressions, and an air of entitlement that polluted the sidewalk.
They were arguing with the manager.
“Showtime,” I whispered.
“Are we going to fight the bad guys?” Leo asked, unbuckling his seatbelt.
“No, sweetie,” I smiled, smoothing his hair. “We’re just going to eat.”
I stepped out of the car, my heels clicking sharply against the pavement. I wore a tailored white suit that cost more than my old life, my hair cut into a sharp, chic bob.
I walked up to the entrance just as Camilla’s shrill voice pierced the air.
“Do you know who I am?” she screeched at the poor manager. “I am the future Mrs. Devereux! You can’t kick me out! I’m the fiancée of Thane Devereux!”
I stopped, letting out a dark chuckle. Five years? Still just a fiancée? The ring must be rusting on her finger by now.
“I’m afraid the restaurant has been booked exclusively, Miss,” the manager stammered. “By a very important guest.”
“Who?” Elena demanded. “Who is more important than us?”
“That would be me.”
I spoke calmly, stepping into their line of sight.
Camilla and Mrs. Vance turned. They looked at me, really looked at me. But they didn't see Idalia. They saw a stranger. A rich, intimidating woman with cold eyes.
“And who do you think you are?” Camilla spat, looking me up and down. “Some foreign trash?”
“Mummy, is that the witch from the story?” Mia piped up, standing beside me, holding a stuffed rabbit.
Camilla’s eyes bugged out. “Excuse me? You little brat!”
“She is ugly,” Leo added, wrinkling his nose. “Like a toad.”
“How dare you!” Elena stepped forward, raising her hand.
“Touch my son,” I said, my voice dropping an octave, “and you will lose that hand.”
The menace in my tone made her freeze.
“Anyways, I'm sorry kids thought you to ugly and whatever. Kids, say sorry and don't be disrespectful.”
My kids nodded before chorusing. “Sorry.”
I smiled at them and raised my head. “There, if you will excuse me.”
I didn't look back, but the sound of Camilla’s incoherent sputtering was sweeter than any dessert.
The next morning, I walked into New York General Hospital like I owned the place. And technically, with the donation I just made, I partially did.
The Chief of Surgery was sweating as he greeted me. “Dr. Solene! It is an honor! Truly! The patient, Mrs. Devereux, is prepped and—”
“Where is she?” I cut him off.
“ICU. This way.”
I walked into the room. Mrs. Devereux lay on the bed, hooked up to monitors, looking frail. The lioness had lost her teeth.
I stared at her for a long moment, then I turned to the head nurse. “She’s stable.”
“Yes, but her oxygen levels are—”
“She’s stable,” I repeated firmly. “I’m not operating until her pressure normalizes. I have other consults to get to. Lesser patients who actually need me right now.”
The nurse’s jaw dropped. “But Doctor… this is Mrs. Devereux. Her son, Mr. Thane, is extremely powerful. He expects—”
“I don’t care what he expects,” I said, checking my watch. “I operate on my schedule, not his. Keep her comfortable, I’m going to get lunch.”
I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving the staff in stunned silence.
“Zara,” I called out as I entered the hallway. “Where are the twins? You said they were in the waiting room.”
Zara wasn't there.
I frowned, looking around the busy corridor. “Zara?”
Then I saw her, sprinting toward me from the cafeteria end, her face pale.
“Solene!” she gasped. “I turned my back for one second to get a coffee! They were right there!”
My blood ran cold. “Where are my children, Zara?”
“I… I don't know! They vanished!”
Panic, sharp and primal, exploded in my chest.
“Leo! Mia!” I screamed, taking off down the hallway.
I ran past startled nurses, pushing open doors. “Have you seen two kids? Twins? Blue and pink outfits?”
“I think they went toward the East Wing!” a janitor pointed.
I sprinted, my heels slammed against the linoleum and my heart hammering against my ribs. If anything happened to them… if, my God!
I rounded the corner into the main atrium and skidded to a halt at the tiny voice.
“That’s my mummy!”
I heard Mia’s voice.
I whipped my head around. Near the large glass windows, a tall figure was crouching down. A man in a dark grey suit.
He was holding an ice cream cone in one hand and wiping Mia’s face with a handkerchief with the other. Leo was standing next to him, explaining something animatedly.
“Leo! Mia!”
I ran to them, dropping to my knees and pulling them both into my arms. I buried my face in their necks, inhaling their scent, shaking with relief.
“distinct. You scared me to death! Never run off like that! Ever!”
“We just wanted ice cream, Mummy,” Leo said, pointing to the man. “And the tall mister found us. He bought us chocolate!”
I chuckled, happiness washing over me. “Did you say thank you?”
“Yes and he’s nice,” Mia added, licking her sticky fingers. “But Mummy, why does he have Leo’s eyes?”
I paused, my breath caught in my throat as I slowly lifted my head, my hands tightening protectively around my children.
“What? Who has Leo’s eyes?”
I asked, looking up at the muster who had found my children and my breath caught.
Standing right before me, holding my children was Thane Devereux, who was staring down at me.
Time seemed to stop. He looked older, tired. The lines around his eyes were deeper, but that gaze, that intense, piercing blue gaze, was exactly the same. He looks as perfect as I remembered it to be.
He was looking at me, but there was no spark of recognition. Just curiosity. And something else… annoyance?
My relief turned to ice. I stood up, smoothing my skirt, pulling the twins behind my legs. Zara and two police officers came running up behind me, panting.
“Dr. Solene!” Zara cried. “Thank goodness!”
Thane’s eyes narrowed. He looked from the children to me.
“Dr. Solene?” he repeated, his voice deep and rough, sending an unwanted shiver down my spine.
I raised my chin, putting on my mask of indifference. “Yes. Thank you for finding my children, Mr?”
He didn't say 'you're welcome,’ nor did he smile. He stepped closer, his imposing frame casting a shadow over me.
“If you are Dr. Solene,” he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low rumble, “then tell me… why does my mother have to wait?”