Chapter 6 Six
SOLENE IDALIA
The sound of my real name falling from his lips sent a massive shockwave straight through my chest, freezing the blood in my veins for one terrifying second.
H…How the hell did he know it was me?
"Idalia?" he whispered again, his voice carrying a rough, desperate edge that tugged at a very old, deeply buried part of my soul.
A tidal wave of pure, unadulterated anger immediately crashed over the initial shock, flooding my mind with the agonizing memory of the night he threw me away like garbage.
But I didnt let it get to me. I had spent the last five years fortifying my mind for this exact moment, building an impenetrable fortress around my heart so that the Devereux family could never break me again.
I was no longer the weak, gaunt, unwanted wife who begged for scraps of his attention in a cheap dress. I was now a woman of immense wealth and power but I couldn't deny the faint tug in my heart when he called my name. I refused to let him see the chaotic storm raging beneath my carefully polished exterior.
Thane took a sudden, desperate step toward me, his large hand reaching out as if he wanted to touch me again.
"Do not take another step toward me," I commanded, my voice slicing through the heavy air with cold, absolute authority.
Before he could even process my warning, my private security detail moved in, stepping smoothly in front of me to form a solid, physical wall between us.
Thane backed off slightly, but his piercing, icy blue eyes remained locked onto my face with a terrifying intensity before shifting down to look at Leo and Mia. I could physically see the gears turning in his brilliant mind as he connected the dots between his own striking features and the vibrant blue eyes of my son.
He looked devastatingly handsome, more mature and imposing than I remembered, with his broad chest rising and falling heavily beneath his perfectly fitted dark suit. My heart raced fiercely against my ribs, a traitorous reaction to his overwhelming physical presence, but I kept my face frozen in an impassive mask of ice.
I turned my back on his searching gaze, firmly but gently guiding Leo and Mia away from the man who was both their father and my greatest nightmare. I crouched down gracefully until I was right at their eye level, smoothing my hands over their small shoulders to reassure them.
"Zara," I said, keeping my tone perfectly even as I looked up at my loyal assistant, who was watching the scene with wide, protective eyes. "You are to keep them by your side at all times. They do not leave your sight for a single second. If that strange man attempts to approach them again, you will have security remove him from the premises with immediate force."
"Understood, Dr. Solene," Zara replied instantly, nodding her head as she took Mia's small hand in hers.
I leaned forward and pressed a lingering, tender kiss to each of my children's foreheads, inhaling the sweet scent of their hair to calm my racing pulse. "Listen to me, my beautiful babies. We do not talk to strangers, no matter how nice they seem or how much chocolate they buy for you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Mommy," Leo and Mia agreed in innocent unison, their sweet voices wrapping around my heart and giving me the strength I needed to continue.
I stood back up to my full height, adjusting the collar of my pristine jacket, and turned my back on the man who was still watching my every move. I did not look back at him as I walked away.
The hospital’s Chief of Staff, a balding man with a nervous smile, was waiting for me at the entrance of the executive wing, practically bowing as he greeted me. He escorted me through the busy corridors, and I noted how the doctors and nurses immediately parted ways for us, treating me with a hushed reverence that tasted incredibly sweet.
When we got there, he opened the door to a massive, beautifully decorated corner office that featured sleek modern furniture, sparkling glass, and shining chrome fixtures. It was pristine, expensive, and perfectly suited to the status I had earned through years of grueling hard work and sleepless nights.
"Your new office, Dr. Solene," the Chief of Staff announced proudly, stepping inside to hand me a thick medical folder. "And here is your first high-priority file. Mrs. Kimberly Devereux is waiting for you in the VIP suite down the hall."
"Thank you," I murmured smoothly, taking the heavy file from his hands and walking over to my polished desk.
I set the folder down and took a deep, steadying breath, mentally putting on every piece of armor I owned. I was about to walk into the room of the woman who had treated me like a peasant, the woman who had eagerly supported the lies that destroyed my life. I smoothed my hands down my trousers, lifted my chin high, and marched out of my office to face my past.
Today couldn't get any better… literally.
I made my way down the quiet hallway until I reached the luxurious VIP suite at the very end. I pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside the spacious, softly lit room, preparing to address my patient.
Just before the heavy door could click shut behind me, a large, deeply tanned hand shot out and caught the wood. The door swung open again, and Thane slipped quietly into the room, his imposing frame immediately taking up all the available space.
The large room suddenly felt incredibly small and suffocatingly tight. I could instantly smell the familiar, expensive sandalwood cologne that he always wore, the scent wrapping around me and pulling me back to the nights I used to lay my head against his chest. I forced my eyes to remain completely blank as I noted the sharp, impeccable cut of his suit, the angry tension ticking in his strong jaw, and the agonizingly familiar blue eyes that were currently burning holes into my carefully maintained composure.
Seeing him again gave me this heavy, magnetic pull that made my stomach flutter wildly, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing my discomfort.
I turned fully to face him, looking him up and down with an expression of clinical, unwavering disdain.
"Are you the patient with the failing heart valve?" I asked, my voice dripping with cold, biting sarcasm.
Thane’s expression darkened dangerously, a muscle twitching in his cheek as he took a deliberate step closer to me, radiating an overwhelming aura of dominance.
"I do not appreciate your tone, Doctor," he said in a low, tight voice that vibrated through the quiet room. "Nor do I appreciate the incredibly disrespectful way you treated me in the hallway just now, especially after I went out of my way to help your wandering children."
I fired back instantly, completely unbothered by his immense wealth and demanding posture, stepping closer to him to prove that he could not intimidate me.
"And I do not appreciate a grown man grabbing my arm without my permission and shouting strange names at me in a public setting," I stated clearly, tilting my head slightly as I matched his intense glare. "It was completely inappropriate, highly unprofessional, and frankly, it was a little creepy. If you have a problem with my boundaries, you are welcome to find another surgeon to save your mother's life. Until then, you will speak to me with the respect my title demands, or you will not speak to me at all."
His eyes widened slightly at my fierce retaliation, clearly unaccustomed to anyone speaking to him with such fearless defiance. He opened his mouth to argue, stepping even closer so that the heat of his body practically brushed against my white suit, but I raised my hand to silence him before he could utter a single syllable.
"You do not give orders in my hospital, Mr. Devereux," I said, using my absolute authority to crush his rebellion. "I am the lead surgeon on this case, and I require a calm, controlled environment to properly evaluate my patient. Therefore, I need you to leave this room immediately. Out. Now."
He stared down at me for a long, agonizing moment, his chest heaving with frustrated breaths, but he ultimately realized that he had no power in this specific domain. Defeated by my unyielding command, he gave me one last, piercing look before turning around and marching out of the room, letting the heavy door slam shut behind him.
I released a slow, silent breath to calm my racing heart before turning my terrifyingly calm gaze to the woman who was still standing on the other side of the table. Kimberly Devereux lay looked pale and incredibly weak, a stark contrast to the vicious, haughty woman who used to mock my cheap clothing.
"You have absolutely no right to speak to my son in that disrespectful manner," Kimberly said, her voice thin and raspy as she tried desperately to defend her precious boy's honor. "We are paying you a fortune to be here, and I expect you to show our family some deference."
I walked slowly toward the side of the table, my heels clicking methodically against the floor, and looked down at her with weaponized, icy professionalism.
"I am here to evaluate your failing heart, Mrs. Devereux, not your son's bruised ego," I replied smoothly, my voice completely devoid of any warmth or sympathy.
I picked up her thick medical chart from the end of the table and opened it, intentionally letting the heavy silence stretch out between us. I flipped the pages very slowly, reading through the complex medical jargon while completely ignoring her nervous, expectant gaze.
I could hear her breathing hitch slightly as the quiet seconds ticked by, and I deliberately took my time, making the older woman sweat under the weight of my silent evaluation.
After a long, agonizing minute, I closed the clipboard with a sharp, echoing snap and looked directly into her tired eyes.
"I refuse to operate on you today," I announced coldly, dropping the chart back onto the table. "Your blood pressure is dangerously high, your resting heart rate is entirely too fast, and your overall stress levels are completely unacceptable for a major surgical procedure. Taking you into the operating room right now would be a massive, unnecessary risk, and I do not put my flawless medical record in jeopardy for patients who cannot manage their own tension."
I knew perfectly well that my sudden, intimidating presence in the hospital, combined with the argument she had just witnessed between me and her son, was the exact reason her stress levels were currently through the roof. I was deliberately exacerbating her delicate condition simply by standing tall and looking down at the woman who had once casually ordered my destruction.
I was dangling Kimberly’s very life by a thin, fragile thread, manipulating the situation so that everything operated entirely on my own schedule, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop me.
"But I need the surgery," Kimberly protested weakly, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of her blanket. "The other doctors said I cannot wait much longer."
"The other doctors are not Lia Solene," I stated factually, offering her a chilling, perfectly polite smile. "You will rest, you will calm down, and you will wait until I decide you are ready. Have a pleasant afternoon, Mrs. Devereux."
I turned and walked back to my seat, a deep, dark satisfaction blooming beautifully inside my chest. I was finally in total control of the monsters who had broken me, and this sweet, intoxicating moment was only the beginning of my revenge.
Only the beginning.