Chapter 25 DARKNESS
Ixora paused and turned her neck to see Drexton sitting on a chair, legs crossed, his face deadpan. Slowly, she turned her neck and saw her hand still on Hazel’s neck—unconscious—blood on her face.
She felt her posture stiffening as she quickly removed her hand from Hazel’s neck.
“Hazel! Hazel!” She shook her body, her pitch rising, but got no response.
“The darkness in you...is enticing,” Drexton’s gaze focused on her as if trying to read her soul.
“N-no,” she stood, shuffling back a step. Her heart pounded in her chest as she gripped the sides of her head.
“I didn’t just do it,” she rushed back to Hazel and shook her body again.
“It’s beginning to unleash itself, Ixora. The darkness I’m making. The darkness.... Meant to bury the light... No matter how bright it is. The one that can kill a friend. The darkness of my very own design.”
“It’s a lie, she isn’t dead!”
“Hazel!” she screamed, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to do it. Please, wake up,” she cried, shaking her body.
Drexton, having had enough fun, stood up from the chair and took strides towards her.
He squatted beside her and checked Hazel’s pulse.
“Unconscious,” he muttered and stood straight.
“W-we have to take her to the hospital,” Ixora trembled.
Drexton gave her a cold stare capable of breaking her into pieces. He turned and started walking out of the place.
“Please help me get her to the hospital. She’s dying.”
Drexton halted. “What do I get in return?”
“Anything...anything you want,” Ixora answered desperately.
There was no time to think about it. If it meant negotiating with this devil to save somebody’s life, then she was ready to do it.
“Get the body,” Drexton said and walked out without sparing her a glance.
With great difficulty, Ixora finally lifted Hazel onto her shoulders. As she walked to his car, she couldn’t help but feel more guilty. The weight of her crimes was on her very own shoulders. It was her sin, and she had to bear the consequences. She got to his car and placed Hazel in the back seat since he was already in the driver’s seat.
Joining Hazel, he glanced at her from the rearview mirror before stepping on the brakes.
\[HOSPITAL\]
Ixora stood outside the ward, silently praying for Hazel. Drexton didn’t even alight from his car, let alone come inside the hospital. She was the one who rushed in and called the paramedics while Drexton drove off.
The doctor had been inside Hazel’s ward, and she had no idea what was going on.
“Xora,” Blake called, running in.
She was the one who called Blake. He had been calling her, and she needed somebody to talk to.
“Blake,” she muttered, wrapping her hand round his waist.
Blake hugged her back, while he let her tears wet his shirt.
“It wasn’t meant to happen,” she began. “I didn’t mean to do it. I...”
“Shush, she’d be fine.”
She had already told him about what happened over the phone. She excluded everything that had to do with Drexton.
The door creaked open, and the doctor came out.
“Doctor, how is she?”
“Thankfully, she didn’t sustain any internal injuries. She is fine,” the doctor replied. “But what happened to her? How did she get badly injured?”
“You have done your job by saving her, thank you,” Blake said.
“Can I see her now?”
“It’s best to see her tomorrow. It will help her to heal faster,” the doctor said and left.
“Come on, I will take you home.”
Ixora took a glance at Hazel’s ward before nodding.
As Blake drove the car, Ixora fixed her gaze outside, reflecting on what had happened. The guilt weighed her down as countless thoughts and questions filled her mind.
If only she had just ignored his orders, then all this wouldn’t have happened. Hazel would be fine, and she wouldn’t have lost her cool. On the other hand, she wouldn’t have come to know Hazel’s truth.
Blake placed his hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he gave her a reassuring nod.
\[10 AM, IXORA’S ROOM\]
Ixora’s face dropped as she lowered the phone. The hospital had just called her to say that Hazel insisted on leaving the hospital as soon as she came around.
Was it because she didn’t want to see her? But she shouldn’t be that angry to the point of not wanting to see her face. If she hadn’t pulled her hair, she wouldn’t have allowed her anger to take over her.
She took her to the hospital and made sure she was okay. That alone was enough to ease her guilt, and Drexton—he hadn’t texted her as usual...not like she wanted it.
It’s just like he had gone silent after ruining the friendship between her and Hazel. She climbed off her bed and left the room.
As she climbed down the stairs, Drexton’s words crawled their way back to her head again. In her desperate state, she had promised to give him anything he wanted, and now she couldn’t help but wonder what he might ask.
She had come to terms that he behaves abnormally—his weird way of playing hide-and-seek, hacking into her cell phone, sneaking into her room with no one finding out despite the tight security, ruining her mother’s campaign ceremony, and exposing Hazel’s truth.
She was sure he wouldn’t ask for anything simple, and that alone sent shivers down her spine.
Ixora exhaled, glancing around nervously. She had taken a day off and was now growing restless at home. In a situation like this, Hazel’s house would always be her next option, but now...
She would have called Blake if he didn’t have his rehearsal to do. His concert was in the next two days.
Remembering Aunt Maria was part of Hazel’s plan, she began heading to the door. She needed to ask her why she had done it.
On opening the door, she came face to face with the soon-to-be groom that her parents had chosen for her.
Her eyes widened when she saw him, but she was quick to get herself back, taking a few steps backward.
“What are you doing here?” she asked in a calm voice.
He had a charming smile. “Is this how you treat your guests?”
Ixora frowned. “If you are here to see my parents, I bet you know they should be at work by this time.”
“You should also be at work,” he said, the smile still on his face.
“Don’t try to act smart with me,” she said in a warning tone.
“Why are you acting cold towards me? Is it about the alliance?” James asked calmly.
“I can never get married to you.”
“That’s fine by me. I won’t force you to do it if you don’t want to.”
“Really,” Ixora’s face lit up.
“Sure. I will always respect your decision no matter what,” he said.
Ixora’s smile grew.
“Since that is settled, you can stop being cold to me.”
“I had to do it,” she said.
“It’s fine. So, friends?” he stretched out his hand.
Ixora looked at his face before accepting his hand. “Friends.”
“We should celebrate our friendship, don’t you think?”
Ixora furrowed her brow.
“It’s just a harmless request. We can go to any place of your choice,” he explained.
“Okay...” she trailed.
“Ladies first,” he used his hand to demonstrate. Ixora led the way while he followed.
As he stared at Ixora, the smile on his lips turned into a dark smirk.
\[MMISS MODELING AGENCY\]
“Perfect,” the photographer said as he clicked the camera. They were taking a couple’s shoot together.
Stacy sat on Skye’s thigh, his hand wrapped around her waist as they both leaned in pretending to be kissing. They were taking countless shots as if they were going to be the face of a famous fashion industry.
“Good, now make it hot.”
Stacy tilted her head backward, Skye leaned near, his face a few inches apart from her cleavage, as they both stared at the camera.
Before the photographer could click the shoot, Bonnie walked in, her eyes glued to her phone.
Skye’s breath caught as he stared at her: the way she walked and sucked on her lower lips made Skye’s heart skip multiple beats.
Audrey rolled her eyes from where she was watching his shoot.
“Asshole,” she muttered, staring at Skye.
She had tagged along with Skye to the agency since Blake would spend most of his day in the studio.
“Skye.”
He heard the photographer calling, and he shifted his gaze back to Stacy. Throughout the rest of the shoot, he kept stealing glances at Bonnie.
The shoot came to its end. Skye went to Audrey while Stacy went to Bonnie.
“I was hot, right?” Skye teased.
“You were hot until she walked in,” Audrey said.
“Can’t you see she’s the best?” Skye smiled, staring at Bonnie again.
Audrey hung her arm around Skye’s shoulder. “You know I’m good at reading people, and I can say if you want your heart broken, then you can go for her. Look at her bitchy attitude,” she scoffed.
“Don’t say that about her,” Skye said, seriously.
“Whatever. If you are done, can we leave now?” She asked, already leaving the agency.
Skye shook his head, took one last glance at Bonnie before leaving.
“I think Skye has his eyes on you,” Stacy said, her eyes on Skye and Audrey.
Bonnie finally tore her eyes off her phone as she traced Stacy’s gaze. She returned her eyes to her phone.
Stacy took a peek. “Aren’t you getting obsessed with this Ixora of a girl?”
Bonnie had been scrolling through Ixora’s social media handle, trying to find anything that could link her and Drexton.
“If you were in my position, I know you’d do worse,” Bonnie replied, tapping on her phone screen.
She couldn’t find anything. Nothing.
“That’s if I’m sure, but in your case, you are overthinking. You think Drexton would take an interest in someone like her? Come to earth, girl.”
“She is his secretary, and he’s giving her his attention. Drexton doesn’t even give me that attention despite knowing him for over ten years.”
“And dad, his reaction was strange when I mentioned the Castellan. There is something between them,” she added.
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Stacy asked.
Bonnie looked at her.