Chapter 49

Chapter 49
Veronica

The surgery had been successful.

That alone felt unreal.

For the first time in weeks, I could finally breathe without feeling like the entire world was crushing my chest.

I sat quietly beside my mother’s hospital bed, watching her sleep peacefully while the steady beeping of the monitors filled the room softly.

She looked exhausted but at least she was alive.

A small smile pulled at my lips as I reached forward carefully, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face before pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead.

“You scared me,” I whispered softly.

My throat tightened unexpectedly.

Because for a while there, I genuinely thought I was going to lose her.

I leaned back slowly in the chair, exhaustion finally settling into my bones now that the panic had faded.

My gaze drifted briefly toward my bag sitting near the couch and then the envelope hidden inside it.

A complicated feeling twisted painfully in my chest.

Part of me still hated accepting it, but another part of me wanted to believe he gave it to me simply because he wanted to help.

No manipulation or conditions or hidden strings.

I didn’t know if I was stupid for wanting to believe that.

Probably.

Still, after sending the money, he hadn’t contacted me again.

And for now, I decided to hold onto that.

Because the alternative meant thinking about Dante too much and that never ended well for me emotionally.

Unfortunately, life didn’t exactly pause long enough for emotional crises.

I still had work.

With one final glance toward my mother, I stood slowly before grabbing my bag.

“I’ll be back later, Mom.”

Then I headed out.

•••

The second I stepped into Rickon’s, something felt… off. Everyone seemed to be on their toes, uneasy and strangely tense.

Making my way to the staff’s room, my eyes crashed into Mrs Thompson who seemed to give me an even dirtier look than usual.

I let out an awkward cough before changing into my uniform and heading out.

But just before I could make it far, I heard Derek’s voice.

The moment his eyes landed on me, relief flashed across his face so quickly I almost missed it.

“Veronica,” he called immediately.

Something in his tone made my stomach tighten.

I walked toward him cautiously.

“You wanted to see me?”

Derek forced a tight smile, though the stress on his face was painfully obvious now.

“Yeah. Uh…” He glanced briefly behind him toward the office. “Can you come inside for a second?”

Still confused, I nodded before stepping past him into the office.

And froze instantly.

Sitting majestically on the leather couch near Derek’s desk was Kiara.

The second our eyes met, something cold settled heavily in my stomach.

Kiara’s gaze moved slowly over me, lingering briefly on my uniform before a faint smile touched her lips.

“Well,” she said softly, her Russian accent smooth and elegant. “There she is.”

I swallowed hard.

Derek awkwardly cleared his throat beside me.

“Miss Vasilik specifically requested to speak with you.”

Yeah.

I figured that already.

Kiara tilted her head slightly, still studying me in a way that made my skin crawl.

“Interesting,” she murmured almost to herself. “This is what he chose.”

Confusion flickered briefly through me.

Before I could even process the statement properly, Kiara stood gracefully to her feet.

She turned to Derek, who had his head lowered.

“About the case, I might take your words into consideration, however nothing is guaranteed. But for now, I think Miss Norman should speak privately.”

Derek looked at me for a second, then back at her before smiling.

“Of course.”

The moment Derek left the room, the air changed completely.

Kiara eyes dragged over me slowly, head tilted slightly like she was studying something unpleasant.

“Well,” she said at last. “How unfortunate. This is what you do to put food on your table?”

My jaw tightened.

“What do you want from me?” I asked flatly. “I don’t know what your issue is with Dante, I don’t care about whatever drama you two are involved in, but I want anything to do with it.”

That made her laugh.

“That would’ve been a better response, if it came earlier. Now however, it’s too late”

My brows pulled together.

“What exactly is your deal?”

Kiara stepped closer.

“Oh please, don’t give me that innocent look, now that you’ve successfully ruined my engagement you want to play dumb.”

“What?” I asked confused 

“Oh, you didn't know? Because of you Dante called off our engagement and humiliated me in front of everyone who mattered.”

Silence dropped.

Heavy.

I stared at her, trying to process it.

“That doesn’t make sense,” I said quietly.

Kiara scoffed.

“Don’t act like you don’t know,” she snapped. “You picked a very good actress.”

My expression hardened.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She exhaled slowly, like she was getting tired of me already.

“I’m not here to explain anything to you,” she said. “I’m here to make sure you understand what you’ve done.”

Kiara took another step closer until I met her eye to eye. 

“You’re not special, Veronica. That job you cling to? That little life you’re trying to hold together? Do you really think your mother can survive long in that hospital without help?” she asked quietly.

My eyes narrowed instantly.

“Don’t talk about my mother.”

That only made her smile widen slightly.

“Funny,” she said. “Because I warned you once but you didn’t listen. You’re working, struggling, pretending you’re independent…” she said. “But you’re one problem away from everything collapsing.”

My voice dropped.

“I said don’t—”

Kiara cut me off immediately.

“No,” Her eyes locked onto mine. “If it wasn’t clear before, let me make myself. I’m here today to ruin your life completely. And if you think I won’t touch what matters to you,” she added, “you’re mistaken.”