At People Tree Multispeciality Hospital,
Scarlett's eyes darted between Aveline and the hospital entrance. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened. "Aveline… are you pregnant?"
Aveline, caught completely off guard, almost slammed on the brakes as she pulled into the parking lot. Her grip on the wheel tightened before she turned towards her friend and gave her a knowing look.
Scarlett nodded in realization. "Right, Damien, the d*ckhead hadn't slept with you. Good for you."
Aveline sighed. She wondered how to tell Scarlett that she would be plagued with a strange illness which wouldn't be detectable…
Realization struck. The thought chilled her to her bones.
What if the illness that had plagued her before wasn't as undetectable as Dr. Elias Hawthrone made her believe?
What if Damien and Dr. Elias Hawthorne had been controlling her diagnosis from the start?
Did Damien ensure that she never sought another doctor, never went to another hospital?
Aveline's pulse quickened.
Scarlett snapped her fingers in front of Avelien's face, "Hello? Where did you go?"
Aveline inhaled sharply, snapping back to the present, "We're getting a full body check." She stated with quiet determination, already unbuckling her seatbelt.
Scarlett rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "You rich people and your obsession with full-body checks."
Aveline chuckled, shaking her head as she stepped out of the car. Unlike the Laurents and Ashfords, the Fourniers' family wasn't from a business background. But they wielded a different kind of power. Lawyers, prosecutors, and high court justices… a family of legal warriors.
Although there was a pressing matter, Scarlett didn't argue with Aveline. Instead, she took time guiding Aveline on how to be careful of Damien, and she should flee as soon as she found herself in danger.
Looking at Aveline giggling at her words, Scarlett's gaze sharpened as she tugged Aveline to face her, "Linnie, I mean it. If you feel like things are getting dangerous, don't be a hero. Run."
Better safe than sorry.
Aveline nodded, agreeing with Scarlett, as she whispered under her breath, "Or maybe I'll just call your cop boyfriend."
Scarlett froze for a moment. She turned around following Aveline's line of sight. Then, as if on cue, her sharp demeanor melted into girlish glee. Her entire being softened at the sight of him.
Nathaniel Rousseau.
Ruggedly handsome with an air of effortless authority. Dressed in a casual blazer over a fitted shirt, his stance was relaxed, yet his gaze never stopped assessing his surroundings, due to his job.
He was a skilled investigator with a background in corporate espionage
Scarlett sighed dramatically, practically floating toward him. "Damn, he's so handsome."
Aveline stifled a laugh at her transformation.
"Nate…" Scarlett was already in his arms.
Giving the attention that his girlfriend needed, Nate faced Aveline, "Aveline… How are you doing?"
Scarlett looked right and left before realizing Aveline called her boyfriend to the hospital. Aveline hesitated for a moment, "Damien is having an affair." She revealed, knowing the secret won't be out.
Nate's expression hardened but he nodded, "Go on." because she definitely didn't ask him to meet to inform that.
Aveline didn't waste time. There was something she needed from him. "I need your help, Nate."
Nate nodded, signalling Aveline to speak.
Aveline glanced at Scarlett, "As a protective action, there is a Police Complaint for Threat to Life." She had learnt that from Scarlett. "I want to file it, but can it be done and kept confidential?"
Nate's expression darkened. "Against your husband?"
Aveline bit her lips before she nodded in response.
A heavy silence settled over them. Nate's gaze turned calculating as he ran through every possibility in his mind.
Then he spoke, "Damien Ashford could access the file through higher authorities." He was blunt and honest. Because corruption exists everywhere. There will always be people who will work for money. "However, he won't know it unless he doubts you have done it."
Damien will only start digging into police files if he gets suspicious. Else, why would he bother about it?
Aveline clenched her fists. She had expected this. Damien's reach was far and wide. Anyway, she formulated the plan,
"I will bring the possible evidence as soon as possible. Then…" Aveline glanced at Scarlett, "We'll file the complaint together against Damien for protective action." She would use it against Damien when necessary. Until then, she wants it to be a secret.
Scarlett: "..."
'Wait, why am I filing a complaint too?' Scarlett wondered if Damien would dare to trouble her with her background.
Anyway, she shrugged. If Aveline could be at ease, she could do anything, much less file a complaint.
Nate realized the help Aveline needed. He should protect his girlfriend, other than helping Aveline to discreetly file the complaint.
He nodded in understanding of Aveline's words and the dangers around her. "Keep me on speed dial, Aveline." If not him, he could send help if necessary.
Scarlett nodded vigorously, "You should, Linnie." She trusted in her boyfriend's abilities and she could be at ease if her friend was in safe hands.
Aveline smiled, her eyes glistening, but she controlled herself. She had such amazing people around her, how could she lose connection with them while nursing her illness, drowning in betrayal?
He glanced at Scarlett and added at last, "I'll dig into Damien Ashford and send you whatever I find."
Aveline smiled but didn't decline his offer. Every piece of information could be used against Damien in their battle. "I will owe you big time, Nate."
Then she stepped away to give time for the couple, and Nate didn't stay longer. He came like Scarlett's boyfriend and left like one.
––––––
Four hours later,
Aveline flipped through her medical report. Everything was normal. She couldn't help but wonder if her illness was truly undetectable. In that case, she didn't have a long time.
Thus, she chose to worry about her health once the symptoms started and focus on protecting what she should.
Scarlett was the first to break the silence, "I'm super healthy." She declared smugly.
Aveline teased her, "You should still exercise every day."
Scarlett made faces as soon as she heard exercise. She dramatically spun in front of Aveline, showing off her slender physique. "Do I look like I need exercise?"
Then she responded to her own question, "Noo…"
Aveline shook her head helplessly, "Being thin isn't the same as being fit."
Scarlet ignored it like every time and threw an arm over Aveline's shoulder as they walked toward the exit, "Being short makes you cute." She teased back.
Aveline gasped dramatically. "I'm not." She wasn't short. Everyone in her life was annoyingly tall.
Scarlett raised a brow, "162 cm?"
Aveline pouted. Now she wanted to shop for heels.
Their laughter echoed through the parking lot, unaware of the figure watching them from the shadows.
A pair of sharp eyes tracked their every move from a dark-tinted car window.
….
At Ashford Holdings,
Damien walked into his office, his mood surprisingly light until his phone buzzed with a message.
[Location: People Tree Hospital.]
Sitting in the meeting room, his expression turned as dark as coal. His grip on the mobile tightened. Learning she didn't go to the salon but to the hospital.
And she didn't bother informing him… again.
He stepped out of the meeting room for a moment and dialled a number. He instructed as soon as the call was answered. "I want the original report of every test she undergoes. Make sure the one she sees should show nothing unusual."
After four hours,
Another message popped up after four hours,
[Test reports manipulated.]
Damien's shoulder relaxed slightly, but the thought of Aveline's every action against him prickled under his skin.
Why was she doing this?
She had been obedient, devoted, and predictable for two months.
Now… She was slipping through his fingers.
Another message popped up. [Departing Hospital.]
Then his phone rang.
'Nina.' Displaying on his mobile screen.
Wondering why she was calling him, Damien answered the call like a devoted husband.
"Damien… are you busy?" Her soft, hesitant voice sent a wave of satisfaction through him.
"Of course not, Nina. Tell me."
"You usually have meetings at ten, so I didn't call you earlier. Scarlett had a complete body check-up scheduled, so I got one too." She sounded relieved.
Damien, who had been gripping his phone in irritation, relaxed slightly. He leaned back in his chair, running a hand down his face.
'So she was simply being annoyingly thoughtful.' He thought.
"What does the report say?" he smoothly asked.
"That I'm fit and fine." Then she laughed lightly.
Whereas Damien's lips curled into a slow and sinister smirk.
Then, her voice softened, almost shy, "Oh yeah, can you join us for lunch? Pleaseee…"
Damien liked when Aveline's whole world just revolved around him despite being with her best friend. He just wants to keep it that way until he reaches his goal.
Feigning regret, he sighed, "I wish I could, Nina. But you know my schedule."
Then came her sigh of disappointment, "Alright. Come home soon."
The call ended, and the smirk on Damien's face vanished.
He placed the mobile down, his expression darkening. He has to stop her from stepping out of the house, which causes him more stress and extra work.
His gaze turned sharp and predatory as a plan took shape, "Fly all you want, Aveline Laurent." His voice dropped to a whisper, "I will chop your wings soon."