Gasping for breath, Ashlyn asked, “How is she now?”
Vincent merely shook his head, his silence heavy.
Realizing the gravity of waiting, Ashlyn stood quietly, her anxiety gnawing at her.
Suddenly, the doors of the emergency room swung open, and a doctor stepped out. Without hesitation, Ashlyn approached, urgently inquiring, “How is she?”
The doctor turned to Vincent, reassuring him, “Her condition is stable for now. We’re managing to expel the toxins, but she’ll likely feel weak for some time, which is to be expected.”
A collective sigh of relief escaped Ashlyn and Vincent. Their sole concern was Katelyn’s well-being; everything else was secondary.
The phone in Vincent’s hand burst into life, interrupting the silence with its ring. On the other end, Samuel’s voice was tense.
“Mr. Adams, she slipped through our grasp again.”
Sophia’s cleverness had thwarted their plans once more. Katelyn’s meticulous preparations had proven ineffective against such an astute adversary.
Recognizing the danger Sophia posed, Vincent issued a stark command, “Should you encounter her again, take her down. Don’t bother capturing her alive.”
The likelihood of seizing her seemed increasingly remote.
Samuel’s response came swiftly, replying, “Understood!” and with that, the call ended.
Vincent then proceeded into the emergency room. There, Katelyn was stretched out on the hospital bed, her eyelids clamped shut, her complexion ghostly.
Standing by Katelyn’s side, Ashlyn gripped Katelyn’s hand, worry etched on her face.
“Katelyn, you need to recover quickly.” Her peace of mind hung in the balance.
Vincent’s gaze pierced Ashlyn as he said, “Explain what led to this chaos.”
L?ττ ch?ρτ?rs ιn glov?ls.?
A simple banquet had escalated into a disaster. Katelyn’s earlier accusations in the car implicated Ashlyn directly.
Sensing Vincent’s suspicion, Ashlyn divulged everything without reserve.
“Sophia forced my hand, threatening to withhold a crucial drug unless I drugged Katelyn.”
Aware of Katelyn and Vincent’s tight alliance, Ashlyn shared her ordeal openly.
Vincent’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“Threatened? In what way?” He had some ideas about Ashlyn’s predicament with toxins, as Katelyn had mentioned it before. Yet, he needed to confirm whether Ashlyn had been deceitful. Her credibility was at stake—if she lied, she would lose his trust forever, her innocence questioned.
Ashlyn’s eyes met his steadily.
“She poisoned me, promising a monthly antidote. Without working for her, I’d never get an antidote.” Vincent opened his mouth to respond, but he was abruptly cut off by Katelyn’s pained whimper from the bed.
Don’t Get Too Close
Ashlyn swiftly turned to face Katelyn, her voice tinged with concern as she asked, “Katelyn, how do you feel?”
Ashlyn’s worry was clearly genuine to Vincent. And given that Katelyn had risked her own life to protect Ashlyn, Vincent decided to trust Ashlyn for the time being.
Lying on the hospital bed, Katelyn weakly opened her eyes and warned Ashlyn, “Don’t get too close to me, or Sophia might grow suspicious.”
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