29: Hospital Lights

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Roan had a grim expression on as he impatiently waited for the doctor attending to Nova to give him an update on what was going on. He still had a difficult time processing what had just happened, the white lights of the hospital against the pristine white floors glaring. It didn't help that the doctors had taken one look at Nova and became strangely somber.

What could have happened in the four days he left for Nova to turn out like this, he knew that the maid he bumped into in the foyer had something to do with it but he couldn't understand her motives.

Fortunately, a doctor soon approached him. He took off his gloves and shoved them in his pocket as he walked closer, pulling down his face mask.

"Mr. Reyes?" He asked as he approached.

"Yes, how's she?" He asked right away uninterested in pleasantries.

"Should I involve the police, Mr. Reyes?" The doctor asked instead, ignoring his question.

Roan narrowed his eyes, seeing blatant suspicion in the doctor's eyes - he thought that he was responsible for what happened to Nova.

"What do you mean? Doctor…" He glanced down at his name tag, "… Connolly."

"The patient showed signs of erratic eating patterns and food poisoning." The doctor said bluntly, some of his suspicion easing when he saw Roan's reaction to his words. "Fortunately, she didn't ingest a lot of it so although it's been hours since she ingested the poison, she's still alive and is responding to treatment."

Roan masked his expression after his first reaction was gotten out of him while he was unprepared, listening intently to the doctor's words. "And she'll make a full recovery?"

"Well, yes but she might remain unconscious for a few days." Doctor Connolly informed him, "And if you might have an idea of who is responsible for this, I have to suggest involving the police because they managed to get their hands on a lethal poison."

"I'll have it handled, don't worry, Doctor Connolly," Roan said formally.

And although he would have liked nothing more than to handle it right then, he didn't leave until the doctors reassured him that Nova was out of the red zone and he had been allowed to see her as well.

The car ride to the hospital had taken forever and all Roan could remember seeing was the dark circles under Nova's eyes, the hollow in her cheeks, and her pale sickly skin. The only thing that kept him calm and focused was the sound of her breathing, it was a little labored and a little too quiet but it was there.

He never wanted to repeat another car ride like that.

By the time Roan left the hospital, it was already well into the morning, which meant that he had spent the entire night at the hospital waiting for clearance from the doctors that Nova was going to be okay.

He drove himself back to his mansion looking too put together for someone who had just been under so much pressure. The security ran around to let him the, and he parked on the driveway and tossed the key to a bodyguard to take care of it, right before walking in.

There were more people in the lounge than the last time he was in here, and the bodyguards immediately stood at attention when he showed up. As he strode over, he noticed that all four of his maids were cuffed, all of them wearing somber expressions.

"Get me the chef as well," He directed at a bodyguard who immediately went off to do as he asked.

The case involved food so the chef had to be here and although he had a vague idea of what was going on, he wanted a detailed report.

He studied the maids as he waited for the chef to show up, noting that they all avoided his stare and one of them started sniffling.

The chef showed up soon enough, looking confused and very worried.

"Cuff him as well," Roan ordered without remorse.

"S-Sir? M-Mr. Reye- Did I do something wrong?" The chef vocally protested but still, let himself be cuffed and pushed down on one of the sofas. "What's going on?"

"I want a full report of your duties for the past four days that I was away, beginning with you, Henderson."

The chef jumped in his seat at this and although he was very confused about what was going on, he did as he was ordered.

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Camilla tried to rub her sore wrists from the chaffing of the cuffs but she couldn't reach it. She remembered asking the familiar bodyguards to release her from the cuffs, while reassuring them that she wouldn't be going anywhere but they just ignored her.

The fact that they didn't hesitate to turn on her so fast made her feel good about immediately throwing the other maids under the bus. As soon as Mr. Reyes had gone out, she had immediately started talking and telling the bodyguards that she wasn't the only one involved in it.

At first, the bodyguards were skeptical as they only listened to Mr. Reyes but it was easy to convince them as soon, as the other three were getting dragged down the stairs, and Camilla couldn't help the triumphant smile on her face.

When Mr. Reyes returned and demanded that they all be brought together for questioning, starting from Henderson, she sat up straighter although she knew that the dimwitted chef didn't know a single thing.

So it was no surprise when his report included his job of cooking three square meals daily with a focus on Mr. Reyes' guest but she didn't at all expect Mr. Reyes' next question.

"And why were these meals not getting to Nova?"

The silence that fell on the lounge could be cut with a knife, Henderson spluttering.

"I-I don't understand. I prepare the meals, sir, and have the maids serve them…" He trailed off, trying to process his employer's question. "I had no idea that the meals weren't getting to Ms. Sutton."