9. Room 707

Chloe woke up in a dark place. She could smell all the chemicals around her and listen to whispers in the distance. Just then, the door opened wide and a man in a white coat entered. 

He turned on the light making Chloe blink her long eyelashes adjusting to the environment. 

"Ms. Bridger," the doctor smiled, "Are you feeling any better?" 

Chloe touched her forehead which was terribly bandaged and she looked towards the exit. "Where is he?" Chloe asked. 

"You mean Mr. Lockhart?" the doctor asked. 

Chloe nodded, reaching for a glass of water on the adjacent table. 

"Here, let me help you," the doctor walked forward and gave her the glass of water, "Mr. Lockhart told me you fell off the stairs," Chloe scoffed before he could complete, " ...and you need time to heal. Tomorrow is an important event at the Lockhart Enterprises Ambassador's Vertical and he needs to be there."

"Strange the face of the Lockhart Enterprise is here," Chloe gritted, "Let's say, the ex face of the Lockhart Enterprises."

"Hey come on, Ms. Bridger, I am sure you might have many other endorsements. You don't have to worry about your career with that pretty face" the doctor tried to ease her, doing his job as instructed. 

"Why are you here? I mean a doctor doesn't have to babysit on the patient, I guess?" Chloe asked angrily. 

"I am sorry, even if you want me to leave, your loving husband wants me to stay here and to keep you company."

"What did you say?" Chloe asked. 

"That I have to keep you company." the doctor replied. 

"Not that, before it," Chloe said looking with an expectant face. She seemed happy with all that arrogance washing off her face. 

"I said that I can't leave because your husband —"

"Who told you that? The husband part?" Chloe asked, smiling like a fool. 

"Mr. Lockhart said that, Okay I think you are —-" The doctor was confused looking at the happy face of the woman.

He said that.

He did say that. 

He finally said it. 

Chloe muttered it continuously. She rubbed her belly happily and jumped in happiness.

She stood up and hugged the doctor, almost collapsing, before he caught her from falling. 

"Ms. Bridger are you okay?" He asked. 

"Yes? Ahh... Roger?" Chloe said, looking at the badge of the doctor's coat.

"I am finally going to marry the man of my life I am so happy." Chloe sat down, swinging along the bed. 

Roger helped her place feet on the bed. 

"That is very adorable Ms. Bridger," he said with a fake smile and tucked her in. "But right now you need rest."

"Aye, aye Captain." She chuckled, her laughter filling the otherwise empty room.

As the doctor left the inner chambers, he looked back at the woman once and thought, That worked like a charm. I wonder why he would do that to her. 

#

Caleb silenced everyone in the room as they continued to swear and accuse Crystal, who sat with terribly knit brows.

"As much as I understand your distress, I suggest we give Alwack a chance."

"But Why?" a young man said. 

"Because Albert, the best way to make a notorious man falter is to make them in charge."

Crystal looked at him with sharp eyes.

"Since I am the first suspect" Crystal was as confident as ever that she could handle it, "I am open to interrogation, ask."

Caleb himself was amazed by her. Every eye including Norman's widened. 

That right there is the reason I liked her all those years ago, I wish things would have turned out the other way.

"How about we start with the way the events turned out that day, like a rewind?" Crystal suggested.

"Miss Alwack if I may go first?" Albert asked. 

"Shoot, Mr. Albert." Crystal looked at Caleb as she spoke to Albert. 

"I was with Edward at our daughter's PTAs that evening. He didn't mention he was going to meet you. Neither did he plan on going to Cave Palace. "

Crystal pulled out a tablet with a broken screen. While it screen was half crashed, it was enough to read.

"Yes, my question is, we went our ways, and trust me if he had anything to do with Cave Palace, he'd have left with me. Cave Palace is halfway to my home."

"That's honestly very strange, What time do you say it is?." Crystal asked looking at the broken screen.

"Around five or so," Alber replied.

"Please take a look, I received this text from Fitz. Corp, around eleven in the morning." Crystal circulated her tablet as everyone looked at it.

The room had soft conversations going on individually.

"I also had a conversation on the same number." Crystal mumbled. "We can retrieve the audio as well," 

She looked hopeful. "It might be the last audio," She waved her laptop, "If someone can extract it."

"Hand it over to me." Norman took it and started working on the files, connecting them to his computer.

"What happened when You reached there Alwack?" Caleb said, scrutinizing the fact that there might be some bigger conspiracy at play.

"So like I said, I visited Cave Palace, and the receptionist attended me," Crystal told them. "The receptionist told us to reach the seventh floor to room no 707."

"707?" The room gasped in silence.

"Once we were inside the room... 707, We found Edward pacing impatiently inside the room. He was extremely relaxed to see me."

"He asked William to run some chores, which I didn't understand. I was studying the files he handled me. The files are quite personal, else I might share them."

"Before that, Ms. Alwack you say you went to no. 707?" Albert asked.

Crystal nodded, reflecting on that day. 

"My question is how?" Albery was offended, "No one in this room ever entered the seventh floor, let alone going to the room."

Just then elsewhere, a voice recording played. 

"She deserves to know the truth," Edward said.

"Who tell her the truth? You?" a male voice said, followed by a stabbing sound echoed in the room.

Crystal looked in that direction shocked, everyone looked at her with baffled expressions.