Chapter SEVENTY- EIGHT: ALEX DID ALL THE WORK
“Kieran,” I called out but I could barely hear my voice.
“Clara, oh my goodness, you are awake.”
The guy said as he sprung up from the chair but it wasn’t Kieran, it was someone else. Much younger with a blonde.
“Who are you?” I managed to ask.
“I’m Alex. I’ll get the doctor to check you out and also inform the Alpha.”
He didn’t even wait a second more as he dashed out of the room. And in a minute he returned with a doctor and Kieran. As the doctor examined me, Kieran just stood there in a corner. He whispered something in Alex’s ear and he exited the room at once. The doctor smiled back at me after the examination.
“How is she?” Kieran asked moving forward.
“She is doing just great. Like I said, your friend here has a very strong spirit.”
“Her name is Clara and she is just an acquaintance.”
I turned my head slowly on the pillow to catch a glimpse of him.
An acquaintance. So that was what he saw me as. T least now I had an idea of what he saw me as.
“Can I talk to her?”
“Yeah sure go ahead,” the doctor patted him on his shoulder and he walked away.
“At least you considered me an acquaintance,” I said.
“Clara…”
“Oh God my head hurts,” I winched as I tried to adjust, “My head feels blank. I can’t remember anything that happened.”
“For some reason, I’m happy that you can’t,” he smirked.
“What goofy trick are you putting up or perhaps have already put up now?”
“Trust me its not a trick.”
I exhaled staring at the ceiling, “it’s like I had this crazy dream,” I grunted, “Kieran, I think I died.”
“No, you didn’t.”
“How would you know that?”
“Well, If you did, the doctor wouldn’t have been able to save you.”
“What really happened? All I can remember is that I received a note from you the next thing, I’m here. But somehow this weird dream keeps coming up.”
“What dream?”NôvelDrama.Org content rights.
“Like I was in a void. It was so dark.”
“I’m not a doctor but I don’t advise that you stress your head too much trying to remember a poison induced dream.”
“Poison?”
“Yes, the doctor said that you were poisoned with the wolfs bane Ivy sap. The deadliest. I needed to get the antidote. It took me a while. I thought that I wouldn’t make it on time,” he exhaled a sigh of relief, “but luckily I did.”
“Did you find the culprit?”
He looked away for a while, like it was some horrible experience that he didn’t wish to remember but somehow he had to say it because I needed to know that going back would be a lot more safer.
“Watching you lying there made me realize that you were right all along. And I had a very dangerous person walking around in my palace. Asides that, I needed to find this person to be able to get the cure.”
“Yeah, I think I know the myth of the poison ivy,” I said. It was an old tale that my father always told me as a bedtime story. He always told storied that would be useful in times of war. My mother always thought that it was a violent thing to do; telling a war tale to a child as a bedtime story. But at some point in my life, I was glad that he did.
“I guess I was the only one not paying close attention to old myth tales,” he chuckled, “anyway, at first it was hard but then, I went on with your plans and got the list of all the maids that I had hired. The culprit was smart and so it was hard at first, but there was always a loophole and after going through it for a while, I found it. There was a name that didn’t add up. I asked Alex to look into it and he did. He found out that the maids name was….”
“Patricia,” I called out.
“Yes, how did you know?”
“I told you that I had seen that face somewhere. But I just couldn’t place it.”
“But finding her didn’t solve anything.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“She slit her own throat rather than to give up the location of the antidote.”
“Oh my goodness, Patricia is dead?”
“That should be good news to you. I can’t help but wonder what happened between the both of you that she would choose to take her own life than to give up the antidote?”
“It’s a long story. What happened to Patricia is a perfect definition of love obsession.”
“Who was she obsessed with?”
“Ryan.”
“Oh I see now.”
“Well I wouldn’t entirely blame her. Apart from the part that Ryan is not bad looking. They have been best friend even before I came into the picture. Well we all thought Ryan was in love with me. Although I know better now. It was more like I stole the attention from her. He would scold her and warn her to stay away from me. I guess it only grew the anger and hatred that she already had.”
“Which was?”
I exhaled, “being with Ryan was a lot different from staying at the palace. Everything was different for me including my pattern of living. And so I was rebellious. Somehow my behaviour brought me closer to Ryan. At that time, I thought it was a good thing. I never knew that Ryan was only keeping me safe for a purpose. Such betrayal.”
“At least I witnessed that one.”
“Well, one day she just up and left the manor. Maybe she found out that I was here in town and decided that this was the perfect time to enact her revenge on me. And she chose the most poisonous substance to do the dirty work.”
“And somehow you survived. What a love triangle. A very sad one. She is dead now. I don’t think that there is anything you should worry about.”
“Well, if she haven’t killed herself, maybe, I would have done it myself.”
“Oh slow down angel,” he chuckled.
“So how did you find the antidote and save my life?”
“I didn’t. Alex did. He is smart and skilful. I think that’s what attracted me to him in the first place. He saved your life not me. I was busy with other things,” he moved his eyes away.
“Oh, I see. Where is Alex now? I would love to thank him.”
“Probably doing one of his businesses. Well if you ask me I would say you saved yourself.”
“How?”
“Not everyone under the influence of the ivy poison would last a day. You bought us time. You bought Alex more time to find you your antidote. Time was all was needed, so technically you saved yourself.”
“Good to know. But I’m curious though. Why do you keep mentioning Alex? You were part of it.”
“Alex did all the work, I can’t take credit for what I didn’t do,” he scoffed.
“Oh I see,” I turned facing the window. I didn’t know what feeling I should let in. But I knew I was happy to be able to breath again. And most of all, there was no one at the corner waiting for me to walk out of the hospital just to harm me again. At least that’s what I thought.