Chapter 363

The next day, Isabella was up at the crack of dawn, ready to see Esme and the gang off at the airport. Sebastian even pushed back his morning grind to tag along with her.

Next door, it was dead quiet. No signs of life, and even the car was MIA.

Isabella and Sebastian shared a look and were about to knock when the door swung open. Out came a middle-aged woman in plain clothes, lugging a trash bag.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw them and asked, "Who are you?"

Isabella was caught off guard; she'd never seen this lady at Quentin's place before.

The woman was rocking a uniform with a housekeeping company logo.

"I'm looking for Esme," Isabella said.

The woman hesitated and replied, "I only know Mr. Black. He called us."

Isabella pressed, "Where is he?"

The woman said, "He went to the hospital."

"Hospital?" Isabella's anxiety spiked. "What happened?"

The woman shrugged. "No clue. When I got here this morning, Mr. Black bolted out. I asked him, and he said he was heading to the hospital."

With that, she went off to dump the trash.

Isabella felt a wave of panic. She had plans with Esme this morning. What could've gone down that someone ended up in the hospital? Was it Esme?

Sebastian, standing by her side, gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Don't stress, I'll call and find out."

He had Quentin's digits, but before he could dial, Isabella's phone buzzed.

Isabella answered, "Hello, Nina."

"Bella." Nina's voice was weary. "Can you come to the hospital now?"

"Nina, you're at the hospital too?" Isabella shot a puzzled look at Sebastian. What were the odds?

It wasn't the time to dig for details over the phone. After getting the department info from Nina, Isabella and Sebastian rushed over.

At the hospital, Isabella was floored to see Nina, her face drained of color.

"Nina!" Isabella called out.

Nina was slumped on a bench, her white dress smeared with dried blood.

"Nina, what happened?" Isabella sat next to her, holding her hand but too scared to move, worried she might hurt her.

Nina shook her head. "I'm fine. This is Elodie's blood."

Isabella was baffled. "Elodie?"

Only then did she notice Quentin and Esme standing a bit away.

"Nina, what happened to Elodie?" Isabella was at a loss.

Nina's eyelashes fluttered. "I accidentally pushed her off the second floor."

Isabella was stunned. "How did that happen?"

Nina closed her eyes. "She showed up at my place last night, demanding to see Richard. I told her he was on a mission and not in Lakina, but she didn't buy it. I grabbed a fruit knife, just to scare her, but she lost her balance and fell off the balcony."

As Nina spoke, she raised her hands. They were also caked in dried blood, still reeking of metal.

Looking at her hands, Nina replayed the scene from the night before, unable to shake it off.

Even though she didn't directly push Elodie, she couldn't dodge the blame. Elodie had fallen right in front of her, tumbling from the second floor. Nina was momentarily paralyzed, and when she rushed to the railing, all she saw was Elodie on the ground, surrounded by a pool of crimson blood.

After some emergency treatment, they managed to save Elodie's life. But, man, she broke her spinal cord in the fall, and now there's a chance she might end up partially paralyzed.

When the doc dropped that bomb, Esme nearly hit the floor. If Quentin hadn't been there to catch her, she would've gone down hard.

Quentin's face was all serious. He asked, "Is there any chance she'll recover?"

The doc just sighed and shook his head, looking all defeated.

Isabella was floored too. She thought they were in the clear when the doc said Elodie was out of danger, but then he hit them with the paralysis news.

Nina was sitting nearby, clutching her dress like it was a lifeline, her face white as a sheet.

Nina didn't mean for any of this to happen. But her mistake had messed up Elodie big time, and now she was drowning in guilt.

Later, they headed to the ward.

Elodie was lying in the hospital bed, looking nothing like her usual self. She was like a flower about to wilt.

After a bit, Elodie slowly came to. She opened her eyes and saw everyone around her bed, her gaze finally landing on Esme.

Elodie tried to sit up, reaching out a hand towards Esme.

"Elodie," Esme's voice was shaky with tears.

Seeing her mom cry, Elodie frowned. "Mom, I want to sit up."

Quentin stepped in, "The doc said you just had surgery. You need to stay lying down for now."

Elodie trusted him, so she lay back down without a fuss.

Her eyes landed on Nina and Isabella. "Mom, I don't want to see them. Make them leave!"

"Okay, okay," Esme quickly agreed, turning to Isabella. "Bella, you and Nina should head out."

Isabella was about to say something, but Esme had already turned back, holding Elodie's hand tight and gently stroking her hair, her fingers trembling.

So Isabella swallowed her words.

In the elevator, Nina stayed silent.

Ever since the doc mentioned the paralysis, Nina hadn't said a peep.

It was a tough spot. Isabella knew Nina felt awful, but Elodie had paid a steep price, and there was no undoing it.

In the car, Isabella grabbed some wet wipes from the glove box and started cleaning Nina's hands.

With just a few wipes, the tissues were stained red with blood. Half the pack was gone before Nina's hands were finally clean.

As the car started moving, Nina looked out the window and realized they were heading towards the Jose family. She frowned and said, "I want to go back to the villa."

Sebastian paused and said, "With what happened to Elodie, Silvercrest will probably send someone over soon. Nina, it's safer for you to stay with the Jose family until Richard gets back."

Isabella hadn't thought of that, but Sebastian made a good point, so she agreed, "Yeah, it's better to stay with the Jose family. More people to watch your back. We can wait for Richard to come back."

Nina shook her head. "If Silvercrest really wants to come after me, hiding with the Jose family won't help. It'll just drag them into this mess."

Nina had a point; Sebastian didn't argue.

Nina said, "Take me back to the villa. Even if Silvercrest sends someone, it'll take a few days. I won't be in immediate danger."

Isabella and Sebastian exchanged a look and finally agreed with Nina. They decided to take her back to the villa.