Tabitha's POV
Rolf replied, "Alright, let me take you back home first. You've had a rough night."
Since I couldn't get into the ICU, I'd have to head back for now.
If it was Elena's doing as well, it threw a real wrench in my earlier thoughts.
Elena was clearly after me. So why would she hurt Holly?
Just when the truth was about to be out, I got confused again.
I sighed deeply, not knowing what to do.
Thinking of Holly, who was barely hanging in there, I shook my head, a wave of sadness washing over me.
When I pushed open the door, I was slack-jawed. "Derek?" I exclaimed.
Hearing my voice, he turned around, a spatula in his hand. "Welcome home," he said.
He turned off the stove and came over, pulling me into a hug. "I've heard everything. Sorry for what happened to Holly. Come on, I made you roast turkey today."
I melted into his familiar embrace.
I wasn't sure if it was because I was just wiped out or if Derek's hug was just too warm, but I didn't pull away, just staying quietly in his arms.
"I bought her favorite desserts, but she won't get a chance to eat them."
Derek gently stroked my hair, trying to comfort me. "She'd appreciate your effort, trust me."
"I don't think what happened today was a coincidence. Someone might have done this to her," I analyzed.
Then I broke free from his embrace and looked him in the eye. "I think it was Daphne."
Whoever visited Holly must first get Mark's permission. Plus, she was away for years, so she barely had any friends here.
Daphne's visit was so abrupt. Besides, she was acting all weird today. So, she was definitely the one hurting Holly.
"You're being paranoid, Tabitha. Calm down, OK?" Derek replied, keeping a straight face. "I'll deal with it."
"Even if she's the one pulling the strings, you'd still cover for her, right?"
Derek remained silent, his expression telling me the answer was yes. Clearly, he didn't want to dive into this topic with me.
"Tabitha, I have my plans," he explained.
I sneered, "I lost my baby because of her, and now, Holly's gonna die because of her, too. I just don't get it. Why did you let her get away with it again and again?"
I didn't get it.
If he loved Daphne that much, why had he been trying so hard to win me back? Was it another trick for him to hurt me? But he usually wouldn't stoop that low.
"Some things are not what you think. When the time is right, I'll fill you in," he replied.
Yeah, right. When the time was right? When would that be exactly?
All I knew was that I was stuck in this mess for no reason, and it destroyed my family and ruined my life.
"Why don't you go sit down? The food will be ready in a minute."
He hurriedly walked towards the kitchen, intentionally avoiding the topic.
Derek's POV
I opened the oven door, and the aroma of food hit me like a wave.
While I was gently flipping the food with tongs, my phone buzzed.
It was Alvin calling.
"Alpha Derek, I've looked into it. Tabitha did save Klein's life, but she left shortly after she rushed him to the ER and paid the bill. She has no other dealings with him."
I asked in a displeased tone, "What about Klein? Why did he suddenly show up here?"
"I can't say for sure for now. Seems it's not about work. Maybe it's something personal. Oh, and I secretly checked his medical report."
"He's sick?"
Alvin said slowly but clearly, "Yes."
"I see. Have someone keep an eye on him."
"Understood."
"And..."
I suddenly lowered my voice and glanced toward the door out of the corner of my eye. Seeing Tabitha going upstairs, I continued, "Any leads on Poison and Wolf Shadow?"
"Not yet. It appears that someone's shielding them, as I haven't been able to find out anything about them."
"Keep looking into it."
"Roger."
Hanging up the phone, I once again recalled the woman I had caught that night.
I was pretty sure that it was Elena.
She wasn't dead. Instead, she was very much alive.
If it were in the past, I would have been thrilled at the news.
Yet, she wasn't the innocent girl she used to be.
She was part of an evil organization and got blood on her hands. And worst of all, she was planning on hurting the love of my life.
I wasn't sure how to even face her.
I was so occupied with my thoughts that my hand accidentally touched the hot baking tray. The burning sensation finally jolted me back to reality.
I called Rolf again. "Found anything at the hospital yet?"
"Aside from the usual medical staff and the carer, Miss Sutton was the only one who had been in Mrs. Sutton's ward. There were no cameras inside, so no one knew what had happened at that time."
"Did the doctor run all the tests on her? Could it be possible that someone has poisoned her? Or why would she take such a turn for the worse in such a short time?"
"Mrs. Sutton has been rescued and sent to the ICU for observation. The doctor gave her a blood test. Everything's normal."
I hung up the phone and stared down at the food on the baking tray, lost in thought.
Poison and Wolf Shadow was just like their name—a sneaky shadow that was everywhere.
Who the hell did they bribe to protect them exactly? Who could be that powerful? Even my men could find out nothing.
If Holly was indeed poisoned, it must be their doing.
After thinking it over, I did something I'd seldom done—I called Daphne.
Surprisingly, she didn't sound overjoyed when she received my call.
"Derek," she said in a dejected tone.
"It's been a long time since we had a meal together. How about let's catch up tonight?" I suggested.
Normally, Daphne would be over the moon. Yet today, she sounded hesitant.
"Holly is in the ICU. I've gotta stay at the hospital in case anything happens."
I tightened my grip on the tongs.
"In fact, I also wanna talk to you about wedding plans."
"W-wedding plans?" Daphne exclaimed.
"Everyone knows what happened at our engagement banquet, and the Greenwood Group's share price has been see-sawing. So I wanna discuss with you about getting married."
Marrying me was what Daphne wanted the most, so it was the best bait.
"OK. I'll definitely be there," she said.