Raymond froze.
*****
Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Three days had passed since the night of the race. At St. Rowan Hospital, Veronica stared out at the blazing sun through the window and let out another sigh.
She thought, I clearly hit the eject button when the car lost control and got thrown out. How the hell did I manage to land in a way that fractured my arm
What was supposed to be a five–day trip to Vellas had now been dragged out to ten days thanks to this accident.
Veronica sighed again and propped her chin up with one hand, zoning out.
Isabel pushed the door open and walked in. “Stop sighing already. Mr. Harrington said you can leave the hospital in five days.”
Just days ago, Isabel had been nitpicking everything about Raymond, but now she couldn’t stop mentioning him. Veronica thought, “What kind of spell did Raymond put on her?
Veronica turned her head and glanced at Isabel, skipping right over her comment. “Did they find the suspect?”
That night, Veronica’s car had gone out of control not because of a driving error, but because it had hit spike strips at high speed.
All four tires had been punctured. When the air started leaking all at once, she hit the brakes, which caused the car to flip and threw her WOUL
Normally, slamming the brakes when the tires were leaking was the worst thing to do, since it made the vehicle more likely to roll. But the section of road Veronica was on had been especially dangerous.
If she hadn’t stopped right then, she would’ve gone straight into a stretch of steep downhill curves–with a cliff on one side and a deep reservoir on the other.
There was a good chance the car would’ve either fallen off the cliff or plunged into the water. Between the two, Veronica had chosen to brake in the woods and use the emergency eject to get out.
What Veronica meant by asking if they had found the suspect was, of course, whether the police had caught the one who had scattered tire spikes on the road.
Isabel replied, “Not yet. There’s no surveillance around there.”
Mentioning it made Isabel feel a little embarrassed. This was supposed to be the Gorman family’s problem, yet Veronica had stepped in for Isabel’s sake and ended up getting hurt, while they still hadn’t even found the culprit.
Isabel apologized, muttering. “I’m sorry, Ronie. 1-
“Alright, Bella Don’t blame yourself. I’m fine, aren’t Veronica comforted her for a while, then asked where Joyla had gone.
Isabel said, “She flew to Aurelias the next day. She said she was joining a desert rally.”
“Alright. Veronica nodded. She figured that Jayla really was lucky. Jayla had jumped out of the car too, but the next day, she was already flying off for another race, while Veronica was still stuck in bed for recovery,
Veronica lowered her gaze to the arm in a cast and felt nothing but dread.
Isabel didn’t stay at the hospital long. Not long after she left, Raymond came here carrying several large shopping bags and placed them on the table in the room. Veronica glanced at them–they were all kinds of health supplements.
She felt a little guilty that he had spent so much. “Um, Mr. Harrington, these aren’t all for me, are they?”
Veronica thought. They look fancy, but they’re expensive and not actually that useful.
Raymond looked up, and a flicker of displeasure crossed his usually cold face. “I told you. Stop calling me that.”
Ever since he brought Veronica to the hospital that day, Raymond had been acting like a different person, constantly trying to get closer
to her
Veronica didn’t
I argue with him. “Isn’t Mr. Harringto
a perfectly fine way to call
you?”
Raymond said nothing.
1/2
TO
Veronica cleared her throat. “Alright then, sir.”
Walking behind Raymond on the way into the hospital room, Damian nearly stumbled when he heard the way she addressed Raymond inside. Damian thought, “What the hell kind of logic is that?
Raymond’s expression darkened. “Do I look that old to you? Why do you have to call me something so damn formal?”
6:42 PM p p.
Chapter 25
