Chapter 3 Someone Else Cares For Her
In the plush VIP hospital suite, Belinda lounged against the bed, taking small sips of the water Blair had poured. “Blair, the maid mentioned Dina rolled up this morning in a Rolls-Royce. She was out all night… You don’t think she got pissed and hooked up with somebody, do you?”
“No chance.” Blair kept his eyes down, his slender fingers fumbling a bit as he peeled an apple, his voice steady and sure. “Dina would never cheat on me. Plus, she was all set to grab that marriage license with me today.”
“You’re getting married for real?” Belinda’s eyes bugged out in surprise, a wild spark of jealousy flashing across them.
She thought, ‘My husband is gone, so Blair is basically my baby’s dad now. Why does Dina have to keep fighting me for him? Can’t she just bow out gracefully and let me have him?’
His phone buzzed insistently. He picked up, and Eileen’s cranky voice exploded from the speaker, “Blair! What the hell’s up with that Dina? She just grabbed her suitcase and bailed? If she’s out, who’s gonna handle the chores around here? Who’s brewing Belinda’s soups?”
“She what?” Blair’s knife froze mid-slice, his eyes narrowing in stunned disbelief. He thought, ‘Aren’t we headed out for the license? What game is she playing now?’
Belinda said, “Why’s Dina making such a big deal out of this? You’ve already promised to make it official. What else does she want? Getting spoiled rotten by you like that, she’s got it made… Not like me, Alan’s… not around anymore…”
Belinda dropped her gaze, tears plopping onto the sheets. “Never mind, go sweet-talk her back. If I start feeling rough, I’ll buzz a nurse. They might be swamped and slow… but I’ll tough it out somehow…”
Watching Belinda swallow her fragility, forcing a smile through the discomfort and putting herself last, while Dina kept kicking up dust, Blair felt rage bubbling up like a volcano.
Blair thought, ‘Belinda nails it; I’ve coddled Dina way too much.
‘Belinda is carrying a baby, damn it. Instead of stepping up and showing some compassion, she is pulling these jealous stunts and bolting at the worst possible time. It is downright absurd.’
His expression turned stormy as he called his assistant. “Cut off Dina’s cards right now. Once she’s broke, she’ll come slinking back by tonight.”
*****
After five bags of IV drip, Dina finally felt like she’d dragged herself back from death’s door.
Her caregiver, Rene Rivers, sidled up with the bank card, looking uncomfortable. “Ms. Gardner, I tried settling the bill, but the card got declined. Looks like it’s been frozen.”
Dina thought, ‘Frozen?’ Her hazy brain snapped into focus, like a splash of ice water cutting through the fog and heightening the sting.
Right after the wedding, she’d ditched killer job offers to throw herself into Blair’s Fighters Group, tackling projects and running ops.
That was why her pay never ran through HR. Instead, he’d put her in charge of the finances and handed over an unlimited black card for whatever.
What started as loving gestures, handing her the purse strings and that card, were now twisted into weapons against her.
She snorted. He’d hoist her up on a throne when times were sweet, but flip the switch, and he’d sling the sleaziest moves without a second thought.
Rene said, “You can’t check out till everything’s paid up, including my fee… Ms. Gardner, how about ringing your folks?”
Her parents were way up in Asodence, and not in the best shape health-wise. If they heard she couldn’t even cover a doctor’s visit, it’d crush them.
Blair was counting on her shielding them from the drama. But he missed the point. This wasn’t some huff or a ploy for him to chase her. She was done for real. She’d rather keel over in the gutter than crawl back.
“Rene.” Dina’s tone stayed unnervingly even as she slid the dazzling diamond ring off her finger. “Mind doing me a solid? Pop over to a nearby secondhand luxury spot and pawn this.”
In the rush to pack, she’d been laser-focused on dumping the household junk and totally spaced on this bad boy.
Hey, at least selling it for quick cash meant wringing one final drop of “leftover worth” from this toxic mess.
Next, she dialed another number, her voice cool and unwavering. “Mr. Page, file that labor claim for me. Yeah, against Blair. No contract on record, and he’s stiffed me on three years’ worth of pay.”
*****
After checking out of the hospital, Dina hailed a cab to Summit Bay. She stepped out and glanced up.
The massive luxury manor sprawled across the hillside like a lurking giant in the dusk, exuding an eerie blend of nostalgia and dread that slammed into her full force.
All those memories she’d shoved down deep and fled from came rushing back uninvited.
If she weren’t completely out of options, she’d never tangle with Hank Woodward again, not in a million years.
But Blair wielded serious power and clout. He wasn’t about to let her slip away without a fight. He had a million ways to corner her into giving in, even if it meant dragging her far-off parents into the fray.
To cut him out of her life completely and escape intact, she’d have to align with someone even mightier, someone who made him think twice, Hank.
The real crown prince of the Woodward family, Blair’s blood cousin: sharp as a tack, brutal when needed, and way more likely to snag the top spot in the family’s power plays than Blair ever was. Even Blair had to show respect to him.
Nobody in Vreton would dare poach a woman from Blair, except Hank.
Dina drew in a deep breath, then another, taking a solid few minutes to tamp down the swirling nerves and sour regret churning in her gut.
She balled her fists, channeling that do-or-die grit like she was severing a limb, and marched through the manor gates. In the end, she couldn’t avoid facing him.
“Mrs. Woodward, you’re back.” The fifty-something butler, Joseph Benitez, hustled over in his crisp suit, flashing a polite, welcoming smile. “Mr. Woodward got hit with an emergency and jetted off abroad to sort it. He won’t be around for the next few days.”
Dina thought, ‘Not here? What a godsend!’ The tension knotted in Dina’s throat unraveled, her pulse finally easing up.
Joseph clocked her quick unwind, a savvy twinkle in his eye, as he courteously guided her to the lavish main house.
“Mrs. Woodward, here’s your suite. We’ve stocked it with all the basics: toiletries, fresh outfits, jewelry. If any of it misses the mark, just say the word. We’ll swap it out on the spot.
“This covers your day-to-day: an unlimited black card, 1.7 million dollars in cash, and 30-million-dollar check. Spend as you like.
“And meet your staff, 108 in total, rotating in three shifts to make sure you’re covered around the clock, whatever you need, whenever.”
Dina eyed the massive crew, genuinely floored. “…This is overkill, isn’t it?”
The setup here blew Blair’s place out of the water, easily ten times more extravagant.
Joseph gave her that “it’s only natural” humble vibe.
He said, “Mrs. Woodward, your husband now is Hank. Over at Blair’s… well, no need to compare his style. What he skimped on or straight-up couldn’t deliver? That’s just entry-level here with Mr. Woodward.
“Going forward, everything you touch, clothes, gear, fun stuff, has to be premium all the way. Mr. Woodward was crystal clear: kick back and enjoy; leave the rest to us.”
Dina was struck dumb for a sec, reeling from the opulence that left Blair’s in the dust.
Her thoughts wandered unbidden to Hank. The way his deep, husky breaths in the heat of passion had this magnetic pull, luring her in, making her surrender willingly. Even now, that tiny mole under his collarbone, slick with sweat, stuck in her mind.
But…
Dina yanked herself out of the ill-timed flashback, refocusing. “Joseph, give me a heads-up before Hank gets back, yeah?” She needed a beat to brace herself mentally.
Joseph dipped his head respectfully. “Will do, Mrs. Woodward. Oh, and your wedding to Mr. Woodward is locked in for the 28th, end of the month. We’ve got an elite crew on the planning, but we’d love your take on the vibe, location, gown options… When works for you?”
“You guys handle it.”
“Oh no, Mrs. Woodward, that won’t fly. Wedding’s all about the bride. Before heading out, Mr. Woodward insisted: tailor it to your tastes, your call on everything.”
She thought, ‘My tastes…’ A gentle twinge hit Dina square in the chest, like a soft tap on her heart.
Her ceremony with Blair? Bare-bones, all dictated by Eileen in that stuffy traditional mode. No one even asked if it was her thing.
Blair had vowed to redo it someday, big and modern. Three years on, that vow? Poof, gone.
And now, Hank was the one making it happen. She thought, ‘How twisted. Wonder what he’ll make of it come wedding day?’
Dina cracked a sardonic grin. “I’ve got time these days.”
“Excellent, Mrs. Woodward. Get some rest. Anything at all, hit the bedside buzzer. It patches straight to me. Day or night.” Joseph bowed out, easing the door shut behind him.
With the click of the latch, a shadowy, lingering stare got cut off outside.
It slunk from the dim hallway’s depths, where a towering figure melted into the gloom, radiating an unseen pressure that hung thick in the air.
He kept his eyes glued to the sealed door, that cloying gaze drilling through the solid wood, as if etching itself onto the woman inside.
