Chapter 7

Jason carried Selina through the crowd, Mark by his side clearing a frantic path to the car. Jason couldn't think, all he knew was that he had to get Selina to the hospital, and she was bleeding everywhere. He placed her in the front passenger seat and told Mark to meet him at the hospital; he was going to drive her himself. Throughout the desperate drive, he couldn't stop the sickening realization that everything that had happened today was entirely his fault.

"Stay with me, Selina," he pleaded, keeping one hand on the steering wheel and pressing the other firmly against her side over the wound. "Please, Selina..." Tears slipped down his face, sweat drenching his brow.

Then ten minutes later, he tore into the hospital bay at reckless speed, slammed the car into park, and scooped her up into his arms. He sprinted through the emergency room doors, shouting frantically, "I need help! Over here...please, help her!"

A team of nurses rushed over with a gurney, transferring Selina from his arms and wheeling her straight into the operating theater. They ordered him to stay back and let the surgical team work. Jason stood frozen in the corridor, his hands coated in blood, his shirt ruined and soaked in crimson, his shoes stained. He couldn't move. He prayed with every fiber of his being, begging God to keep her alive.

Just then Mark walked slowly toward Jason, who was still standing motionless outside the theater doors. Even from behind, it was clear Jason was spiraling.

"Sir?" Mark murmured, stopping just behind him with a dry-cleaned suit draped over his arm. "Why don't you change your clothes, sir? You can't be comfortable like this."

Mark knew the question was out of place, but he needed to say something to break Jason's trance. It worked.

"Mark..." Jason's voice was hollow.

"Yes, sir?" Mark replied

"It's like that day all over again... I can't seem to escape it, can I, Mark?" Jason turned, took the fresh clothes Mark had brought, and hurled them onto the floor. "Do you think I care about being uncomfortable?! Selina is lying in there fighting for her life, I have no idea what's happening to her, and you're worried about my clothes?! What was Celeste doing at that event?! Why the HELL was she in that hall?!" Jason closed the distance, stepping right into Mark's face, his eyes blazing. "I thought you had someone tailing her! Why was she there, Mark?!"

"I am so sorry, sir. It's entirely my fault, I should have paid closer attention. I am so sorry, sir," Mark said, bowing his head in defeat.

"No... you're wrong. I know who pulled the strings, and she's going to wish she had never been born. But right now, I need you to tell me how and why she was at my function! Find that out, NOW!" Jason breathed heavily, feeling as if all the blood were being drained from his body.

"Sir, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but... Celeste came specifically to see the young mistress," Mark revealed.

"She..." Jason froze, the saliva in his mouth suddenly difficult to swallow. "She came for who?"

"Apparently, the young mistress and Madam Celeste have been in contact for about a week. While you were driving here, I had the tech team go through the venue's logs and her phone records to find out what happened. I am deeply sorry, sir," Mark said, his head bowed low in remorse.

"Where is she now? Do you have any idea, or do I have to lose someone before you track her down, Mark?"

"She has retreated to her family's estate in the countryside."

"How long will she be there? I need to know so I know what to do. But first, we wait until Selina is out of surgery. Then we make our move..."

Before Jason could finish his sentence, the theater doors swung open, and two surgeons emerged, removing their masks as they faced him.

"Mr. Williams," the first doctor said, "thankfully, the bullet only grazed her side, so the damage wasn't fatal. We've stitched the laceration and completely controlled the bleeding. She will wake up once the anesthesia wears off. Given the caliber of the bullet, the wound is significant, so she will need to take it very easy for the next week or two. But all in all, she is stable and out of danger."

"We will continue to monitor her closely until she is cleared for discharge, so you have nothing to worry about, Mr. Williams," the second doctor added.

"Thank you very much, doctors. I'm in your debt," Jason said, letting out a massive sigh of relief. "When can I see her?"

They informed him he could visit as soon as she was transferred to a recovery room, then excused themselves.

Jason could think of nothing else but Selina and the pain she must be enduring. The events of the function replayed relentlessly in his mind, fueling the gnawing guilt that his world and his enemies were the reason she was in harm's way.

Then a short while later, the staff notified Jason and Mark that Selina had been moved to a private VIP suite. Jason hurried to her room, immediately instructing Mark to station private security on her floor and across the three floors beneath them.

Jason stayed at her bedside for two days straight, refusing to leave while she slept. He continually called the doctors in to check her vitals, but they repeatedly assured him that she was simply exhausted and healing. 

Jason grew uncomfortable with the sterile hospital setting and desperate to keep her secure, Jason decided to take her to his penthouse to recover. He hired a private doctor and round-the-clock nurses to oversee her care at his home.

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Two days later, after moving Selina to his estate, and following hundreds of frantic missed calls from Tina, who had nearly reported Selina missing to the police...Jason finally arranged for Tina to come over.

"What do you mean she got shot?!" Tina exploded the second she stepped inside, completely ignoring the sheer luxury of the estate. "Why would Selina get shot? Is this a joke? Where is she? I want to see her right now!" She looked frantically around the expansive foyer, staring at the endless corridor of doors.

"Please, calm down," Jason said in a low, measured voice. "She wasn't shot directly...the bullet grazed her side."

"I must be losing my mind," Tina said, pressing her hands to her face. "What do you mean, grazed? Why would she be grazed by a freaking bullet in the first place?! That makes zero sense! Either I'm hallucinating, or you two are playing some sick prank on me." She glared at Jason and Mark, waiting for someone to laugh and break the tension. When neither did, her handbag slipped from her grip and hit the floor as cold reality set in. "Take me to her, please. I need to see her immediately."

Mark glanced at Jason, who gave a slight nod. Mark then escorted Tina up the grand staircase while Jason stayed behind in the foyer to make a call.

The moment they were out of sight, Jason pulled out his phone and dialed a private number. The call connected almost instantly.

"Well, this is an unexpected surprise, my love," a poised woman answered.

"It's been a while, Mother. How are you faring? You sound well for your age," Jason said, a faint, dry smirk touching his lips.

"My handsome boy, what do you need? You wouldn't call without a reason, and that reason certainly isn't to check on my health. So, what is it?" asked Georgina Williams, Jason's formidable mother.

"I see power hasn't softened you, Mother. I'm calling to let you know that the rightful owner of that seat is alive and breathing."

"Does she remember who you are?" Georgina asked, her voice turning sharp with genuine concern.

"It doesn't shock me that you already knew she was alive. But I'm calling because of Celeste. I intend to deal with her the family way, and I need your backing."

"So, you finally want to strip Celeste of her title and power..." The line went silent for several seconds before Georgina continued with cold resolve. "I'm in. I'll take the earliest flight back."

"You really are an extraordinary moth..."

Jason was cut off by the sound of hurried footsteps as Mark came running down the stairs. "Sir! She's awake!"

"I'll have someone pick you up when your plane touches down, Mother. I have to go. Love you." Jason ended the call, turned, and bolted up the stairs two at a time.

He pushed open the bedroom door and froze. Selina was sitting propped up against the pillows on his king-sized bed. She looked pale and exhausted, but her wide eyes were open and locked straight onto him.