Chapter 5

Serena was taken to a hospital immediately. It was done secretly of course. Fred owned a private ward at the hospital so it wasn't difficult to quickly admit her in.

Fred was terrified. He prayed silently as he paced around in the room where he was told to wait. How did this happen? Was she going to be okay? These thoughts roamed in his head as his worry increased. What if she doesn't wake up?

He immediately shook his head and glanced at the door, hoping to see the doctor walk in with news about Serena.

But no one walked in for the next 30 mins. Finally the door knobs turned and a doctor walked in. He had a perplexed look on his face.

"How is she? What happened to her?, Don't just stand there, looking at me"

"She's okay now Mr Frederick, though she might have to remain here for a couple of days, she needs to receive treatment for the internal injuries she sustained"

"Internal injuries? What the hell could have caused that? "

"Poison"

Fred's eyebrows furrowed "what?"

" Your wife was poisoned, Mr Frederick. She didn't consume that much so we were able to quickly do something before it spread and.. you know, cause more damage "

Fred sighed out of relief and collapsed on the chair beside him. He really thought he had lost her. He literally almost went crazy. "I want you to give her the best treatment you can"

 " Yes, of course," he answered before he turned to leave. He had never seen this side of Fred before. He must really love his wife, the doctor thought as he walked out the door. But who would attempt to murder his wife who he hasn't even disclosed to the public yet? He shouldn't have disclosed about his secret marriage in the first place. 

An investigation commenced immediately. 

 It was difficult to say for sure how the poison was administered without more information, but the investigators looked for signs of forced entry or tampering with Serena's food. They also checked to see if any of Serena's personal belongings were missing or if there were any signs of a struggle.

The investigators did find evidence of tampering with Serena's food. They collected samples of it for forensic analysis to determine what type of poison was used. There weren't that many witnesses but just suspects. They didn't find any fingerprints or DNA evidence as well so they thought the suspect couldn't be an amateur for sure. 

Anika was the first suspect since she was actually the one who served Serena the food in which the poison was induced.

"I don't prepare the meals here" Anika answered as she sat opposite two tall men in casual clothes. They were the investigators on the case and they didn't seem to suspect Anika actually just as Fred didn't too. She was the head maid so obviously, she wasn't the one who prepared the meal but she was the one who delivered it to Serena so that made her a prime suspect even.

"Of course, we know that," one of the men answered. He had had a grim look and scowl on his face ever since Anika walked in. She couldn't help but wonder if that was just how he looked.

Collins was his name. He was a professional in what he did and was a close friend of Freds. He normally investigated people for him secretly and did all sorts of investigations for him. 

"You did prepare the meals but you did deliver Serena hers. All we need is a concrete evidence that you didn't actually put something in her meal"

" And how am I supposed to do that? " Anika asked with a frown. There was CCTV footage all around Fred's mansion but not inside. Fred was very discreet when it came to his privacy. So there was no way Anika could provide evidence. Besides it wasn't her job to do that, weren't they supposed to be the ones looking for evidence? She thought.

"We've met with the maid who prepared the food, searched the kitchen and though we're still investigating her, we've found nothing. Whoever did this was quite prepared" the other investigator said.

" Or was sent" Collins tipped. 

"We've checked the CCTV footage already. We didn't find that much but the fact that the workers here all leave and come at the same time."

Collins reached for a large brown file and brought out a photo. 

 " However, a certain person is exempted from this. " He said, tapping on the photo. 

" This woman here comes an hour late everyday. It's not enough to be suspicious of her but I'm curious "

Anika took a glance at Collins, "the woman in that photo recently gave birth. She's supposed to be on leave but she insists on working continuously so she was given permission to come at that time "

" Well" Collins put the photo back in," we'll have to check if that's true. In Fact we'll have to investigate every worker. Whether they serve in the kitchen or somewhere else in the mansion. For now everyone's a suspect"

_________________________________________

The sun shone brightly, casting a warm and inviting glow over everything in sight. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, with just a few wispy clouds scattered here and there. The air was fresh and crisp, with just a hint of a breeze rustling through the leaves of the nearby trees. The birds were chirping happily, and everything seemed to be at peace. It was the perfect afternoon for a walk in the park.

Serena sat on the opened grass, sweating profusely. It was a day before the grand finale of the City Chef competition. She couldn't help but wonder what would become of their journey so far as she sat there, watching the little children who were playing on the seesaw a few. Beside her was Frederick. They had just finished a cooking marathon for training and were having a quick break.

"You know, I think the park's the worst place to be in right now when we just left the kitchen. Man, the sun's burning me"

"I know right?" Frederick laughed.

Serena chuckled.

"I don't want to go back in tho. The view's so beautiful" she said with a bright smile on her face.

"I know. It's beautiful" Frederick said after a while. His voice was soft and warm. She looked over at him but he immediately shifted his gaze. The sun's rays shining brightly on him and not letting her take a proper look at him. Was he, perhaps, speaking of her?

She looked away and shook the thought away. Frederick was way too ambitious to have the time for a woman talk less of falling in love. She was probably thinking too much about it just like she had been thinking too much about him recently.

She looked at the sky again, this time her hazel eyes sparkling in the sun.

Serena opened her eyes and everything was blurry. She closed them again and opened them to find a white wall. She was obviously on a bed but where?

She suddenly felt a sharp pain and moaned.

"Serena?"

She heard Fred's voice. It was gentle and warm, just like in the flashback she had as a dream.

"You're awake" he said as he gently took her hand and placed it in his.

 "You'll be fine, I promise you"