Chapter 2 On the Record

"What the hell are you trying to prove by showing up like this?" Gavin demanded.

I ignored him and walked around him. Then, I set the oxygen tank down hard on the conference table.

"Weren't you the one who told me not to drop the ball? Doesn't showing up sick prove how dedicated I am to the company?" I shot back.

Just then, Audrey Wayman, the director of the client company, walked in with her team.

Audrey paused when she saw me, her brow furrowing slightly at my sickly state. "Ms. Finch, what happened to you?"

Gavin reacted quickly, immediately putting on a smile. "I'm so sorry you had to see this, Ms. Wayman. Seraphina has a pretty bad cold, but she takes her work seriously and insists on giving the presentation herself."

He kicked me hard under the table and shot me a warning look as soon as he said that, violently signaling me to start talking.

I said nothing. Instead, I opened the PowerPoint and picked up the presentation remote.

The presentation began, and everything went smoothly for the first 10 minutes.

However, I could feel the pounding of my heart becoming more laborious by the second. As time passed, every beat came with a searing, crushing pain.

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead and dripped onto the keyboard.

"As for the projected conversion rate for this fourth version of the proposal, we based our estimate on—"

I didn't finish the sentence as my vision suddenly went black. The voices around me seemed to fade into a vacuum.

When my heart seized, I heard someone cry out, "Seraphina!"

My legs gave out the very next second as I collapsed with the chair, crashing hard into the conference table.

I fell onto the cold floor.

Before the darkness took me, I saw Gavin's face, drained of all color and filled with fear.

…

When I woke up, the first thing that hit my senses was the sharp smell of disinfectant filling my nose.

I forced my eyes open and found myself staring up at the stark white ceiling of a hospital room.

An IV cannula was taped to the back of my hand, while the heart monitor beside me emitted a steady beeping sound.

"Sera, you're awake?"

A familiar face leaned over me.

It was Tessa Vance, my best friend of 10 years.

She was a partner at one of the city's top law firms and usually carried herself with fierce efficiency. But she now had a desperate grip on my hand as she trembled with rage.

"The doctor said your heart rate was barely detectable when they brought you in. You would already be in the morgue if they hadn't gotten you here in time."

Tessa gritted her teeth as she growled, "Where is that bastard Gavin Bright? I'm going to tear him a new one."

I managed a weak smile as I whispered, "Then, you'll end up in jail too. He's not worth it."

Just then, the hospital room door was shoved open. A panting Gavin came rushing in with a basket of fruit in his hand.

He visibly relaxed when he saw that I was up. Unfortunately, that relief didn't last very long as his face quickly betrayed a mixture of irritation and calculation.

"Seraphina, you really outdid yourself. You pulled that stunt right in front of the client."

Gavin set the fruit basket down heavily on the bedside table. He didn't even bother asking how I was doing before getting straight to the point.

"Do you know what happened because you suddenly passed out? Ms. Wayman was furious and called off the entire project. The company is now at risk of breaching our contract. Do you think you can afford to take responsibility for that?"

Tessa's eyes turned cold. She was about to ream into him, but I gently squeezed her hand, signaling her to hold back.

She understood immediately. So, she quietly stepped half a pace back, slipped her hand into her pocket, and pressed the record button.

I looked at Gavin, my voice hoarse. "Mr. Bright, I asked for sick leave. You were the one who refused to approve it."

Gavin shamelessly replied, "I was testing you. How was I supposed to know how serious your condition really was?"