“What happened?”
“He tried to leave,” I blurted, my throat tight. “He got up, saying we needed to leave, and I couldn’t stop him.”
Dorothy’s expression softened, though her hands moved steadily over him. “It’s his condition,” she said. “It can cause disorientation. He’ll settle. He’ll be fine.”
They were already checking his pulse and administering medication. I stumbled back, feeling helpless. Dorothy glanced at me. “Wait outside.”
I moved without a word, my eyes never leaving Rodion. As I reached the door, the other doctor spoke. “His blood pressure has dropped, and his vitals are unstable.”
The words felt like a blade shoved through my heart. I opened the door and stepped out, pressing my back against the wall, trying to steady my breathing. I had seen him struggle before, but this looked even more serious. Fear clawed at me, tears slipping down my cheek. My chest tightened with a terror I couldn’t shake.
Chapter Forty-five
Alessia
I had packed a fewnecessities that Rodion would need for his stay in the hospital, especially now that he was going into surgery. I only came to grab his things, take a shower, and catch my breath. Since yesterday, I’d stayed by his side, dozing off in a chair beside his bed. If it had been anyone else, they would never have allowed me to remain there so long.
Having everything I needed, I left Rodion’s quarters. Viktor was waiting outside to drive me back to the hospital, where I would also meet Carina. She had left the mansion this morning, promising to stop by.
Halfway to the exit, I saw Clara coming from the west wing, a bucket in her hand. She looked in a hurry, and from somewhere deeper in the mansion behind her came noises I couldn’t place. The house was too big to know what was happening in everyroom.
“Clara?”
She turned to face me and managed a faint smile. “Hey.”
I walked over. “Is everything okay? What’s that noise?”
Her shoulders lifted with a sharp breath. “I have to clean up a mess in the boss’s office.”
That caught my attention. I couldn’t help but wonder who was in Rodion’s office and what kind of mess Clara was referring to.
“Wait.” I stopped her before she could move. “What mess? Who’s in the office?”
“Matvet,” she said, and walked off.
He wasn’t in the hospital when I left this morning, so I headed toward the office. His voice echoed through the hallway as I approached. The door was ajar, just enough for me to hear him giving orders in a cold, furious tone.
I edged closer to the door. Through the gap, I caught sight of someone’s feet, stretched out on the office floor. I pushed the door a little wider, and the scene came into view. A man sprawled across the carpet, blood spreading beneath him, seeping into a slow pool. A gasp tore from me, my hand flying to my mouth as panic gripped me.
“Make it quick!” Matvet barked and tossed the phone onto the table before cursing under his breath. His eyes met mine again as he tightened his grip on the walking stick and started forward.
“What…what happened?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. His phone rang again, and he picked up. He listened in silence, then said, “Introduce another dialysis.” My brows pulled together. His voice stayed colder. “Someone in that damn hospital leaked information. Until I find them, no one goes into that room except you. Not the doctors. Not the nurses. Am I clear?”
Okay, what was happening? Everything was fine when I left the hospital.
He continued. “If we have to move the boss, then we will. Let me remind you, he is the boss. And if anything happens to him, you’d better believe a lot will happen to you.” He warned before he ended the call.
Fear settled in my chest. I had never seen Matvet like this. And if Rodion was the subject, the situation was serious.
“Matvet?”
He lifted his head from the phone, his stare locking on me as though he just remembered I was still standing there.
“I don’t want anyone in that hospital for now.” He declared.
“Why? What happened?”