Chapter 407
Chapter 407
Stella was miffed, but I refused to probe further.
The fact that Russel and Karina were working together irked me, but it wasn’t enough to drive me up the wall and demand an immediate explanation.
After Stella left my house, it wasn’t long before Russel showed up, looking a bit anxious.
“Rena!” Upon seeing me, Russel quickened his pace towards me.
I hadn’t expected him to arrive so quickly; he should’ve been at work at that time.
My parents, seeing Russel return, immediately asked, “Russel, have you had lunch yet? Are you hungry? Should I heat up some food for you?”
Russel looked conflicted, shaking his head, “I’m not hungry. I just came home because I needed to talk to Rena about something.”
“Then you two chat.” My dad didn’t think much of it and took my two kids out for a walk.
The nanny also left, leaving Russel and me alone in the house.
He began to explain his work situation with the same reasoning as before; he was drawn to the hospital due to various factors. As for Karina, they worked in different departments, and their chances of meeting were slim.
The reason Karina had his phone with her earlier was due to a general hospital meeting where they had happened to bump into each other, and he had accidentally left his phone behind, which Karina had picked up.
So, when I called, Karina was the one who answered.
It was an absolute coincidence, but the anxious concern in Russel’s eyes was real. I looked at him for a while and asked, “Swear to me that there’s nothing going on between you and Karina that you’re keeping from me and that you haven’t been in contact with her behind my back.”
Russel paused, giving me a strange feeling that something was off.
He then chuckled, “Are you worried that I’m having an illicit affair with her?”
“Not at all. As you know, I wouldn’t mind if you were with another woman,” I said honestly.
The smile on Russel’s face faded, “You know I only want to be with you.”
“Let’s get back to the point. What’s going on between you and Karina?” I steered the conversation back to the main issue.
This time, he didn’t hesitate and swore, “I swear, there’s absolutely no secret contact between us, and I haven’t done anything to betray you. If I lie to you, then I will
be struck down!”
His words were heavy. I wanted to stop him, but then I thought, “If Russel really has nothing going on with Karina, then what is there to be afraid of?”
Since he had gone this far, I couldn’t press him any further. After a brief chat, I let Russel get back to work.
I wasn’t sure if I could trust his words. After all, he wasn’t much better than Neil.
Men are always good at hiding their intentions.
But for the time being, that was all I could have done. I still held a piece of evidence against Karina, and if anything went wrong, I had leverage over her.
Little did I know that I would have needed that leverage sooner than expected.
Due to Karina’s heroic act of saving a life, the hospital was planning to hold a commendation ceremony for her, which Russel was also supposed to attend. That ceremony would have also honored other outstanding medical workers. The hospital staff could have brought their families for the occasion as well.
Russel assumed I wouldn’t have gone and merely mentioned it in passing.
I agreed immediately, which surprised him.
“Neil’s parents will probably attend too,” Russel said as we drove.
“I know. They’ll definitely go,” I replied calmly, sitting in the passenger seat.
Karina was keen on gaining the approval of Ryan and Faith, Neil’s parents. So, for a commendation ceremony like that, she would have surely tried to have Ryan and Faith attend and witness her moment of glory.
The event was well-attended, and the lights were bright since it was an evening event. Everyone’s hair seemed to shimmer in the light.
I easily spotted Neil in the crowd, holding his son, Hiram. They looked like a picture-perfect father and son duo, and their connection with Karina drew much attention.
Ryan and Faith stood nearby, occasionally playing with Hiram. Both wore smiles, looking happier than before,
They didn’t show any resentment in such a setting. Even if they had to act, they would do it well.
After all, Karina was Neil’s girlfriend and they even had a child together. She was likely to marry into the Whitmore family in the future. If they could have enhanced –her reputation before that, it would have been beneficial for the Whitmore family.
“Let’s sit over there,” Russel suggested, pointing to a spot far from where Neil and his family were.
nodded and followed him. As far as I could have told, Neil’s family hadn’t noticed me.
Once we were seated, I started playing with my phone, waiting for the ceremony to start. Today, Karina was the star of the show, but she was nowhere to be seen. She was probably preparing for her big moment.
Russel occasionally chatted with his colleagues. Just as the ceremony was about to start, he was called away for an emergency patient in his department.
He turned to me, “I have to attend to this. Are you okay here by yourself? Or do you want to head home first?”
Russel didn’t want me to stay there because Neil was also present. But I had to be there because I had something to do.
With a smile, I reassured him, “It’s okay, I’ll leave if I get bored. You go do your thing.”
Hearing my response, Russel glanced anxiously in Neil’s direction before nodding reluctantly and leaving.
I was seated at the far left, with Neil and his family on the far right. So, they hadn’t noticed me even as the ceremony was about to start. That made me feel rather relaxed.
Especially when it came to Ryan and Faith. Sometimes when they tried to strike up a conversation with me, I didn’t know how to respond.
“Ms. Finch, you’re here too?” To my surprise, Karina noticed me. She was dressed in a white lab coat, her hair pulled back into a simple ponytail and she wore glasses. She looked very professional.
“Russel invited me,” I replied casually.
“Really? Where is he?” Karina asked, looking around.
–
“He has got things to handle.” I said, not in the mood for idle chatter with Karina. My sole purpose today was to make sure she fell flat on her face.
Karina was oblivious to my intentions. She probably thought she had covered her tracks impeccably, with no room for errors.
She settled into the empty seat next to me, then pointed towards where Neil was seated. “I’ve always thought those hospital awards ceremonies were a bit of a farce, but Neil insisted it was important to him. He even brought along Ryan and Faith.”
I gave a noncommittal glance in their direction, then nodded lightly. “Yeah, good for them to witness your heroic acts of life-saving deeds.”
