After waking up, Maraâs first instinct was to search for Balfourâs whereabouts. She caught the arm of an attendant in the hospital room. âWhereâs Balfour?â
Her tone was brusque, leaving the attendant feeling a tad ruffled.
Still, as an employee, the attendant tried to respond with patience. âMr. Howard has been gone since last night. He asked me to tell you to rest easy. Heâll be back once heâs done with his work.â
Mara knew that was just a polite way of saying he was avoiding her. Impatiently, she waved her hand dismissively. âOff you go, donât hover.â
âMr. Howard instructed me to look after youâ¦â
Maraâs expression hardened. âWhoâs in charge here, you or me? If I say leave, you leave. No backtalk.
Iâll call if I need anything.â
Reluctantly, the attendant left the room.
After closing the door, the attendant exhaled deeply, anticipating a more amiable patient this time, only to find another challenging one. Thankfully, Balfourâs generous pay made up for the hassle.
Having passed out from emotional turmoil, Mara now awake, began plotting her next move. She knew Balfourâs âbusy with workâ excuse was a smokescreen. He was avoiding her because of their last interaction. She needed to figure something out.
Her phone rang, and it was Seren. Mara answered with palpable annoyance. âWhat now? Didnât I already give you money? Stop calling me, will you?â
Seren was desperate, too flustered to defend herself against Maraâs accusations. âItâs not that. I mightâve upset some online friend, and now sheâs talking about suing me. What should I do? You promised to find me a lawyer, why hasnât anyone reached out?â
Mara could barely contain her frustration. âWhat kind of mess have you gotten yourself into now? I told you to play it cool online. Did you get addicted to the drama? Look, I said Iâd get you a lawyer, so just sit tight. Iâm still in the hospital, for goodnessâ sake. Canât you consider my condition for once? Youâve been paid enough to keep a low profile.â
âBut this personâs family seems really wealthy. She mentioned her family name is Merrick.â
âWhat? Which Merrick?â
Mara couldnât believe her ears. She knew the Merrick family had a daughter who enjoyed social media, but she never imagined Seren would cross paths with someone so significant. Her vision blurred as she nearly fainted again.
âItâs that Merrick! What good does it do asking now? Just help me figure out how to deal with her?â
Mara inhaled sharply, trying to calm herself. âTell me everything happened that day. Donât leave out any details. If youâre honest with me, I might be able to help. Otherwise, with the Merrickâs resources, youâre as good as gone Terrified, Seren spilled the whole story, including how she had hired a hacker Mara wanted to scream âidiotâ at her, but the word seemed too kind. It was beyond foolishness. Why did some people insist on shooting themselves in the foot?