Chapter 40

Kara’s POV

*

“Thank you for meeting with me here.” I got up and shook Andre’s hand immediately he got to my table. We had decided to meet at a small cafe not far from the hospital after I told him about Stephano’s case. I had to leave immediately Stephano took a nap because he wouldn’t release my hand or stop staring at my face.

“Of course not, Kara. I’m only doing my duty. So, tell me more. You sounded rushed and panicked over the phone.” He smiled and then his face morphed into a serious expression as he motioned for me to tell him about it immediately we sat.

“So, have you checked the CCTV?”  I rushed out and fiddled with my fingers.

“Yes....I called the technical manager immediately and our security team is now looking into it. So please tell me, what exactly is wrong with him?”

I shrugged. “The report for the test conducted on him states that he was drugged and right now, he’s at John Bruce hospital. It’s pretty serious.”

Andre’s eyes widened. “John Bruce? That’s a psychiatric hospital. Jesus!” He whisper yelled and rubbed his chin with a deep frown etched on his face.

“Yes. He’s no longer aware of his environment. All he recognizes is….me.” My voice grew shaky again as I remembered how he clung to me when the nurses tried to calm him and sedate him. It had been scary, to say the least.

“That’s serious.” He heaved a deep sigh, “and sadly this has taken a toll on you.” He muttered in a tone elaced in concern.

“I know, right?”

“Yes...”

“I just tol-” his ringing tone blared to life so he excused himself to pick the call, focusing on staring at his watch while I just watched him. “Talk to me. What do you have? Oh really? That’s great. Get the team leader to contact me and also let the welfare department head know about this. Word must not get out, is that taken? Okay.”

He smiled and nodded gently at whatever the person was saying. I couldn’t help but stare a bit longer than I probably should when I remembered the intimate position he had been in with Mimi the other day. That look in his eyes that day, I knew that look. It was one of longing.

He longed for Mimi. He loved her!

It was evident that he loved Mimi so much and was also really protective over her and his son. That was something Stephano would really do because I had seen him looking at me like that times without number. But why weren’t Andre and Mimi together? Mimi never told me what transpired between herself and the father of her son, except that they had a little issue and she had to leave him.

She had never mentioned Andre in a way that depicted he knew him elsewhere or acted strangely whenever he visited or came to deliver a message as per on his boss’s orders. Maybe I had just never noticed it because I didn’t link them together. Mimi and Andre? Let the ship sail!

Could she have been acting strange that night at the house party because she had seen Andre? Come to think of it, she had bumped into me and Paul, looking so upset and as if she had been trying to get away from someone.

Maybe he was the person she had been running away from. But what could be the issue with the-

“Kara, are you with me?”

I blinked and the small smile remained on my lips. “Yeah. I’m with you.”

He smiled gently. “I have good news. Great one, in fact.”

I sat up eagerly, warmth already spreading around my chest at the several options of good news he could probably have.

“Please, tell me.”

“We have something on the coverage from last night. Boss’s drink was spiked by someone when he was working late night, at around six pm. The bad news though, is that the person is still unknown. This man is not a worker in the company. He is into tech because he evaded all the CCTVs somehow till he got to the kitchen, and later into boss’s office. Mr. Alfonsi’s coffee maker is an elderly woman and had already left to run a little errand before he ordered for the coffee. So apparently, after the machine delivered the coffee from his kitchen and the drug began to make effect, that was when the culprit made himself known and he was wearing a hoodie. The culprit also didn’t leave a fingerprint so it will be a bit hard to trace him.”

“That’s bad...” I scrunched up my nose in a grimace and my hope slightly deflated. At least now we had an idea about the person that spiked his drink. “Now we have another tangle here.” I sighed.

“I know. The tape in the camera situated in that kitchen was destroyed last night and that was why the security agents couldn’t look into it. I don’t think this is a mere coincidence.”

“Then how were you able to identify their image and know it was a man that...that spiked his drink?” I asked in slight confusion, my voice trembling as I mentioned the spiked word.

“There’s a hidden camera in every room, department and floor. The main cameras are the ones that everyone sees but there are others that are not fixed in just anyhow places. This is not larger than a speck of sand but...”

“But what?”

“They’re very sensitive and contain up to a hundred receptive senses. Also, the culprit’s body frame will give them away.”

“Wow.” I breathed at the incredulity of this whole situation. “So when you get him...” I trailed off and chuckled. This was a first but at least we were making progress, and that made me happy. Finally the culprit would be caught and he would be convicted for his crimes.

Andre chuckled at my excited expression. “Yes. He’ll be brought in. I promise.”

“But why him? What could Stephano have done to that person? Why would he want to run him mad?”

Andre choked on his breath as his eyes almost bulged out. “Mad? Is there something you aren’t telling me here, Kara?”

Silence befell our table and I gnawed on my lower lip. I didn’t exactly go into the details about Stephano’s state of health when we conversed on phone.

“Well, yes. The drug actually affected him so much and he’s just been acting weird. He keeps mumbling to himself, saying something I have no idea about.” I shuddered.

“What were his words?”

“He keeps saying he wasn’t the one that did it, and that the person was coming for him but that he was only safe in my arms.” I breathed the last few words out slowly, my visions blurring when I remembered Stephano’s painful expression because the doctor had tried to pull him out of my arms. Or rather, pull me out of his large arms.

“I need to brief the security department on the seriousness of this issue. This is no longer a rat and cat chase!” He grinded out with a scowl.

Nodding, I watched him get to his feet. “I would love to spend more time with you milady but there’s a criminal we have to put behind bars.”

“Thank you so much for this. Stephano would really be grateful.” He smiled. I struggled to present a smile as free as his but we both knew I couldn’t, so I managed to curl the sides of my lips up a little.

“Take care. And please, my boss is a strong man but he needs you. Take care of him.” Nostalgia filled me as my vision slightly blurred. I placed a palm over my mouth in time for a sob to get blocked over my lips.

“I will.” My voice was muffled.

Andre nodded again. He gave me a shoulder pat and left.

I returned to the hospital in time to find out Stephano was just waking up and looking around frantically like someone who had been confined and wanted to escape their confinement. “Stephano, I’m here.”

“Kara.” He smiled as I hurried towards him. His eyes were bright. He looked around him with a confused face then looked back at me as if he wanted to say something but then he started shaking his head frantically.

“Stephano.” I placed my hands on his chest with all my might, pressing him down. “I am here, you’re alright. Please calm down.”

He kept shaking his head. “He said he will come for me. He is....it’s him...he’s coming Kara…” He drawled like he was far too tired to pronounce the words correctly. His scared expression made him look miserable. My heart broke into a million places.

“Stephano calm down. I’m here. Your Kara is here. Should I get the doctor?” I cried out in frustration when he kept shaking his head. If he continued, he would get a stiff neck. He held my hands tightly, preventing me from leaving him so I took that as a response and sighed tiredly. He was aware of my presence around him. “I’m here baby, I’m not leaving you.”

My heart increased its beating rate, slamming against my ribcage. I just called him baby and it felt so right on my lips. I giggled weirdly at the realization. He heaved a soft breath out and then relaxed. Slumping into my chair beside him, I rested my head on his chest and willed the tears to drop.

When I remembered that the person who did this could still be out there somewhere, walking freely in the streets without having to run for his life, anger bubbled up within me.

“We’ll get him. And after confessing, he’ll be put behind bars.” I gritted with clenched jaws. I looked up at him, raising my head from his chest but he was already staring at me, a small smile on his face. Quickly, my eyes darted to his big right hand in mine.

This strange feeling crawled up my guts slowly as I looked back up at him. It was like Stephano was conscious, but he was only conscious whenever I was around him while every other person looked weird to him; like they were from another universe, aliens.

He hadn’t mentioned anything but my name since I brought him here.

“Kara.”

“Yes Stephano.”

“I love yo-”

Someone banged the door, frightening me for a second. I calmed a bit but then my heartbeat spiked up when nervousness filled me for reasons totally unknown to me when I saw the person that just barged in. I had called his younger brother after he got here but I didn’t call his mother.

“My goodness, Kara what is this? Why didn’t you call me since this happened?” She marched towards us with panicked stricken expression.

“I called his brother… I didn’t want you to be too troubled.” I explained, watching her clutch her chest as if in pain.

“Well of course I would be!”

“I know. He’s better, have you seen the doctor?”

“No.” Engulfing me in a hug, she tried to do the same with Stephano but he moved closer to me and looked at her with nothing but fear in his eyes. He always cowered like this whenever someone was with us. He viewed them as threats. It scared me. “Stephano, she is your mother. She won’t hurt you, okay?” I gently told him. He merely stared, eyes wary.

“How did this happen? Gesu!”

“This was how he came home last night and h-he—” my eyes widened a little when a thought crossed my mind. He did give me a paper last night but asked me not to tell anyone about it —anyone, including my mom or his. “He started acting weird.” I mumbled.

“I need to see Doctor Shane right away. What is this and why didn’t I get a call from Pierce?! I’m sure he knows what’s happening, being his personal doctor. You people never tell me anything!” She ran out.

“Stephano. Stephano....” I mumbled his name repeatedly because I didn’t even know what to do anymore.

His mother came back after about fifteen minutes. She looked glum, probably due to the effect of the news she’d just received. I remember looking worse than this when I heard too.  “I’ll be back, Kara. And I think I’ll come over here more often because I need to spend some time with my son.”

“I understand. It is needed.”

I bit the insides of my cheek. She gave Stephano a longing look but didn’t try to move too close, as if she knew she would be rejected. The thought alone tore at my heart. I didn’t want to imagine my own child rejecting my loving and comforting embrace.

“Take care of him. He cares a lot about you and I need my grandchildren before my teeth start falling off, so help the doctor nurse him back to health Kara. I can see he keeps nuzzling into your warm bosom.” She gave me a warm but sad smile. Scarlet flooded through my cheeks as I stared at her in mortification. She didn’t just say that, did she?

She chuckled and patted my cheek. “Just kidding honey. I need to go see someone. He has me very concerned now.”

She hugged me and left. Holding onto Stephano’s hand, I got lost in my own thoughts. Did he really care that much about me that I was the only one he wasn’t shying from? I looked down at him and true enough, he was nuzzling into my bosom as if sniffing my breasts through my top.

A bit frightened but also ignoring the tingles of desire that accompanied the thought, I pushed him on his back so he would go back to his sleeping position.

“Let’s get some sleep.” I mumbled and rested my head on one hand that was placed beside his shoulder in a horizontal position.

*

The next chapter, I'll be revealing the culprit and Stephano should be getting back to himself soon. I know you've all missed him, I have too.

❤❤