Yvaine rolled her eyes at me while she pared an apple with a knife. ‘Shouldn’t you be more worried about yourself? Doc said your fever nearly fried your brain.’
‘I’m fine now,’ I said, though my voice was still hoarse.
It had been three days since the rescue.
The helicopter that landed on the island hadn’t been a rescue helicopter at all. It was a team of location scouts from a TV production crew, searching for a spot to film a survival reality show.
The sudden storm had blown them off their course and straight onto the island.
But as the saying goes, misfortune can be a blessing in disguise. Thanks to that storm, they had stumbled on an ideal location that wasn’t even on their list.
With their help, Ashton and I were flown out and sent straight to the nearest hospital.
I drifted in and out of consciousness on the journey, too feverish to keep track of anything. The next thing I remembered was Yvaine sitting at my bedside, her eyes red from crying.
There was an IV needle taped to the back of my hand, and every muscle ached from the fever.
But what about Ashton? His fever had been worse than mine, and his right hand was a wreck. Was he all right? Had he woken up? Was anyone looking after him?
‘He’s fine,’ Yvaine said when I wouldn’t stop asking. ‘He... left.’
‘When?’ I tried to sit up, but Yvaine pushed me back down.
‘He woke up the day before, still running a fever. He came here, saw you, then discharged himself. He’s probably back in Skyline now.’
Yvaine shrugged. ‘Looked the same. Same formidable, scary CEO energy. We didn’t talk much.’
‘Bandaged, that’s all I know.’
‘He shouldn’t have rushed out,’ I muttered. ‘He needs rest.’
‘What’s with you?’ Yvaine asked. ‘Suddenly you care so much about him? Had a change of heart?’ Newest update provided by NoveI-Fire.ɴet
I looked away. I didn’t answer because, deep down, I didn’t know myself.
The days on that island had changed something between Ashton and me, though I couldn’t say exactly what.
Besides, there was still that woman.
‘Was Lea with him?’ I asked.
‘Lea. Blonde, stunning. She was with him on the cruise ship.’
‘Was she?’ Yvaine frowned. ‘He didn’t say anything about her when he gave me that ticket.’
‘Ha!’ I jabbed a finger at her. ‘So you really did collude with him to trick me onto that cruise.’
Yvaine shrugged, completely unrepentant. ‘Yeah, I did. So what? You were an idiot for breaking up with him, and I’d be a lousy friend if I let you throw away a good man like that. He asked, I agreed. But he never mentioned another woman.’
She cut the apple into neat slices and handed me the plate.
‘Thanks.’ I picked up a slice and chewed, though it was tasteless. The bitter medicine had killed off my sense of flavour.
‘He was alone when he came to see you,’ Yvaine added. ‘No woman with him.’
I chewed slowly, lost in thought.
‘Want me to find out?’ she asked.
I should have said no. Whoever Ashton was with was none of my business. I was the one who broke things off, convinced that a man like him, too good to be true, couldn’t possibly want forever with me.
Maybe out of guilt for pushing me into that cruise, Yvaine threw herself into it. She made calls, pulled favours, and within a day, she came back with answers.
Meanwhile, I was rotting in the hospital, the doctor refusing to discharge me until my temperature dropped to a normal, human level.
Yvaine burst in. ‘You won’t believe what I found.’
She did, and she was right. It was hard to believe.
Not the part about Lea and Ashton knowing each other for years. I already knew that.
Not the part about Lea being in love with him. That had been obvious.
What shocked me was that Lea had been the one behind the sabotage at the Aureate Awards. Back then, I hadn’t even known she existed. But while married to Pierre, she had already been plotting to push me out of Ashton’s life.
‘I might almost admire her if she wasn’t trying to steal your man,’ Yvaine said. ‘You know what she did while you and Ashton were stranded on that island?’
‘She sent out rescue teams, even hired private contractors to search the sea. Fair enough. I did the same. But she didn’t stay on the ship. She flew back to Skyline while you were still missing. Turns out she runs a huge company that specialises in cleaning up other people’s messes, and she used that company to attack Ashton’s. She was trying to take over LGH while he was gone.’
I frowned. ‘Why?’ If she really had feelings for Ashton, why try to swallow his company while he was still lost at sea?
Yvaine spread her hands. ‘Don’t ask me. You know I’m no business brain. But I asked Emmett, and he said she picked the perfect moment. Ashton holds the controlling shares. He’s the brain and heart of the whole company. With him missing, chaos was bound to break out. Lea leveraged her position as his old friend and business ally and gained a foothold on the board. If Ashton died, she had a decent chance of becoming the next CEO.’
‘But why would she do that? Just for money?’
‘That’s what Emmett thinks. LGH is massive, with profits anyone would kill for. But if you ask me, I’d say she wants more than that. She’s greedy.’ Yvaine gave me a look that was half sympathy, half warning. ‘You know why Ashton left so soon after he woke up?’
‘Lea forced his hand. She told him if he wanted his company back, he had to marry her.’