Chapter 45
The phone rang, and Alaric was reluctant to answer. But with so many unanswered questions swirling in his mind, he picked up anyway. It was Galen.
“Was Galatea extremely busy at the hospital yesterday?” Alaric asked sharply, not giving Galen a chance to speak first.
Galen’s voice was filled with urgency as he explained, “Since the medical incident, I’ve made sure Galatea didn’t go near the operating room. Yesterday, there was a surge of patients from a brawl, and the ER was overwhelmed. Galatea spontaneously stepped in to help without my knowledge. She made the decision on her own. That’s why she was so busy. She left late.”
So, she had been caught up at the hospital until late in the evening before rushing off to Nexus Innovations at his urging.
Silence lingered on the line for a moment. Galen, sensing the tension, continued cautiously, “Mr. Knight, I’ve arranged the best room and specialists for Galatea. If you allow her to be transferred, the hospital will provide her with the finest care.”
Alaric glanced at Galatea, lying unconscious, his heart heavy with guilt. He had no intention of moving her. She wouldn’t want her former colleagues to see her like this.
“No need,” Alaric said curtly, ending the call without another word.
After the conversation with Galen, Alaric’s guilt deepened. Galatea had been right. He was selfish, inconsiderate. His thoughts drifted back to her still unconscious form, and he found it hard to even think about confronting the driver responsible for the accident. All he could do was sit by her side, hoping, wishing, that she would wake up.
Elsewhere, the phone rang again, but this time, the voice on the other end spoke with deliberate caution, “Don’t worry, it’ll look like a pure accident to anyone.”
Griffon, seated in a quiet room, remained silent. A sly smirk curled at the corner of his mouth as he listened. His eyes glinted with something darker, something hidden.
“Time for dinner. Who are you on the phone with now?” Mrs. Ravenna’s voice echoed from the dining room, snapping Griffon from his thoughts.
“Coming,” Griffon muttered, putting down his phone and heading to the dining room.
As he entered, he glanced at the sparse dinner table. Two simple dishes, with just a bowl of mashed potatoes in the middle.
“This is what dinner looks like tonight?” he remarked, his gaze lingering over the meager spread.
Mrs. Ravenna responded quietly, “It’s just the two of us. Simpler is better.”
Griffon eyed her warily, sensing an undercurrent of something more in her tone. “Who got under your skin today? You seem upset.”
That question was all Mrs. Ravenna needed. She set her utensils aside and began to vent, her voice tinged with frustration. “We used to be a family of four. Now it’s just us—so quiet, so empty. You say Orion had to join the troupe, fine. But Cormac? He barely returns from abroad, and when he does, you deliberately stop him from coming home?”
“Is it me stopping him?” Griffon shot back, his voice growing defensive. “He clearly doesn’t want to come. If he doesn’t want to be here, then fine. Let him stay away. Better yet, let him never come back!”
“Why can’t you two just talk things out?” Mrs. Ravenna’s voice cracked with emotion. “Do you bear no responsibility for this rift?”
“He’s the one being rebellious! How is it my fault?” Griffon retorted, his frustration rising.
“And why is he rebelling? Could it be because you’re too controlling?” Mrs. Ravenna countered. “Orion may be okay with mingling in showbiz as you arranged, but Cormac is different. He wants to study medicine. He hates the major you chose for him and the girls you approve of. What’s wrong with him wanting his own life?”
Griffon’s face reddened with anger. “I’ve poured my heart into planning his future and his marriage. If he can’t appreciate that, fine. But what does he do? Brings home a woman with no background—just to spite me.”
“And what about your tactics to break them up?” Mrs. Ravenna fired back. “Do you think he wouldn’t be heartbroken? Isn’t that why he stayed away for years?”
Griffon’s expression darkened, but before he could respond, she continued, her voice quieter now. “And then there’s the issue with Orion. Promised to the Knight family in an arranged marriage from the moment she was born. Look at the mess that turned into.”
Griffon’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t speak immediately. Mrs. Ravenna’s words hung in the air, thick with years of unresolved tension.
“You want to settle scores with me? Fine, get it all out,” Griffon said, his voice cold and dismissive. “Don’t keep it bottled up and then blame your illness on me.” He pushed his knife and fork aside, clearly losing interest in the meal.
“I’m just stating facts here,” Mrs. Ravenna shot back, her voice filled with pain. “You’ve been telling Orion since she was little that when she grew up, she could marry Alaric. You ingrained that idea into her mind, and now look where we are. Orion is the one who ends up hurting. And don’t get me started on Caspian’s situation. It’s utterly ludicrous.”
Griffon’s eyes narrowed, his voice steady but full of conviction. “The whole Caspian debacle was orchestrated by Mrs. Carrington herself. You can’t blame the Nash family for that. She was the one desperate to secure a legacy for the Knight family, choosing a disloyal woman to bear Alaric’s child. When it backfired, who else is there to blame?”
Mrs. Ravenna’s expression softened, a touch of sorrow in her eyes. “She wanted to keep Caspian, but there was Orion too, wanting to marry Alaric. It was Mrs. Carrington who publicly declared Caspian as the child of Alaric and Orion. It was a disservice to Orion, looking back on it.”
Griffon nodded, his gaze cold. “Mrs. Carrington was thorough. She found a woman to secretly bear Alaric’s child without any scandal. That woman’s identity remained a mystery until her death.”
“But something doesn’t add up,” Mrs. Ravenna murmured, her voice barely a whisper. “A woman like Mrs. Carrington, so meticulous, how could it have all gone so wrong? Who would dare betray her? The woman who died in childbirth—she was just as pitiful, and no answers were ever given.”
Griffon’s eyes flashed with anger. “It was that wretched liar who deserved to die. She got what she deserved. You understand that, don’t you?” His fierce, sharp gaze locked with hers, and Mrs. Ravenna recoiled slightly.
“You’re saying that, but you must never speak of this again,” Griffon continued, his voice low and dangerous. “If you slip up in front of Alaric or Caspian, you won’t be able to handle the consequences.”
Mrs. Ravenna knew the gravity of the situation. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she nodded, agreeing to keep the secret.
“I’m just saying, if I can’t talk to you, who can I talk to?” she said softly. “Let’s just never bring this up again, okay? Talking about Alaric and Orion’s issues never did any good. If Alaric wants to be with Galatea, let him. Don’t interfere with them like you did with Cormac’s girlfriend back in the day.”
Griffon, clearly done with the conversation, snapped. “Can we just eat and not talk? I’m done!” With that, he stormed upstairs, leaving Mrs. Ravenna at the table, on the verge of a breakdown.