“That guy was pretty handsome. I can see why you’d be tempted. Lola got lucky and hit the jackpot.” Nia’s face twisted hideously. A somewhat neurotic tone seeped through her clenched lips. “Stop talking nonsense and get to the point.”
The point, Amaya repeated to herself, her expression turning cold in an instant.
“You know exactly what I want, you smart thing.”
“There are limits to even the wildest ambitions.”
Nia sneered coldly, scoffing in disbelief. But Amaya wasn’t one to back down easily.
“Nia, I think you’re misunderstanding something. Listen carefully, because I’m only going to say this once. As I said before, if something happens to me, you won’t be safe either. That guy asked me several times who ordered me to do this. He seems pretty capable, and it’s only a matter of time before he uncovers the truth.”
A furious growl escaped from between Nia’s teeth.
“Okay, fine. I have a history of school violence, and I’ve caused trouble; I was kind of famous. So what? Don’t act like you’re so high and mighty just because you have evidence. Even if I end up in the gutter, I’m not going to take the fall alone. I want two things.”
Not one, but two.
There’s a limit to greed.
Nia was beyond speechless, she was practically suffocating.
“Honestly, I didn’t do this all by myself. So, persuade Lola to agree to a settlement.”
“That’s going to be difficult.”
“What?” Amaya glared. Nia explained calmly.
“Dylan won’t stand for it.”
“Oh, so that’s his name, Dylan?”
Nia made Amaya, who still didn’t grasp the situation, fully aware of the gravity of the situation.
“He’s a prosecutor in the special investigation department of the Lampard Central District Prosecutors’ Office. Need I say more?”
“That’s none of my business, you have to figure it out.”
“How am I supposed to figure it out?”
“You’re a lawyer. There must be a way.”
‘You crazy bitch!’
This is beyond unreasonable.
Nia barely managed to hold back the curse that was rising in her throat.
“So, did Lola die or something?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? She was injured. Badly injured.”
Amaya screamed shrilly, then glared at Nia and muttered ominously.
“Nia, you ordered it.”
“Watch your mouth!”
“Let’s not waste any more time. Get a settlement from Lola, and win the divorce lawsuit by any means necessary. If you don’t…”
Amaya paused, then laughed out loud. It was a chilling laugh that sent shivers down the spine.
“We’re going to hell together. I’m counting on you, Nia.” And with that, Amaya got out of the passenger seat, as if she had said all she needed to say.
As the passenger door closed, Nia slammed her fist on the steering wheel.
“Crazy bitch!”
She felt like she had been bitten by a rabid dog. She had no intention of fulfilling Amaya’s demands in the first place. But she had to get a settlement. Because if Amaya was caught, it wouldn’t benefit her either.
Even though it meant dealing with Dylan, the prosecutor known as a viper.
Just thinking about it made her head throb, and she couldn’t breathe properly, so it was a long time before Nia started the car.
*****
As Dylan approached the nurse’s station in the VIP ward, he saw a nurse he had seen before and strode towards her.
“Hello.”
The intern nurse, who was checking orders, looked up, startled by the sudden male voice.
“Oh, hello. How can I help you?”
Dylan, facing the nurse who asked with a professional smile, went straight to the point.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions about the patient, Amaya.” The nurse was a little flustered by the unexpected question.
“Amaya? Oh, yes. Go ahead.”
“Did anyone visit Amaya’s room today?”
“Let me see.”
The nurse frowned as if thinking hard. Then, the nurse next to her suddenly chimed in.
“A woman did visit.”
“A woman.”
Dylan’s eyes flashed sharply as he repeated the word.
He didn’t know why Nia automatically popped into his head.
“Can you tell me more about this woman?”
“But who are you?”
The nurse, whom he didn’t recognize, looked at Dylan with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. Just as Dylan was about to open his mouth, the intern nurse whispered something to the nurse next to her.
“Ah.”
Nod, nod.
Only then did the nurse’s lips part, as if her curiosity had been satisfied.
“She looked a little older.”
“Oh, right. Now that I think about it, Amaya wasn’t seen after that woman left.”
The intern nurse suddenly added hastily, as if something had just occurred to her.
If she was an older woman, it probably wasn’t Nia.
Then who could it be?
Dylan soon had another question.
“You don’t know who it was?”
“We don’t really know…”
The nurse trailed off awkwardly and shook her head.
“Was there anything unusual about Amaya today?”
“Rather than unusual, she’s been in a constantly unstable state lately. The police keep contacting her, too.”
Dylan frowned and fell into thought. But the sound of footsteps nearby prevented Dylan’s rambling thoughts from continuing for long.
“Huh? Dylan, what are you doing here?”
Andy and Tadeo, who were worried about the injured Lola and had come to the nurse’s station to find out what was going on, looked a little surprised to see Dylan.
Dylan glanced at the two of them and replied briefly.
“I have some business to take care of.”
“But are you okay?”
Dylan couldn’t help but be puzzled by the abrupt, contextless question.
“What do you mean?”
“I heard your wife was injured.”
“Yeah.”
“Was she badly hurt?”
“A little.”
Dylan’s answers were monosyllabic every time Andy and Tadeo asked a question.
It was as good as no answer at all, and the two were frustrated. But Dylan’s face looked very dark, so they couldn’t press him for details.
