Chapter 53
Tessa stared at Yasmin with piercing eyes, as though trying to burn a hole through her.
“Yasmin, you should be grateful that I was there today. If I hadn’t intervened and Jasmine had died at the hands of the criminal, there would have been blood on your hands.”
Yasmin bit her bottom lip in silence, her face drained of all color.
At that moment, Jasmine spoke with concern, “Ms. Yates, your wound is still bleeding. You should go to the hospital to get it treated.”
Tessa had indeed been injured. Although it wasn’t life-threatening, she had lost a significant amount of blood. Her entire left sleeve was now stained red.
She ignored Yasmin entirely, turned around, and left the law firm to go to the hospital.
After having her wound treated, Tessa went to pay for her medication. As she turned a corner, she ran into Wendy.
Wendy’s face tightened with displeasure as she asked coldly, “Tessa? What are you doing here?”
It surprised her to see Wendy in Rivertown with Zachary. Then again, it made sense. Zachary always took Wendy with him wherever he went. Coming to Rivertown, he was unlikely to leave her behind in Haverford.
Not wanting to waste words on Wendy, Tessa stepped around her.
Wendy glared at Tessa’s retreating figure, her expression filled with resentment.
“Tessa, you truly are a ghost that haunts me,” Wendy thought.
Almost instantly, her mind drifted to Zachary.
They hadn’t finished their trip to Rovanya when Zachary suddenly booked a flight to Rivertown. Was it because of Tessa? Could his injury from last night also be related to her?
The more she thought about it, the tighter Wendy clenched her fists.
…
Stephen called the moment he learned from the news that there had been an incident at Shelton Law Firm.
“Tess, I just saw on the news that there was trouble at your firm and that someone was stabbed. Are you okay? Where are you right now? I’ll come find you.”
Carrying a bag of medication, Tessa spoke into her phone while waiting for the elevator. “I’m fine. I’m at the hospital where you’re admitted. I’ll stop by your room to check on you.”
Stephen sounded anxious. “Are you hurt badly?”
“It’s just a cut on my arm, a minor wound that will heal in a few days,” Tessa replied in a calm tone. When the elevator reached Stephen’s floor, Tessa stepped out and walked into his hospital room. Stephen’s eyes softened with concern when he saw the bandage on her arm.
“The injury looks serious,” he said, his concern evident in his expression.
Tessa glanced at Stephen’s face.
Her wound was bandaged and hidden, yet he still seemed very distressed. If the doctor hadn’t cut off her sleeve during the treatment and Stephen saw that blood-soaked sleeve, wouldn’t he have been even more frantic?
“You really do need a bodyguard,” Stephen said firmly. “Being a lawyer is a high-risk profession. I can’t feel at ease without one protecting you. Don’t refuse, Tess. I don’t want anything like this to happen again.”
Tessa pressed her lips together and gave a faint hum of agreement.
Stephen gently took her hand and spoke in a warm tone. “I’ll find two skilled bodyguards to protect you closely.”
“One is enough,” Tessa replied. “Today was an unusual situation. It’s not usually this dangerous.” Stephen insisted, “I still won’t feel comfortable with just one.”
“Fine,” Tessa relented, looking at him with a hint of hesitation.
“But… I have to go to work. Bringing bodyguards to the office might interfere with my job,” she said.
“That’s simple to address. I’ll speak with Shelton’s top executives about setting up a security room in the office. The bodyguards can stay there discreetly, posing as security personnel.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that. After this incident, the firm will likely pay more attention to ensuring the safety of its lawyers,” Tessa said with a nod.
Her gaze fell on the laptop sitting on Stephen’s bedside table.
She frowned slightly, concerned. “You’re still working while hospitalized? You should rest.”
“There’s an important matter in the company that requires my supervision. I wouldn’t feel comfortable
leaving it to someone else,” Stephen said.
“Even so, you need to take care of yourself,” Tessa said, her voice filled with concern.
Her unexpected concern softened the look in Stephen’s dark eyes. They softened with warmth as he replied, “I will.”