Chapter 101: The Gala V

Chapter 101: The Gala V Ewan tightened his grip around Fiona as she continued to sob against him. The gala felt alive with chaos, but his world had narrowed to just the two of them. He kept repeating the words in his mind: Fiona is innocent. He trusted her completely, not minding that he knew the two culprits were actually her closest friends. They could be acting without her knowledge! He surmised. Even if the evil acts had been done out of loyalty, it had been done in her absence and ignorance. His heart rather ached for her as she sobbed profusely. How could anyone think she would be involved in such a malicious plot? He wondered, glancing at the ladies coldly. Those two ladies were the same ones that had attacked Athena in the restaurant, and they were clearly the masterminds behind this plot too. Probably a revenge act. He thought, grasping Fiona tighter when she clung harder to him. They deserve whatever punishment there is for thinking of hurting Athena. He thought furiously, anger bubbling within him. "Fiona is innocent. Those two are lying. This is not the first time they attacked Doctor Athena actually..." He spoke finally, meeting the gazes of the people surrounding him. "They attacked her some days ago in a restaurant. I’m sure some of you can remember the recent popular video about our most cherished Doctor..." Murmurs broke out in the crowd. Of course, they remembered. "I believe they came here for revenge." He concluded, glaring at the two ladies who were wishing for the ground to open up and swallow them. "But why would they attack her in the first place? We all know they are friends with Fiona..." A guest spoke up, an actress in her late forties. "Don’t you think your fiancée might have instigated their actions in the first place? They can’t have suddenly attacked the Doctor out of the blue. But your fiancée has a reason to, considering their past relationship." Murmurs broke out again, worrying Fiona. She shook her head and sobbed harder, to the chagrin of her two friends who hated her more than ever. But Ewan shook his head. "I don’t think so. Fiona has been in the hospital for a while. She wasn’t behind this." He would do anything to protect Fiona from this nightmare, even as he held her close, trying to shield her from the glares of the crowd judging her. Amid the noise, the old man’s voice rang out firmly. "That’s okay. There’s no evidence showing Ewan’s fiancée as the culprit. Take those two away!" His words silenced the murmurs of the crowd, who thought Fiona was a snake . "They will spend at least ten years in prison for their actions." At the declaration, Fiona’s friends began to shake terribly, seeing their lives about to go waste. "We didn’t do it! Even the issue of a few days ago..." Fiona shrieked then, her voice rising above that of the culprits. "They planned it all! They wanted revenge! I didn’t want any part of it!" Her two guilty friends shook their heads, wide-eyed and frantic. They tried to defend themselves, but no sound escaped their lips, not against Fiona’s relentless attacks. Worse, the guards were already pulling them away roughly. Ewan felt a surge of satisfaction at Fiona’s fierce declaration. It ignited a warmth inside him, solidifying his conviction. He glanced at the ladies being escorted away. Their anger and disdain were directed at Fiona now, and for a fleeting moment, Ewan thought he saw a sly smirk play across her lips. It was gone before he could fully process it. "Thank you, Ewan!" She spoke, looking up to him with her tear filled eyes. He tapped her hair fondly. "It’s okay, Fiona. I’ll always protect you." When he looked away from her, he caught Athena’s gaze from across the room. Her expression was full of pity. It was like a cold slap to his face; a cold shiver ran down his spine. Why would she look at him like that? Just as quickly, she turned away. He watched her hurry over to her friends—Areso and Chelsea—who were rushing toward her, concern written on their faces. Ewan still couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Athena was friends with those two. Every time he thought he had figured her out, she surprised him again. This new side of Athena was so full of complexities, that he felt like he was only scratching the surface. "What happened?" Sandro appeared beside Ewan, cutting off the latter’s thoughts. His brow was creased with worry as he surveyed the scene. Ewan ignored the question. "Where have you been, Sandro?" "I needed some air," Sandro replied somberly, as his gaze settled on Chelsea. Ewan, noting this, sighed. Another matter he wouldn’t know about it. He would have loved to research it out, but that would be betraying Sandro’s trust. He resolved to wait till his friend was ready to talk about it. He let his gaze wander across the grand room, stopping, when he spotted Zane talking with Ethan nearby. Deciding it was best to steer the conversation away from the turmoil surrounding him, he started walking toward them with Fiona still clinging to his arm. Sandro followed him. As they approached, Ethan looked up, his face brightening with a smile. "Ewan! Sandro! Great to see you both!" "Good to see you too," Ewan replied, though his smile felt forced. "Congratulations on buying out Alfonso and Zack’s company!" Sandro exclaimed, the excitement in his voice a little palpable. "Thanks!" Ethan beamed, clearly proud. "It was quite a challenging deal, but I finally managed to close it. It feels incredible to have their business under my belt." Ewan felt a mix of excitement and confusion as he absorbed Ethan’s admission. He remembered seeing the news about it a few days ago. "What a shock," Fiona said, her surprise evident as she processed the news. "My father told me that it was Athena who bought the company." Ethan shrugged, waving her uncertainty away. "Oh, she sold it to me. It was a good opportunity, and you know how companies work—they need a real leader. A woman can’t run a company like that; she was just acting as the middleman." Ethan’s tone dripped with a patronizing sense of superiority that sent anger coursing through Ewan, but it successfully killed the suspicions the latter had earlier when he saw Athena talking with Ethan. "She is still a good leader, nonetheless." Ewan spoke, surprising Fiona, annoying her. Ethan paused, smiled thinly, then nodded. "Of course she is. She is the wonder doctor after all." Ewan held back a scoff and looked away. There was no need butting heads with his chief shareholder over some unnecessary feud that wasn’t even business related. Then he took notice of Athena. She was deeply engaged in a conversation with the old man, Mr. Thorne. How again did Athena get involved with the head of the leading family in the city? Ewan shook his head when an ache started. He should’ve accepted already that this new Athena was different in many ways. Yet could the old man be her backer? He wondered, watching her laugh at something the old man said. It would make a lot of sense. He decided, unsettled at the implication. Could Athena be that desperate? Or did she have something over the man, just like she had over Herbert? Zane’s father never spoke about his issue with Athena in details, but Ewan suspected it was something along the lines of a threat. What can she possibly be holding over this great men? Is this why she is bent on wringing me out of shape? To control me? Ewan took his lips in at the thought. He would never let himself become a pawn again. As he stared at them talking animatedly, a sudden wave of recognition washed over him, making him stop in his tracks. The old man looked so familiar! He tried remembering where he had seen those fierce eyes and firm lips, and then the memory struck him then like lightning—Mr. Thorne was the patient from Athena’s hospital! The one he had dismissed as just another face in the crowd. Oh my goodness! He remembered the event vividly. He had gone to the Whitman Hospital Headquarters with Sandro to punish Athena for humiliating Fiona publicly. And there, he had met her attending to an old man, yet he had pressed on with his case not minding that she was busy. He remembered the old man tasking Athena to come to him for help, if she was being disturbed. He remembered Athena telling the old man not to worry. He remembered discounting the old man as a frail nobody. Ewan felt heat creep along his cheeks, realizing how foolish he had been. He had mentally dismissed Older Mr Thorne! Yet, how could he have known? Thinking of it now, he realized that Athena had seemed surprised seeing the old man too. He figured out that she didn’t know the latter’s real identity too. But how could they? It was said that older Mr. Thorne has been out of the country for the longest of time! No one knew how he would look like now! He had also seen the look of surprises on the faces of the guests at the apperarance of the old man. One great personality for Athena again. Ewan thought tiredly, a bit startled afterward when the old man suddenly looked at him. What now? Did Athena tell the old man about him?