"Oh-oh I… I just guessed, you know. Hey, I mean, they're in love, and she always wants to be with him, so whatever, I just guessed that she was on her way to him as per the usual." Ivan shuttered as all eyes were on him.
Aurora rolled her eyes before turning back to Paris.
"This was so unexpected; I'm really sorry." James said, sounding deeply concerned.
"The doctor said her AC was poisoned, and in fact, her car was sabotaged." Orion said in between teary breaths.
"Sabotaged? How?" Mrs. Jade gasped, staring hard at Orion.
"Exactly what we asked! Her car is burned! Jade, who did this?" Aurora shouted, crying.
"Why not involve the police?" Ivan asked, stepping forward.
"Shh!" James snapped immediately, startling Ivan. Confused, Ivan withdrew from his former position.
"Can we still proceed with the photo shoot?" Orion asked after a long, awkward silence.Aurora turned to him, shocked and confused.
"Photo shoot? Are you being real?" Mrs. Jade snapped, already angry.
"Chill out, I'm just saying, okay? We've spent a lot already, so are we just going to throw it away? After all, the doctor said we can take her home in about three hours, meaning she'll be fine by then, correct?"
"Can you shut up? Just shut up already!" Aurora shouted, standing up to Orion's face."Talking about some dumb dinner party, or what's it called? A photo shoot when our daughter is laying here almost dead!!"
Orion raised his hands in the air to surrender. Hold on… dinner party?
Paris tweaked immediately; she does, in fact, have a dinner party planned. Pain or not, she must leave this hospital. Whoever sabotaged her will pay in full after the dinner party.
Ignoring the excruciating pain she felt, Paris moved her neck to the side before gently pulling off the oxygen mask on her face.
"Paris! What are you doing?" James shouted, rushing at her. Aurora and Mrs. Jade shifted their attention from Orion to Paris in the blink of an eye. Ivan stood, very unbothered.
"What are you doing, Paris?" Aurora asked in sheer panic.
"Relax mom." Paris whispered painfully.
"What's going on? Do you feel better?" Orion asked, squeezing his eye brows in worry.
"I have a dinner party to host." Paris muttered, to the complete amazement of everyone.
"Dinner party? Paris, are you being serious? Of all the things in the world to do, do you want to host a dinner party? Who else do you want to invite? Stephan? Doesn't he know you are in the hospital? Paris, please; I don't want to hear it." Aurora hissed.
"Mom, I'm fine, but you see that dinner party; I must host it tonight." Paris insisted, barely able to move.
"Paris!" Mrs. Jade snapped, handing herself her dreadful stare from Paris.
"Paris, are you thinking? What's your problem?" Aurora continued, already pissed off.
"Listen, if that's what she wants, then let her have it. She's already in pain; let her be." Orion inputed. The whole room paused to stare at him.
Seconds lingered into minutes, and the minutes into longer minutes, before Aurora decided to break the silence.
"Fine! Someone please call the doctor; let's leave this place." Aurora said.
*THREE HOURS LATER*
"Is the chair comfortable?" Aurora asked, wheeling Paris into the house in her wheelchair.
"Yes, mom," she replied briskly.
Aurora glanced at the clock,
'5:32'
"I need to take a shower; do you need anything?" Aurora asked, pushing Paris up the stairs to her room.
"No mom, I'm fine."
"Alright, I'll take a shower and maybe a nap before dinner. If you need anything, call me." Aurora said, pecking Paris on the cheek.
"Okay, mom, I love you." Paris said this before Aurora walked out.
Paris sat, staring herself in front of her mirror in a wheelchair. How the fuck did she wind up this way? A harmless prank on her parents turned into an accident. Or are her parents behind this? No! Why would they be? They were busy planning a pre-wedding photo shoot for her. But who else has access to her car? Her parents won't do it; her maids won't; those fucking Leonards! Whatever bullshit they have going on will be exposed after the dinner.
Determined, angry, yet excited about her dinner, Paris wheeled herself to her closet and pulled out her blue sweatshirt and sweatpants. She wheeled herself back to her bed, arranged the clothes on her bed, and then placed her jewelry on it, next to the outfit.
Deep breaths later, she wheeled herself to the shower. After struggling to take her clothes off, the battle of bathing began.
After lifting herself from the chair, she sat down on the raised tiles, where she bathed.
After bathing, she wheeled herself to her bed before slumping in it. She picked up her phone and set her alarm for '7:40' before drowning into a much-deserved sleep.
*7:44*
The endlessly annoying buzzing of the phone under Paris's pillow finally woke her up. She pulled in her wheel chair, where she got dressed, before wheeling herself downstairs, one staircase at a time.
"Welcome, ma'am," her maids greeted, each busy with the set-up for dinner.
"Five minutes early!" Orion laughed as he and Aurora ascended the stairs.
"You'll get a reward, my good man." Paris laughed as well.
'Ding dong'
"Go get the door; it must be the Leonards!" Paris ordered the maid, who scrambled to the door.
"Paris," Mrs. Jade called, running in, full of concern.
"Take your seats, everyone!" Paris shouted, dodging the hug Mrs. Jade had coming to her.
The families sat down and bowed their heads for prayers.
"Amen!" They all shouted in unison, already digging into the meal.
"I hope you feel better." James softly patted Paris's shoulders.
"I'm fine, thank you," Paris replied with a strained smile.
'Ding dong'
A maid ran to the door and opened it widely.
The table froze as the guest walked in. Paris held a long, satisfied grin on her face as she glanced between the guest and her mother. Aurora stared, mouth agape.
"Paul?"