"Hello, Mr Thompson. It's been a while. How is coding world?" Marcus said to a well-known programmer as he returned to the grand hall, joining the party casually and cheerfully like he wasn't up to something evil.
The party continued in full swing at every corner and Alexander was pulled away by an eager business partner.
"Mr. Grey, just a moment of your time..." The man insisted, leading Alexander toward a quieter corner.
Emily stood awkwardly, feeling out of place among the sea of affluent guests.
Then, a bartender approached her with a tray of wine glasses.
"Wine, miss?" He offered with a polite smile.
"Yes, thank you." Emily accepted a glass, hoping it would calm her nerves.
She took a large gulp, savoring the rich taste. But within seconds, something felt wrong.
Her throat began to burn.
"I need water." She muttered, scanning the room.
But as she tried to navigate through the crowd in search for water, her vision started to blur. The burning in her throat intensified with each passing moment.
"Excuse me, Is there any water?" She whispered to a passing waiter.
"At the refreshment table, miss." He pointed vaguely to her left.
Finally, Emily spotted a water bottle on one of the tables and grabbed it desperately. She drank greedily, but the burning sensation only grew worse.
"Something is wrong... very wrong..." Her heart beat faster as she tried to steady herself against a nearby pillar.
"I should scream for help..." She thought, but quickly dismissed the idea.
"No, I can't cause a scene here. I need to get out..."
Her legs felt heavier with each step as she stumbled toward what she hoped was an exit. The room seemed to spin around her.
"Miss Hart? Where do you think you are going without informing me?" Alexander's voice from behind her stopped her.
Emily turned to face Alexander, trying to form words, but her throat wouldn't cooperate. She grabbed at her neck, panic rising in her chest.
Alexander's stern expression quickly morphed into concern as he studied her face.
"What happened? What is wrong?" He demanded, stepping closer.
Emily opened her mouth to respond, but darkness enveloped her. Her knees weakened and she wobbled.
"Charlotte!" Alexander's terrified voice echoed as he caught her falling form.
Emily felt herself being lifted, heard his rapid footsteps and panicked voice but she couldn't react to anything.
"James! Open the car! Now!" Alexander shouted to his driver who was already rushing forward.
"Sir, should I call an ambulance?" James asked, opening the car door.
"No time! Drive. To my family hospital." Alexander snapped, cradling Emily to his body tenderly.
"Charlotte, don't you dare leave me... Not again... Please, Charlotte, stay with me..." Alexander pleaded desperately and passionately.
His words faded as Emily slipped into unconsciousness, but not before she registered the name he kept repeating.
~~~~~~~~
At the hospital, in the VIP ward;
Emily laid still on the white bed, with Alexander clutching her hand desperately.
"Charlotte, please... I can't lose you again..." Alexander whispered, his usual commanding presence replaced by something raw and vulnerable.
"Not like this... not again..."
Then Dr. Maxwell appeared in the doorway, quietly observing the scene with growing concern. After a moment, he cleared his throat.
"Alexander, we need to talk. In private." His voice was gentle but firm.
Alexander reluctantly followed Maxwell into a quiet corner, his eyes constantly darting back to Emily's unconscious form.
"You need to snap out of this." Maxwell spoke carefully.
"That young woman isn't Charlotte. If she wakes up and finds you behaving this way..."
"But she is-" Alexander began to protest, his voice strained.
Then the ward door burst open as David Hart rushed in, looking worried.
"Emmy! My baby girl!" He hurried to her bedside, taking her hand in his.
"What happened to her? Why isn't she waking up?"
Alexander stood frozen, watching the tender scene unfold. Maxwell looked at him meaningful look, as if to say 'I told you'.
"She is stable now, Mr. Hart. The doctor in charge has run some tests and..." Maxwell was trying to assure David as he approached the bed but stopped abruptly as Emily's eyes fluttered open slowly.
"She is awake! Doctor!" David called out excitedly.
Alexander walked closer to the bed.
"How are you feeling now, Miss Hart?" Alexander asked, his demeanor was completely transformed then--- cool, professional and distant.
"Better..." Emily replied weakly, her throat still sore.
"Thank God." David heaved a sigh of relief and hugged her.
~~~~~~~~
Later, when they were alone in the ward, Emily couldn't help but notice the change in Alexander.
Gone was the man who had caught her before she could fall and carried her. In his place stood someone rigid and detached.
"Mr. Grey..." She began carefully, her voice still raspy.
"I think... I was poisoned. The wine I took from that bartender..."
Alexander's breath caught slightly, but his face remained impassive. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the back of a chair.
"That is a rather silly assumption, Miss Hart." He cut in coldly.
"Who would poison anyone at such a gathering?" He demanded.
"But something was wrong with that wine-" Emily insisted but got cut off again.
"Who would want to poison someone like you at such a high-profile event?" He emphasized, intentionally.
Emily felt the words like a physical blow and her cheeks burned with humiliation.
"Of course, I'm nobody. So how did I end up in the hospital then?" She demanded, bitterly.
Alexander tightened his jaw, clearly not liking what he was doing.
"The doctor said you had a panic attack." He announced.
"What?" Emily stared at him in disbelief.
"I've never had a panic attack in my life! Why would I suddenly-"
"These things happen, Miss Hart. Perhaps the environment was... overwhelming for you" He interrupted curtly.
Emily became silent, studying his expressionless face. There was something in his stance, a tension that spoke volumes.
The way he was gripping the chair and, how his eyes wouldn't quite meet hers.
"You are lying." Emily stated inwardly, narrowing her eyes as pieces of the puzzle began to form in her mind.
"And I am going to uncover every single thing you are hiding, Mr. Grey!"