CHAPTER 253: RIYA’S SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES

Zara watched Riya walking away, an uneasy feeling stirring inside her. She felt the urge to follow and find out what Riya was up to, but before she could take a step, Nathaniel’s voice stopped her.

"Zara, where are you going?"

Zara opened her mouth but couldn’t find a word for a moment. "I need to use the restroom."

"Wait a moment." Nathaniel then turned to the Lawson couple. "Uncle, Aunt, thank you so much for being here," he said quietly. "It’s late—you must be tired. You should head home."

Rowan nodded. "I’ll have Liam stay with you."

"Take care of yourself, dear," Hayley added gently, giving Nathaniel’s arm a reassuring squeeze. "Liam will stay and help with whatever you need."

"Thank you," Nathaniel murmured gratefully.

Once Rowan and Hayley left, he turned to Zara. "Where is Zane? I haven’t seen him."

"Don’t worry," she replied softly. "I told the driver to take him home earlier. He called a few minutes ago—said they arrived safely. Zane is already asleep."

Nathaniel exhaled in relief. "Good. At least he is safe. And Grandma? Did you tell her what happened?"

"I haven’t," Zara shook her head. "I’m not sure how she’d take it."

"Don’t tell her yet," Nathaniel urged. "I don’t want her to fall sick."

"I won’t," she promised.

But her eyes drifted toward the corridor where Riya had vanished moments ago. Her mind raced restlessly. "I’ll bring you some coffee," she said quickly.

Nathaniel nodded, his gaze still fixed anxiously on the emergency room door.

Zara slipped away down the hall. The corridor was nearly empty. Riya was nowhere in sight. Her unease deepened as she hurried ahead. "Where did she go?" she wondered.

Rounding a corner, she froze. Riya was at the far end of the hallway, speaking quietly with a nurse.

Zara instinctively stepped back, pressing herself against the wall to stay hidden.

’Why is she talking to that nurse?’ she thought suspiciously.

Zara leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of what Riya and the nurse were doing, only to see them heading away together.

"Where are they going?" she wondered, her curiosity sharpening.

She followed them quietly, her footsteps light and measured. Her pulse quickened as she noticed them heading toward the fire exit. She looked behind quickly over her shoulder to check if someone was around. But there was none.

Turning back, she saw them slipping out through the exit door. Zara followed carefully, making sure they didn’t see her.

She stopped just by the door, peering through the small glass panel to watch them. Riya and the nurse were walking down the stairwell. They suddenly turned to look behind.

Reacting fast, Zara ducked, holding her breath. ’Did they see me?’

Her heart hammered in her chest as she strained to listen. The faint murmur of their voices reached her ears, enough to know they hadn’t noticed her. She breathed a small sigh.

Snatches of their conversation drifted to her, chilling her blood.

"Name your price. I’ll pay anything," Riya was saying. "Just make sure it’s done."

Zara froze. ’She is bribing the nurse... but for what?’ She grew curious.

A horrifying thought struck her. Riya might be plotting to harm Gracie or Vincent. The memory of catching Riya adding something to Vincent’s drink flashed through her mind. Back then, she hadn’t had enough proof to expose her, and Riya had turned the situation against her. But she wouldn’t make the same mistake this time.

Zara quickly pulled out her phone, angled it toward them, and began recording.

"Take this for now," Riya said, handing over a card. "You’ll get the rest once the job is done."

The nurse stared at the card, torn between temptation and fear. The lure of money was strong, but the risk of being caught made her hesitate. Before she could respond, a sudden loud buzz erupted from her phone alarm.

The sound jolted Zara, making her drop the phone with a clatter. Both Riya and the nurse spun around instantly.

"Someone is here!" the nurse hissed, her face turning pale.

"Who is there?" Riya shouted, alarmed.

Zara snatched up her phone and dashed off, her heartbeat thundering in her chest. The sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs echoed behind her, growing closer. Panic surged through her veins. She couldn’t let them catch her. Who knew what Riya might do if she found her?

Her eyes darted wildly around the corridor until she spotted a storeroom at the end. Without a second thought, she ran inside.

The dimly lit room was cluttered with shelves stacked high with boxes and containers. Zara weaved her way between them and crouched down behind one of the shelves in the far corner.

Her breathing came fast and shallow, her pulse pounding in her ears. Every nerve in her body was on edge, focused on the sounds outside.

When the footsteps stopped right outside the door, she froze completely, hands clamped over her mouth, afraid even the sound of her breath might give her away.

"Someone was definitely there," the nurse said anxiously. "I’m sure someone overheard us." Panic flickered in her eyes. "Oh my God, what if they report us? I’ll lose my job, my license—everything! I never should’ve agreed to this. Take it back."

She shoved the card into Riya’s hand. "I don’t want your money. I’m out of this."

"Calm down," Riya snapped in a low, urgent tone. "It’s too late to back out now. Even if you don’t take the money, you are already involved. We are both in danger, and the only way out is to find out who that person was."

"But we didn’t see anything," the nurse protested. "We don’t even know who it was. It could be anyone!"

"It was a woman," Riya said sharply.

"A woman?" the nurse repeated, frowning skeptically. "How can you be so sure?"

"If you have paid attention, you would have known it," Riya grunted out, gritting her teeth. "She was wearing heels. I clearly heard the sound of heels clacking against the floor as she ran. We should keep looking. She might still be in the hospital. You check the rooms, and I’ll go look around."

Riya turned and strode away.

The nurse remained where she was, thinking hard. "Heels?" she murmured. Most female hospital staff wore flats or sneakers, never heels. So it was not the hospital staff. At this time of night, no visitors were around. It had to be someone from the patients’ families.

"It won’t be too hard to find her. There aren’t many women wearing heels at this hour."

Her gaze shifted toward the storeroom door, a steely determination forming in her eyes.

Inside the storeroom, Zara’s body trembled as her eyes fell on her heels. Panic surged through her. With Riya’s cunning nature, it wouldn’t take her long to realize who had been following them.

Fear tightened her chest.

The video she had recorded wasn’t strong enough evidence to expose Riya completely. That deceitful woman could easily twist the truth again and make her look guilty, just like before.

Zara couldn’t afford to be discovered now. Her pulse spiked when she suddenly heard the creak of the door opening. She ducked her head lower, pressing her lips together to stifle even the faintest sound.