CHAPTER 254: GRACIE IS CRITICAL.

"What are you doing here?" another voice sliced through the tense air.

The woman turned to see the head nurse glaring sharply at her.

"Didn’t you get the alert from room 201?" the head nurse snapped. "You are the attending nurse for that patient. Go check immediately."

"Yes, I’ll go right away," the woman replied quickly, stepping back before hurrying off.

Inside the storeroom, Zara exhaled in relief once she was out of sight. ’Thank goodness,’ she thought. ’No one saw me.’

For now, she was safe, but she couldn’t afford to let Riya grow suspicious. Then it hit her. She still hadn’t brought Nathaniel his coffee.

’’I need to get out of here first.

Pushing open the door just slightly, she peeked into the corridor. Seeing it empty, she slipped out and made her way to the cafeteria.

Inside, she spotted Liam at the counter. A quick plan formed in her mind. If anyone questioned her, she could say she had been with him all along. She walked up to him.

Liam turned, spotting her. "Hey, you here for coffee too?"

Zara nodded. "For Nathaniel."

"I already placed the order," he said.

"Thanks," she replied, leaning casually against the counter. "It was supposed to be a happy evening, but things went downhill fast. You must feel awful. It was your engagement, after all. I’m really sorry."

Liam shook his head. "Don’t feel sorry. I’m not even thinking about that now. What matters is Mrs. Grant. She needs to wake up. She is the only one who can tell us what really happened and how she fell."

Zara thought for a moment, her mind circling back to Riya. She suspected that Riya had something to do with Gracie’s fall, but without solid proof, she couldn’t make any accusations.

"There must be surveillance cameras, right?" she pointed out. "Maybe the incident was caught on video."

"I already sent someone to review the footage," Liam replied. "Don’t worry about it for now. Just have your coffee."

Their order arrived, and he handed her a cup.

"Thanks," Zara murmured, taking a cautious sip. "Where is Riya?" she asked deliberately. "I saw her walking away. Did you see her?"

Liam shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee. "I just came out of the director’s office. I don’t know where she is."

Zara hummed softly as she continued sipping her coffee, her mind racing as she wondered what Riya might be doing.

"Let’s go. Nathaniel is probably waiting."

She picked up the remaining cup and headed out, with Liam following close behind.

When they returned, Riya was sitting beside Nathaniel. Zara instinctively slowed her pace, flashes of what she had seen earlier replaying in her mind. She longed to confront Riya, to demand the truth, but she forced herself to stay calm. Any rash move would only make her seem suspicious.

Riya’s expression hardened the moment she saw Zara with Liam. She got up and held Liam’s arm sharply. "Why are you with her? I’ve been looking all over for you."

Zara bit back a scoff. ’So fake,’ she thought bitterly.

Ignoring Riya, she walked over to Nathaniel and handed him the coffee. "Here is your coffee."

"Thanks," he said, curling his fingers around the cup.

Liam stiffened at Riya’s touch, his skin crawling with disgust. Watching Zara walk away like that, something uneasy stirred in his chest. Pulling his arm free, he said casually, "I just went to get coffee."

He stepped toward Zara. "You must be tired. Let me take you home. Don’t worry. I’ll come back and stay with Nathaniel after."

"It’s fine," Zara replied evenly. "I’d rather stay here."

Liam’s attention and care for Zara irritated Riya. "You didn’t even ask how I’m doing," she complained petulantly. "I’m tired too."

Liam’s patience was wearing dangerously thin. "Then go and sit down," he said sharply.

Riya clenched her jaw. She had expected him to offer to take her home, just as he had done with Zara. But instead, he brushed her off. The thought made her blood boil.

"I thought you’d take me home," she muttered under her breath.

Liam’s scowl deepened. "Everyone here is worried about Mrs. Grant, and all you can think about is resting? Don’t you even care about your mother?"

"I..." Riya stammered, caught off guard.

Before she could recover, Zara spoke up, her tone calm but cutting. "If you really want to leave, then please do. I’m here with Nathaniel. Liam, you can take her."

That was it. Riya’s temper flared. "You think you are the only one who cares about Mom?" she snapped. "If that’s the case, where were you earlier? When I came, Nathaniel was alone. You were nowhere to be seen. Where did you disappear to?"

Her eyes narrowed, studying Zara closely, searching for the slightest flicker of nervousness that could prove that it was she who had been tailing her earlier.

But Zara’s face was unreadable, her gaze steady and burning with defiance.

"I don’t have time to wander around," Zara replied curtly. "I went to get coffee for Nathaniel and happened to run into Liam. Why am I even explaining this? We are all here waiting for news about Mom. I’m not wasting my energy accounting for every step I took or every cup of coffee I bought."

Riya opened her mouth to say something, but Nathaniel cut in sharply, "Can you both stop arguing? It’s starting to hurt my head."

Zara instantly calmed down, guilt flickering in his eyes. "Sorry...I’m not talking anymore."

Riya’s chest burned with frustration, but she forced herself into silence. She cast a frosty glance at Zara, replaying her earlier words in her mind. Maybe Zara wasn’t the one who had eavesdropped on her conversation with the nurse after all. But if not her, then who?

The unanswered question gnawed at her, stirring unease inside her.

The door swung open, and a nurse hurried out. "Mr. Grant," she called, approaching Nathaniel quickly. "Please sign the consent form. The patient needs to go into surgery immediately."

Nathaniel felt a cold dread sweep through him. He shot to his feet. "What is happening? Is she alright?"

"She is suffering from a brain hemorrhage," the nurse explained urgently. "We must operate right away. Please, sign here."

Nathaniel’s hand trembled as he took the pen, unable to steady it. Zara gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Nathaniel," she murmured, "sign it."

He hesitated, lifting his gaze toward the nurse. "Will she make it?"

"I won’t lie to you," the nurse said gravely. "Her condition is critical. She could die during surgery, or slip into a coma even if it succeeds. But there is also a chance she’ll recover. I can’t predict the outcome. What I can say is—if we wait any longer, her chances of survival will go down."

Nathaniel didn’t hesitate further. He signed his name swiftly.

"Thank you," the nurse said before rushing back inside, the door closing firmly behind her.