CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 159

It was the next day, and the room was quiet except for the soft, rhythmic beeping of the hospital monitor. Cora’s eyelids fluttered open, the brightness of the morning light filtering through the blinds making her squint. At first, her mind felt foggy, but then, like a sudden rush the memories came flooding back. The fear, the struggle, the moment her strength gave out... she remembered everything that had happened before she lost consciousness.

Then her body stiffened instantly, and she jolted upright on the bed. "Don’t even dare!" she blurted out instinctively, as if the danger were still right in front of her. But when her eyes darted around, she realized she wasn’t in that horrible situation anymore. The clean scent of antiseptic, the white sheets tucked neatly under her, the heart monitor at her side, it was all the hospital.

And right there, sitting beside her bed with worry etched all over her face, was Malisa.

Cora’s voice was shaky but demanding. "Melissa... what’s going on? How did I get here? And where is that good-for-nothing Samuel?"

At that moment Malisa’s eyes softened with relief, and before answering, she leaned forward and pulled Cora into a tight hug. "Oh, thank God you’re awake... I was so worried about you," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. Pulling back, she searched Cora’s face, as if checking to make sure she was truly alright. "When I heard the news, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think Samuel would go this far. What he was planning... Cora, it wasn’t just petty revenge. It was pure evil."

Cora’s jaw tightened. Her fingers curled into fists under the blanket. "Where is he?" she demanded, her voice low but sharp.

Malisa took a deep breath before answering, her tone firm now. "Samuel is currently at the police station, he’s so done for, everything about him is gone, and any moments from now... he will be sent to prison."

At that moment, upon hearing what Malisa had just said, Cora finally let out a slow breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding. A wave of relief washed over her. She had been bracing herself for the worst, convinced Samuel might have slipped away somehow or managed to carry out whatever twisted plan he had been hatching. But now, knowing he was already in custody, she could finally feel her heartbeat start to steady.

That relief, however, quickly gave way to a flood of questions. Her mind raced back to the moments before she passed out his expression, the way everything had felt dangerous, the dread in the air. She turned her gaze sharply toward Malisa and, in a voice laced with both urgency and unease, asked, "Did he succeed? Did he... actually manage to do it? Is there a video? What’s going on with that?"

Immediately Malisa moved closer to her, her expression soft yet firm. "Cora, calm down," she said, placing a hand lightly on Cora’s arm. "No such thing happened. He didn’t succeed in any way. It’s all thanks to Oliver. He made sure nothing like that ever happened."

The name hung in the air for a moment, and Cora blinked, her brows drawing together. "Oliver?" she echoed, confusion and curiosity threading through her voice. "What happened? Did Oliver actually come at the right time? Why are you mentioning Oliver’s name?"

At that moment, Malisa finally explain why she kept mentioning Oliver’s name. She told Cora that Oliver was actually the one who saved her. He arrived right on time with the security team, bursting in before anything could happen. They were able to pull her out safely, making sure Samuel’s plan was cut short before it could even begin.

Hearing this, Cora froze for a moment, her mind replaying the last memory she had before passing out. She thought back to that short, almost rushed phone call she had made to Oliver. At the time, she wasn’t even sure if her message had reached him in time. She had assumed it might have been too late... yet somehow, he had still managed to find her exactly when she needed help the most.

The realization washed over her Oliver had acted without hesitation, as if he could sense she was in danger. That thought left her speechless for a moment. She didn’t even know what to say.

Malisa, seeing the shock in Cora’s face, continued speaking. "There’s no need to thank him too much," she said, though her tone clearly showed she respected what Oliver had done. "But you should know... if it wasn’t for him, things could have ended very differently. Maybe you wouldn’t even be here right now. Or worse... maybe those videos Samuel was planning to make would be everywhere on the internet." Malisa’s eyes hardened as she spoke the last part. "Oliver stopped all of it before it started. That alone is something worth commending."

At that moment, upon hearing what Malisa just said, Cora’s lips curved into a faint smile she couldn’t hide. She was still trying to process how something as simple as that short phone conversation with Oliver had ended up saving her life. The more she thought about it, the more unreal it felt. She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head.

"It’s strange," she said quietly, her voice carrying a mixture of disbelief and gratitude. "That little call... it was all he needed to understand something was wrong. He just knew. I’m going to thank him no, not just thank him. He’s definitely going to get the biggest hug from me."

Malisa, leaning back in her chair with folded arms, didn’t look particularly moved. "Well, that’s not even enough," she replied firmly. "You need to celebrate him even more than that. Thank him properly. Make it count. Without him, you wouldn’t be here right now."

Hearing what Malisa just said Cora raised an eyebrow, smirking at the way Melissa’s tone carried a bit too much enthusiasm. "Uh-huh... you seem a little too invested in this, Malisa. Why don’t you go ahead and thank him yourself? I know you’ve got something for him. You can pretend all you want in front of me, but I can tell,you actually like him."

Malisa immediately averted her gaze, her expression tightening as if Cora had just stepped into forbidden territory. "I don’t know what you’re talking about," she said flatly. "Stop being sarcastic, Cora. You’re starting to get on my nerves. When you were sleeping, I was enjoying my peace of mind. Now you wake up and start making my life miserable. Just... go back to sleep. The doctor hasn’t even said you can be talking this much. So go back to sleep now."