Chapter 17 Huge Trouble
The second Lorenzo laid eyes on her, his entire body went rigid. His hands clenched at his sides, jaw tightening with barely restrained fury. That woman. He still hadn’t forgotten what she’d done at the doctor’s convention. He was ready to confront her, to make her pay for what she’d done to him.
Esther froze, her grip on Lorenzo’s arm faltering. Her eyes darted nervously between Astra and Lorenzo. ‘What the hell is this bitch doing here?’ Her heart pounded. ‘She’s not going to expose me, is she?’
Frantically, she grabbed Lorenzo again, wrapping her arms around his waist with a trembling voice. “I’m scared, Lorenzo... What’s she doing here? She’s going to kill me!”
Astra’s gaze didn’t flicker. Her voice was cool, businesslike. “You paid me millions. I’m here to fulfill the deal.”
Esther snapped, “You tried to kill me! I don’t want anything to do with you!”
Astra narrowed her eyes at the other woman. “She’s such a liar,” she muttered under her breath. “If she spent half as much effort acting in movies as she does in real life, she’d have an Oscar by now.”
Then she stepped forward, eyes locked on Esther. “If I don’t cure you today, you’re free to kill me.”
Esther bit her lip, panic twisting in her stomach. ‘She knows I’m not sick… then what the hell is she doing?’
Astra turned to Lorenzo. “I’ll cure her. But you’ll transfer the remaining amount today.”
Lorenzo’s cold gaze didn’t waver. “You cure her first. Then you’ll get your money.”
Esther’s lips curled into a smile. Confidence surged back into her expression. ‘So she’s after money like every other doctor.’ Her mind raced. ‘She’ll drag this diagnosis out, milk Lorenzo for money, and by then, I’ll find a way to marry him. Once I’m his wife, I’ll kick her to the curb.’
She pouted and murmured, “Alright, Lorenzo. If you trust her, then… I’ll do it.”
A soft smirk played on her lips. ‘If I don’t want to be cured, then who can cure me—no matter how much she’s paid?’
Lorenzo’s eyes locked onto Astra. “Get started. You can use anything in this hospital—whatever you need to cure her.”
Astra gave him a brief look and replied calmly, “I won’t need anything.”
She walked to the bed, set a sleek black case on the side table, and opened it. From inside, she pulled out a syringe and filled it with a clear liquid.
Esther’s eyes widened as she watched the syringe fill with a clear liquid. Her entire body stiffened. “What… what is that?”
“Poison,” Astra answered flatly, not even sparing her a glance.
“Poison?!” Esther shrieked, her face going pale. Then, catching herself, she quickly lowered her voice and looked at Lorenzo. “You’re… you’re going to let her poison me?”
“It’ll cure you,” Astra said calmly. “You said you have blood clots. This will dissolve them and help your condition. It’s dangerous for healthy people—but for clot patients, it’s very effective.”
Esther went completely still. ‘I don’t have any clots… how can she cure something that’s not there? So if I take this injection, it’s going to poison me?’
Fear surged through her and she grabbed Lorenzo’s hand. “Lorenzo, I—Let’s not do this. Please. I’m scared. I don’t want the injection.”
Lorenzo walked up to her, his expression softer now. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but before he could speak, she gripped his wrist tightly with both hands, trembling.
“It’ll be alright,” he said in a calm, reassuring tone. “You’ve suffered so much. Let her help you.”
Astra stepped forward, the syringe ready, but just as she was about to pierce Esther’s skin, Esther shoved her away with force.
Astra stumbled back, and the syringe slipped from her hand, clattering to the floor.
Lorenzo’s brows furrowed in frustration. He caught Esther’s arms. “What the hell are you doing? What’s wrong with you?”
Esther’s whole body shook. She clung to him, voice trembling. “Lorenzo, last time Astra treated me… I already felt better. I don’t have clots anymore.”
Lorenzo’s face hardened. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m cured,” Esther whispered, eyes cast down. “I’m not sick anymore. I lied, Lorenzo. I’m sorry…”
His fists clenched, veins taut with rage, but he didn’t yell. He turned his head slowly, locking eyes with Astra.
“You had treated her,” he said through gritted teeth. “If you knew she was already cured, why the hell did you insist on giving her the injection?”
Astra picked up the syringe, and casually sprayed some of the liquid onto her own palm. Lorenzo stepped forward in a panic.
“Are you insane?!” Lorenzo stepped forward, grabbing a bottle of water to pour it over her hand. “That’s poison!”
But Astra held up her hand calmly, showing him her palm. “It’s just water.”
Esther’s eyes widened. “You lied to me?!”
Astra gave her a cold, deadpan look. “How else was I supposed to get the truth?”
Then she turned to Lorenzo. “I’ll expect the rest of the payment in my account by this evening, Mr. Moretti.”
Then she turned, grabbed her box, and walked away. But Lorenzo stood there frozen. His heart beat erratically.
‘Why does she smell like that?’ He stared after her, something in him unraveling. ‘That scent… it’s the same. Exactly the same as the woman I slept with two years ago.’
He spun on his heel and bolted out of the room.
“Lorenzo, wait! Please!” Esther scrambled to her feet, chasing after him, but he was already gone.
Outside the ward, Xander had been leaning against the wall, watching everything unfold. As Astra passed by, he muttered under his breath, nose wrinkling, “If Mrs. Moretti were half as smart as this woman, she wouldn’t have ended up getting played by a scumbag like my boss.”
The very next second, Lorenzo stormed out of the room.
Xander nearly yelped in surprise, stumbling back, barely catching himself before falling.
“Where did that woman go?” Lorenzo barked, glaring at him.
“Th-that way, sir!” Xander stammered, pointing quickly.
They both took off in that direction.
Lorenzo ran out of the hospital, scanning the area, but Astra was already gone. He sighed in frustration and turned back inside.
But as he turned the corner, he came to a halt.
There she was.
Krystal.
Walking straight toward him, completely distracted, eyes glued to her phone. She didn’t see him. Didn’t notice how frozen he was, how his breath caught in his throat.
She walked right into him—headfirst into his chest.
She stumbled back, but before she could fall, he caught her by the waist, strong hands steadying her.
She looked up, startled, her body tensing.
She had already changed out of her clothes and ditched the mask—no one would recognize her as Astra now.
‘Thank God I packed a change of clothes before coming here,’ she thought with relief in her eyes. ‘Otherwise, this Cactus would have chased me down five blocks again.’
“What are you doing here?” Lorenzo's deep voice cut through her thoughts, his brows drawn in a hard frown.
“Work,” she muttered, trying to pull herself out of his arms.
But he tightened his grip on her waist, keeping her against him. His towering frame made it impossible to ignore him.
"What work? You never went to med school. What exactly are you doing at this hospital?"
Then a thought crossed his mind. His jaw clenched as his hand shot out, grabbing her face and lifting it up to face him roughly.
"You came here for that damn boyfriend of yours?" he ground out.
She blinked, confused—then it clicked. “Damion?”
His eyes darkened.
She pulled his hand off her face, yanking herself free from his grip on her waist. “I’m not with you anymore. It shouldn’t matter to you.”
That only made him angrier. His hands fisted at his sides, barely restraining himself.
“Why are you relying on other men when I already gave you a black card? Isn’t that enough for you?”
She looked at him in confusion, and then the memory resurfaced. He was talking about that card he’d given her when they’d recently signed the papers and he had asked her to come to grandpa’s retirement party.
She let out a slow breath, keeping her voice calm. “I’m not your wife anymore. I don’t use it. I’ll return it to you.”
She turned and started walking away. The farther she got, the more his thoughts spiraled. Panic and frustration built up inside him until he couldn’t take it anymore.
"What do you want?" he shouted. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you!”
She halted. Then slowly, she turned and walked back to him.
"You’ll give me what I want?" Her voice was soft but piercing.
He nodded, uncertain.
She yanked him down by his tie, pulling him close until her lips were just inches from his. Her voice came out like a whisper, dripping with pain.
“I want you. The whole of you. Will you give me that?”
Lorenzo froze.
He didn’t say a word. He just stood there, stunned, breathing hard.
She let go of him, the cold air rushing in between them.
Her voice cracked, barely audible. “Since you can’t… I won’t stay with you anymore.”
She turned again and walked away, leaving him standing there. Lorenzo could barely breathe.
Xander approached a moment later, tense and alert.
“Find out what she’s doing here,” Lorenzo ordered quietly, his tone grim. “There’s no way she’s working here just for money.”
Xander hesitated, then muttered, “Mr. Moretti, could it be... for you?”
Lorenzo narrowed his eyes and turned to him. “What?”
Xander cleared his throat, stepping closer and lowering his voice. “Mrs. could’ve worked at any hospital in the city, but she chose this one. She must’ve done it to see you… to be near you.”
Lorenzo’s heart gave a painful jolt.
His brows drew together as thoughts raced through his mind. “If it weren’t for what happened two years ago…”
Xander cut him off with uncharacteristic boldness. “Mr. Moretti, that was two years ago. And Ms. Esther’s fine now. Maybe it’s time to stop looking backward and think about yourself.”
Lorenzo’s face softened, a flicker of vulnerability breaking through his stern features.