The young Master's little prey

Suspicions

Chapter 18

In a hospital ward, Dr. Travis, instructed by Timothy, had been advised not to disclose any details about the patient’s health to anyone except Davis or the elder Devalor himself. Upon entering the ward, he was confronted by two corporately dressed men, making it difficult for him to identify the correct Mr. Davis. 



“ How is my wife doctor”

One of the men, Robert, inquired. The doctor, mistaking him for Davis, 

Looked at the other man, a look of apprehension on his face.



“Mr. Davis, can I speak to you in private?” Dr. Travis requested, to which Robert, confused, clarified, “You must be mistaken, my name is Robert, I’m her husband.” Feeling relieved that he hadn’t openly breached protocol with the Devalors, the doctor still deemed it necessary to have a private conversation with Robert as to not make the man suspect a thing. Meanwhile, Davis, the butler, quietly observed the interaction from a distance.



Once Dr. Travis returned with Robert, the latter approached the bed where his wife, Elizabeth, lay unconscious. The butler stood up to keep a watchful eye on Robert, aware that he could potentially be a threat if Elizabeth’s condition were due to foul play, with the news that Elizabeth could have been taking in something harmful from the house, Davis didn't have any reasons not to add Robert to his list of suspects. 



Pondering the circumstances of his wife’s unfortunate accident, Robert finally blurted out what had been troubling him. 



“Where was my wife going to before the accident?” he asked, his curiosity piqued and the butler alert to his next words. The butler quickly fabricated an answer: “She was heading to one of her boutiques in town D.” This was based on Elizabeth’s earlier mention of a text she had sent to him, which he hoped would substantiate the lie. 



“Without any guards? Not even her driver?” Robert pressed on, sounding unconvinced. Sensing Robert’s suspicion, the butler remained silent, refusing to provide further clarification. 



“How come you’re the one with her then?” Robert accused, turning his gaze toward the butler. “You had an errand to run, didn’t you?” This accusation brought pause, as Robert felt that pertinent information was being withheld from him. He scrutinized the butler’s impassive expression, trying to determine if he was being deceived. 



“I happened to cross paths with her at the time of the accident,” the butler replied, yet his words lacked conviction as Robert struggled to discern the truth. The tension in the room escalated; Robert’s feelings of concern for Elizabeth mingled with mounting distrust towards the butler. 



As the minutes passed, the air became thick with unspoken truths and hidden agendas. Dr. Travis's adherence to confidentiality placed him in a precarious position, balancing professional duty and the anxiety of a husband desperate for answers. Robert, grappling with conflicting emotions, was caught between the urgency to uncover the truth and the frustration of receiving inadequate explanations.



He felt the need to question him not just for Elizabeth’s accident but also Davis's integrity to him as his butler. With the butler’s obfuscations and Robert’s suspicions swirling in tension, the atmosphere grew in unsaid layers of disloyalty, deception, and the unknowable depths of human relationships amidst crisis, all leading to an uncertain resolution.



"You can go home now," he finally said. "A maid from the house will be staying with her." Robert said, expecting the butler to move, but Davis remained firm, his expression revealing his determination not to comply. 



“Sorry sir, I cannot comply with your orders this time,” Davis humbly stated. A thick silence enveloped the room as both men stood locked in a stare. Davis seethed with anger, unable to express his feelings. His thoughts raced about Elizabeth's safety; he knew he would gladly bring the dead body of the man before him to the elder if anything happened to her. Robert, on the other hand, anticipated Davis's refusal. Having graduated from being Elizabeth's personal bodyguard to her butler, Davis had been trained to resist orders especially if her safety was in the line. Robert was relieved by his refusal to leave, as it meant that Davis wouldn't discover Judy's departure immediately. This would grant Robert more time to locate the girl should she not return.



The two men continued to stare at each other, the tension thick in the air. Finally, Robert broke the silence. “All right, someone will get her necessary things from the mansion and yours too. Do let me know if anything is needed.” With that, he exited the room. Davis wanted to reject the man's offer; he knew that the elder of Devalor had already made provisions for the necessary—and unnecessary—items. However, he restrained himself, understanding that both he and the elder needed to wait for the test results. Until Elizabeth's health was assured, they could not take drastic measures.



Settling down on the bench, he pulled out his tablet to check the location of Judith. The device still indicated that she was at the Wilson residence. He recalled that Judith had never been particularly fond of remaining home. However, considering she hadn't seen her mother the entire night, wasn't she supposed to be concerned?





***

Meanwhile, Judith awoke to the gentle rays of sunlight streaming through the partially opened curtains of her room. Confused, she wondered when she had fallen asleep. After a long night of restless tossing and turning, weighed down by sadness and confusion, she felt disoriented. Thoughts swirled in her mind about the different times throughout the night that she had wondered if her mother had returned home and that she might have heard about her own departure. 



As she lay in bed, Judith tried to piece together the events from the prior night. Was her mother worried about her?, The uncertainty left her feeling even more unsettled. The weight of her choices pressed heavily on her conscience, each tick of the clock amplifying her anxiety.



In the stillness of the room, the sunlight offered a stark contrast to the turmoil within her. Judith yearned for clarity, for answers to her questions, and perhaps more than anything else, she longed for the comfort of her mother’s presence, hoping that soon she would see her again and that everything would return to normal. But for now, the silence and the uncertainty hung in the air like a fog, leaving her alone to navigate her thoughts and fears.