Reclaiming Her Heart

Selena barely kept it together.

The woman lost it the second she hit the living room. "I'm done with this house! Give me my money back, now!"

Anyone would freak out after what she went through, especially living solo. Seeing all those cameras? Yeah, she's probably scarred for life. Selena, now a bit calmer, tried to soothe her. "I'm so sorry, I had no clue either. I was freaked out too. I'll refund you. I'm not selling this house."

The woman was still sobbing, but seeing Selena's pale face, she knew Selena wasn't lying and quickly wiped her tears. "Sorry, I thought you did it on purpose, like you were into some shady stuff. I shouldn't have cursed you out, but I can't handle this house."

The woman stood up, still dizzy from the scare.

Selena nodded. "I'll call the bank and get your money back."

Seeing Selena wasn't gonna argue, the woman bolted out of there like the house was haunted.

Selena was just as freaked out. Anyone who saw that would get chills.

She gave the cops a quick rundown and then headed back to Ashbourne Manor, where she immediately got a high fever.

When people get scared like that, it happens, especially with all the stress she's been under. She was wiped out and got sick.

In the end, Fiona had to take her to the hospital.

Selena barely managed to text the company execs, saying she was in the hospital and couldn't make it to the office. She told them to hit up Ann if they needed anything.

After sending the message, she passed out.

Meanwhile, over in Vistalia, Raymond was chilling by the hotel window. It was morning, and he had just opened the window.

It was drizzling outside, and a rainbow popped up in the sky.

He couldn't help but grab his phone. It had been on airplane mode for days, and he hadn't answered any calls.

He turned off airplane mode and saw a ton of messages. But he ignored them all, only checking Selena's message asking where he was.

Grinning, he snapped a pic of the rainbow and replied playfully: [Guess.]

If she kept up with financial news, she'd know where he was.

After sending the pic, he shot another message: [Selena, isn't it beautiful?]

Selena didn't reply, so Raymond figured she was still asleep because of the time difference.

Raymond: [I miss you, but I won't be back for a few more days. Got a lot going on here.]

Raymond: [I really want to kiss you.]

After sending that last one, he felt super embarrassed and quickly deleted it.

His face got hot, probably because it was the first time he sent something so cheesy. He fanned himself with a nearby document.

Once his face cooled down, he grabbed his phone again and sent another message: [Wait for me to come back.]

This one was way more chill.

There was a knock on the hotel door, and that familiar flirty voice came through. He felt super annoyed.

From the first day he landed in Vistalia, this woman had been on his case. Now she even found his hotel. He frowned and immediately called hotel security to get rid of her. Two hours later, Raymond had to head to more meetings at Vertex Automotive Group's building, but John called him. "Mr. Montague, Ms. Cooper is sick and in the hospital."

Raymond's steps toward the meeting room froze, and his heart skipped a beat. "What happened to her?"

John replied, "She seems to be exhausted and has a fever."

Raymond said with a stern face, "Got it."

After hanging up, Raymond called Victor.

Victor simply replied, "The fever's down. She had a high fever last night but is better now. No big issues."

Only then did Raymond feel a bit relieved, though he still felt uneasy. "Victor, please take good care of her. While she's in the hospital, I'll have meals delivered to her three times a day. Make sure she eats; she might forget if she's busy with work."

"Okay," Victor replied and tossed his gloves into a nearby trash can.

After hanging up with Raymond, he dutifully went to Selena's hospital room.

Selena was leaning against the wall, typing on her laptop.

Victor said, "Raymond just called, asking you to rest well."

Selena's fingers paused. Hearing his name right now made her feel a bit reassured. She replied with a soft nod.

Victor continued, "He's still dealing with some stuff abroad and will be back in a few days. He asked you not to overwork yourself."

Victor poured her a glass of water as he spoke, "Ms. Fair, don't make things difficult for me. He told me to keep an eye on you."

Victor's presence was always so subtle. His gentle demeanor and robotic efficiency made him seem emotionless. He appeared kind but was actually the coldest one. He did exactly as Raymond instructed.

Selena took the water he handed her, accidentally brushing his fingers. His hand slipped, and the water spilled onto the blanket.

A large part of the blanket got wet. He quickly pulled it off, worried the water would spread to her.

But Selena, burning with fever, was wearing thin clothes. She hadn't expected him to pull off the blanket, so she hadn't buttoned the top three buttons of her shirt. A corner of her bra peeked out from her shirt. Victor's expression changed, and he immediately turned around. "I'll get a nurse to change your blanket."

Selena felt incredibly awkward from his actions, rubbing her temples as her headache worsened. 'What a mess.'