Page 63 of No Mane, No Gain
“Mr. Amato?” the doctor asked, her face grave. “I’m Dr. Smith. We’ve run some tests on Ms. Russo.”
Chaos nodded, bracing himself for the worst.
“It appears Ms. Russo was drugged,” Dr. Smith continued. “We found traces of a powerful sedative in her system. If she had ingested any more, the consequences could have been... severe. We need to know if this is some type of accident or if the police need to be involved.”
The words hit Chaos like a physical blow. Drugged. Someone had deliberately tried to harm Olive. His Olive. His mate.
“But she’ll be okay?” he managed to ask, his voice hoarse.
Dr. Smith nodded. “Yes, she should make a full recovery. We’re keeping her overnight for observation, but you can see her now if you’d like.”
As Chaos made his way to Olive’s room, his mind raced. Who would do this? And why? A cold, sinking feeling settled in his gut as one name rose to the forefront of his thoughts.
Tia.
His sister’s jealousy and pettiness had reached new heights, but this... this crossed a line he never thought she’d dare to cross.
Chaos paused outside Olive’s room, taking a deep breath to compose himself. He couldn’t let her see his anger, not now when she needed him to be strong.
Olive lay in the hospital bed, looking small and fragile against the stark white sheets. Her eyes fluttered open as he entered, a weak smile spreading across her face.
“My furry, sexy, lion,” she murmured.
Chaos rushed to her side, taking her hand in his. “Olive, I’m so sorry. I should have-”
She shook her head, cutting him off. “Not your fault. Unless you’ve been secretly dosing my drinks to get out of dancing with me?”
Despite everything, Chaos couldn’t help but chuckle. Even now, Olive’s humor shone through. “You caught me. It was all an elaborate ruse.”
Olive’s smile faded, her expression turning serious. “Chaos, what happened?”
He hesitated, not wanting to burden her with his suspicions. But they had promised honesty, no matter what. “The doctor says you were drugged. Someone... someone put something in your champagne. Since you only took a small sip, it only knocked you out, but had you had the full glass. You could have died. They’re wondering if it was an accident or on purpose.”
Olive’s eyes widened, a mix of shock and understanding crossing her face. “Tia,” she whispered.
Chaos nodded grimly. “That’s what I’m thinking too. But I promise you, Olive, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. And when I do...” He trailed off, his jaw clenching.
Olive squeezed his hand. “We’ll handle this ourselves. Tell the doctor it was an accident.”
He reared back. “Are you sure? This is serious. You could have died.”
She gave a sharp nod. “We don’t need the police to deal with your sister. We can do this.”
As Chaos left the hospital later that night, his resolve hardened. It was time to put an end to Tia’s games once and for all. As it was, Olive was giving her a lifeline by not involving the police.
The next morning, Chaos strode into AmTech’s headquarters, a man on a mission. He found Baxter in his office, hunched over his computer.
“Baxter, I need a favor,” Chaos said without preamble.
His friend looked up, concern etched on his face. “Of course, man. Anything. How’s Olive doing?”
“She’s recovering,” Chaos replied, his voice tight. “But I need your help to make sure this never happens again. I need you to get me the surveillance footage from last night’s gala.”
Understanding dawned in Baxter’s eyes. “You think it’ll show who drugged her?”
Chaos nodded. “I have my suspicions. But I need proof.”
Baxter cracked his knuckles, a determined glint in his eye. “Consider it done. Give me an hour.”