Chapter 3 Who's the Culprit?

[Diana’s POV]

“That stupid cunt… that idiot! How could she? I didn’t anticipate this. I hate this feeling,” I muttered, biting my lip hard as I stormed into the elevator.

“M-Master, please don’t bite too hard! You might tear into the silicone gel again, just like last time,” my maid, Stella, said nervously, hurrying to catch up as we exited the elevator.

Her words made my cheeks flush with embarrassment, but it was already too late. I’d bitten down too hard, and blood now trickled from my swollen lips.

I stepped out of the mansion and entered the car waiting outside.

“Take me to the plastic surgeon immediately. After that, we’re going to see my attorney,” I ordered sharply. “And why are you even using this crappy car today? It’s three years old!”

“About that, ma’am… I was informed by the big boss not to use any of the new cars for now. She said they’re reserved exclusively for her. We were told to use any of the older ones instead,” the chauffeur replied.

My bleeding lips parted in disbelief. Strange things were happening today, and for the first time, I felt genuinely threatened.

“Y-You mean Layla told you that? And you actually listened?! Why would you obey such nonsense? How does she expect me to ride in an old car, oh my goodness!” I groaned, rubbing my temple in frustration.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I can’t go against orders from the top. Not even you can. Besides, this car isn’t that bad, it’s still fairly new, only a few miles on it,” the chauffeur said coolly, his serious eyes meeting mine through the rear-view mirror.

—

[Layla’s POV]

After Diana left in a rush, it didn’t take long for Rudy to return. Upon hearing I was back from the hospital, he came straight to my apartment. He now stood before me—tall, standing about 6’5”, with blonde hair, brown eyes, and a lean but muscular build.

Though I appeared calm, fear still churned inside me. The memory of him stabbing me was etched deep in my mind. To make matters worse, Rudy was currently the strongest fire quirk user after my father’s death.

“Layla, I heard you came back from the hospital and didn’t go through with the surgery. And now, you’ve filed a lawsuit against them for false diagnosis? How can you be sure of that?” Rudy asked, crouching before me. The image of that blade sinking into my flesh flashed in my mind again, making me swallow hard.

It still didn’t make sense. Rudy and I had grown up together after my father adopted him, we never hid anything from each other. Even in my past life, when I went through with the surgery, he seemed completely unaware of the scheme. Yet, in the end, he stabbed me. None of it added up.

“I… I just had a feeling. Call it intuition,” I replied quietly, forcing composure. “Besides, I was planning to get re-tested at two different hospitals before you came in.”

“I see… then you should do that. I’ll escort you, and if this turns out to be true, I’ll destroy whoever’s behind it, trust me. By the way, who’s this?” Rudy asked, pointing at the guard behind me.

“That’s Eric. He’s my personal guard now,” I answered.

“Good choice. I think I remember him, he’s competent,” Rudy murmured, eyeing Eric with a hard stare. “Dude, if you mess up, I swear I’ll burn your balls to a crisp and slit your throat afterwards,” he threatened, a cold glint in his eyes.

“Y-Yes, sir!” Eric choked out, swallowing hard.

I didn’t understand. Why was he acting like this? At this point in my past he hadn’t betrayed me, so what would make him do it later? What could drive him to that point…?

“Let’s go to the hospital. Why are you lost in thought?” Rudy snapped, snapping his fingers before my face.

“N—nothing,” I stammered.

“All right, if you say so. Do you need me to help you up?” Rudy asked, offering his hand. I stood quickly, stylishly declining the help.

The three of us left the estate and drove to a hospital I picked at random. We were fortunate: a specialist on duty agreed to see me. After about an hour of waiting and paying the consultation fees, the doctor examined me and ran several tests for lumps.

“Ma’am, here’s your report. Good news, you don’t have cancer, nor any signs of developing it. Put your mind at ease,” the doctor said, handing me the paper before leaving.

Rudy and I exchanged looks; he snatched the report from my hand and scanned it to confirm.

“This is insane…let’s check another hospital,” Rudy said, shock on his face.

We went to a second hospital. Same result, no cancerous cells detected. Back in the car, Rudy’s eyes burned red with anger, a vein throbbing at his temple. Even though he was still loyal to me at this point in the past, I couldn’t stop feeling nervous and wary; he wasn’t someone I could easily control.

“Tell me, Layla. Who did this? Who’s behind it?!” he demanded, his voice low and dangerous.