Lemira pressed her lips together. "That's not what I meant. I was trying to..."
"I don't care what you were trying to do. Let me be clear: you are in big trouble now. If something happens to my mistress, you'll have to face the consequences!"
The butler's tone was grave. After speaking, he walked aside to make a phone call and report the situation.
Lemira sat down on a nearby bench. She hesitated before calling Orion, but the call went unanswered.
The night was deep, and her heart sank with it.
Lemira took out her phone to text Orion. She struggled for a long time, unsure what to say, finally typing out a single line: [I'm sorry. I think I made things worse. I saw your grandmother, and now she's in critical condition. Please come to the hospital.]
After sending the message, she was left to an agonizing wait.
Lemira kept vigil outside, eventually falling asleep on the bench.
When Orion arrived, he found Lemira sleeping alone on the bench. He walked over and draped his jacket over her.
He knelt in front of her, gently brushing her hair back from her face.
Just then, the butler hurried over.
Orion glanced at the butler and held up a hand for silence. He stood and moved a short distance away, asking in a low voice, "How is she?"
He had heard on the way that her condition had stabilized, so he hadn't let the news spread to the rest of the family to avoid them all rushing over in the middle of the night.
The butler glanced at the sleeping Lemira. "She's stable now, but she was doing quite well today until she saw Ms. Langston. She became extremely agitated, and it was nearly fatal."
Orion looked at his grandmother lying in the ICU.
He frowned. "I thought we agreed to see her tomorrow."
"She woke up this evening feeling better and said she wanted to see her alone."
"What did my grandmother do? What did she say?"
Orion then turned and lay down on the small sofa in the room, trying to get some rest. It would be dawn in a few hours anyway.
Just as dawn was breaking, Lemira woke up.
She only remembered sitting on the bench. When had she gotten back to her room?
She pushed herself up and saw Orion on the small sofa. His long legs had nowhere to go, making him look rather pitifully curled up.
She watched him for a moment. She hadn't expected him to actually come.
She got up, took a blanket, and draped it over him.
In the next second, Orion's eyes snapped open. He grabbed her wrist, his gaze dark and still.
Lemira blinked. "Orion, you..."
Before she could finish, the man sat up and kissed her, his lips pressing forcefully against hers.

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