Chapter 534: Fugitive
Daniel hurled the tablet across the room, shouting furiously, “Damn it! You bitch!” The tablet crashed against a glass on the cabinet with a loud bang, startling Vienna awake. Still half-asleep, she rubbed her head and tried to sit up. But before she could fully open her eyes, Daniel seized her by the hair and slapped her hard across the face.
Vienna fell back onto the bed, clutching her cheek in pain, her voice trembling as she pleaded, “Mr. Ortega, what’s wrong? Weren’t we happy last night? Why are you hurting me?”
While furiously getting dressed, Daniel spat back at her, “Shut up! You’ve ruined everything! If I find out I’ve caught AIDS because of you, I swear I’ll kill you!”
Vienna froze, her sobs turning into quiet whimpers as she curled up, too terrified to respond. It wasn’t until Daniel stormed out of the room that she began to piece together what might have gone wrong.
For the next two hours, Daniel went through every possible medical test, desperate for answers. Only when the results confirmed he was clean did he finally relax and leave the hospital.
“You look like you’ve had quite the scare,” a voice remarked, breaking the silence. Daniel turned sharply and scowled at the source—Irving, a disgraced former member of the Southwells, now reduced to a fugitive without even a wolf to his name.
Daniel shot him a contemptuous glare. “Another Southwell? What bad luck!”
Irving wagged a finger as if correcting him. “No, no. I’m no longer a Southwell. Besides, I’m not your enemy. I might be just the ally you need. Don’t you want to know who’s scared you so badly?”
Daniel listened with skepticism, his brows knitting together as he fell into deep thought. While waiting for his test results earlier, he had gone over the news again.
As Irving had pointed out, Vienna’s scandal—her illness and connections to wealthy benefactors—should have been the main story grabbing everyone’s attention. Instead, the narrative shifted when several influencers started sharing old photos of Daniel and Vienna, turning him into the talk of the town.
What frustrated him even more was that the Sanders were now aware of the situation. Freya had bombarded him with dozens of accusatory messages not long ago, leaving him restless. The more Daniel thought about it, the more it seemed like the entire fiasco had been orchestrated.
He glanced back at Irving, suspicion coloring his expression. After a moment, he squinted and asked cautiously, “Are you implying that Benjamin is the mastermind behind this? Does he have the resources and influence to coordinate every major media outlet in the city?”
“Why should I trust you?” Daniel asked with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
Irving stood tall, exuding confidence as he replied, “Because you should. Haven’t you heard the saying? The enemy of your enemy can be your ally. Surely, you see the logic in that.”
Lost in deep thought, Daniel narrowed his eyes slightly. Irving was now a fugitive, seeking refuge with Daniel to use him against Benjamin. That hardly mattered to Daniel. Whether Irving was involved or not, Benjamin was destined to pay a price eventually. However, the real question was—what benefit could Daniel gain from Irving?
Irving came well-prepared. Noticing Daniel’s hesitation, he pressed on, targeting Daniel’s weakness. “From what I’ve heard, you recently suffered a loss to Benjamin at the auction,” Irving said. “And now, not long after, he’s tricked you again. Don’t you want to repay him tenfold, or even a hundredfold?”
Daniel smirked knowingly at the attempt to provoke him. “Trying to rile me up, aren’t you?”
Irving remained composed as he responded, “So, do you agree with my perspective?”