Suspicion (2)

Carlos finally woke up several days later. Kara would drop by to check on him once in a while and while she didn't want to admit it, she was worried seeing him in the ICU and relieved when he finally woke up.

"Dr. Williams, Mrs. Qin is here." Cleo reported to Kara who was in her office.

"Let her in." She frowned and added, "Is there anything else?" She was certain that there had to be something else, because Cleo knew that Shera owned the hospital and wasn't possibly making her wait for permission to go wherever she wanted.

"Would you like to see Dr. Aubert before your meeting? It's in half an hour." She asked.

Kara shook her head. "No."

His friends had received the news and that was all that mattered. The last thing she wanted was to be in the same room with anyone who was still convinced that she was behind the shooting. Her innocence could only be proven once Carlos explained everything to them but before then, she wanted to keep her distance.

In the last several days, she had tried to get to the bottom of it in vain but she was still certain that Lana must have something to do with it.

When the door to her office opened minutes later, she knew that the incomer had to be Shera.

"Why are you so gloomy? Carlos is awake now." Shera tapped the desk to get her attention.

"Not now, Shera." She sighed in exasperation.

"I didn't insinuate anything." Shera shrugged but Kara didn't believe a word she was saying.

She changed the topic. "Does he remember what happened?"

"I think you should talk to him about that." Answered Shera.

She rolled her eyes. "Right."

"Are you okay?" Shera was worried.

"I'm still the biggest suspect and I can't prove my own innocence and now I have to face him. What if he thinks I'm behind it as well?" She wanted to pull at her hair in frustration. "Worst of all, it happened hours after you, Ash and I parted ways. The fact that we were together doesn't even prove anything."

"Hey, I trust you." Shera assured her, but that wasn't enough.

"You know what? You're right. I need to speak to Carlos." She stood up and slammed her laptop shut.

"Go ahead. Wait. About Santino…"

"No." She shut her eyes and held a palm up to stop her friend from saying it. The last thing she wanted was to talk about the man who made them enemies in the first place.

____

Eight years ago.

She had just graduated from medical school and moved back to Olphire. When she opened the door to her apartment that day, she caught sight of a man on her living room couch.

Her scream stuck in her throat when he muffled her mouth with his big hand. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

She was taken aback by his Italian accent. He was definitely not someone she knew. She had never been close to an Italian, especially one that moved that fast. When he was certain that she was too curious about him to scream for help, he let go of her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"The man who will help you get what you deserve." He introduced himself in a dramatic way, making her reach for a floor lamp.

"Why are you in my house?"

He looked around. "Because it's beautiful. I would have kidnapped you for a chat instead but since you do the most unsafe thing and leave your keys under the doormat…"

She cursed under her breath. That was only because no matter where she left her keys, she would lose them. She had thought that it was okay if she left them in plain sight since it was the place no one would expect. It turned out, she was wrong. She would need a safer place to hide her keys. But first, she had to know who this man was and his motive.

"I'll get to the point. I need a doctor who is unknown to the world and one fresh out of school is the best option."

She frowned. If one needed a doctor, shouldn't they go for a qualified one? Why her?

"I know that you saved many lives as a student. You are a risk taker." He answered her question, immediately following it up with, "And I know Guillaume Black."

"Guillaume Black." The name made her go pale. Her body trembled at the mention of the man who caused the death of her aunt. "Where is he?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

She wanted to slap the life out of him.

"But I know his niece."

"Will you stop this freaking roller coaster and tell me everything?" She demanded, losing her patience.

"As you wish. This woman is your worst enemy. His niece." He threw a picture at her and she picked it up with shaky hands. She studied it and her blood ran cold when she recognized her. "Reina Santino?"

She finally recognized the man on the couch. Leland Santino, the head of the Santino syndicate. But why was he helping her? Wasn't he the woman's boyfriend?

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because you don't have a choice." He swiped the photo out of her hand and replaced it with another. This time, the woman was standing next to another man.

"Her name is not Reina Santino. That's just what people assumed was her name. She is Shera Black. The daughter of Amanda Black and the niece of Guillaume Black. Her heart is made of ice."

She was still overwhelmed when he added, "I'll be back in a week. Think about what you want. If you want revenge, you can tell me then."

Then he was gone. And her mind couldn't stop spinning. He was using her to get back at Shera. No matter what she did to get her revenge on the Black family, it would benefit him. She made a decision on the spot. Since Shera's heart was made of ice, she would rip it out.

____

Jolting out of her thoughts, Kara stared at her former enemy who was now her best friend. "I know who did it!"

"Who?" Asked Shera.

"The devil."