Meanwhile, at a hospital on the other side of the city, Rafael lay motionless as his doctor conducted a thorough examination. An attentive nurse diligently recorded each report provided by the physician.
The memory of the excruciating pain he had experienced the previous night lingered in his mind as he sat on the recovery bed. He distinctly recalled the intense suffering he endured before losing consciousness on the way to the hospital.
Upon waking that morning, the pain persisted, coursing through his body, though it was slightly less intense than the night before.
"What is wrong with me, Doctor?" Rafael asked wearily, his voice betraying the exhaustion weighing heavily on him.
After completing the examination, the doctor hesitated before delivering the news about Rafael's critical condition but knew he had to tell him.
"Based on our tests, you have consumed a toxic substance that posed a life-threatening risk, nearly causing your body to shut down. Fortunately, you were brought here in time, and we immediately started treatment. Otherwise, you would have been dead or, perhaps…" The doctor paused, his expression a mixture of concern and fear as he met Rafael's piercing gaze, which showed no sign of fear in the face of such dire news.
Curious about the unfinished statement, Rafael frowned at the doctor. "Perhaps what?" he asked, trying to hide any sign of fear.
"You would have become disabled." The doctor completed his thought, and Rafael remained emotionless, a snicker escaping his lips.
"How fortunate I am to escape such a miserable fate. Do I even deserve to live?" he said sarcastically, taunting himself about the doom that had nearly befallen him.
Rafael had many rivals in both the business and Mafia worlds, and he guessed that this might be a dirty game played by one of them to ruin him. However, he wondered who among his competitors was bold enough to make him suffer in this way without revealing themselves.
"You don't need to panic, Mr. Vellani. All you have to do is avoid stressing your body until the remaining toxic substances are removed. If the symptoms return during this time, the outcome could be fatal," the doctor advised before turning to leave the VIP ward with the nurses.
Hearing the doctor's caution, fear began to creep into Victor's heart. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, but he noticed that his boss didn't seem troubled by the mention of 'death.'
"Who wants you to end up this miserable?" Victor asked, a puzzled look on his face as he contemplated the situation.
"I can tell that this person is my biggest enemy," Rafael replied, stepping down from the bed and carefully striding toward the transparent window, with Victor dragging the IV drip stand closer to him.
Urgency mixed with intense panic cut through Victor as he stepped forward. "We can't delay in eliminating this person who dares to ruin your event," he said, waiting for an order from his boss.
"The person who ruined my inauguration ceremony was Margaux. She's behind everything," Rafael revealed with strong conviction after a long moment of contemplation, piecing everything together.
Victor's eyes widened in shock.
Rafael fell silent for a moment, recalling his awful confrontation with Margaux. He never expected her to resent him this much, to the extent of poisoning him, even if she disapproved of his marriage to Madelyn.
"It seems that your wife's sister hates you deeply. We need to address this; otherwise, she could become a significant problem for you," Victor suggested, sensing the brewing storm.
Clenching his fist and looking dazed, Rafael muttered subconsciously, "I strangled her and she almost died in my hands."
Those words struck Victor like a punch, causing his jaw to drop in disbelief. If it weren't his boss confessing that, he wouldn't have believed Rafael was capable of such thoughts. He could guess the reason behind that feeling.
"Do you hate her that much?" Victor asked.
"I do hate her," Rafael admitted, and his heart twinged sharply with guilt, leaving him breathless for a moment. "But I have no right to."
"Will you hold onto that feeling based on just what you've learned? Do you believe she could do something like that?" Victor asked, sounding concerned.
Rafael turned to face Victor, whom he considered a friend beyond just his role as an assistant in the company. He wanted to let go of the feelings that had gnawed at him restlessly for years, but he couldn't.
The situation was made worse by the fact that Madelyn was nowhere to be seen, leaving him to confront her features in her twin sister, which stirred conflicting emotions within him.
He couldn't deny that when he saw Margaux, a momentary elation washed over him, and for an instant, he thought Madelyn was back. He nearly pulled Margaux into his arms, but the second reminder of what she had done caused him to lose control.
He fucking did.
He shouldn't have harmed her! Rafael reprimanded himself as he swiftly smashed his fist against the concrete wall nearby.
Why would she do that?
"What are you doing, Rafael?" Victor's panicked voice rang out at the sight of Rafael becoming miserable again.
Rafael's gaze blurred once more, and he stumbled back as Victor quickly grabbed his arm, steadying him.
"I'm all right. Just a little dizzy," he muttered weakly.
"I don't believe you are all right," Victor said with a frown, lowering his gaze to Rafael's pale, bruised knuckles, which were dripping blood.
"I'll go fetch the nurse to get your hands treated. Just rest up and recover quickly so we can clean up the mess from the event. It's already going viral, and I'm not sure how the high-profile clients and investors will react," Victor said, turning away.
Rafael was left alone in his ward, staring down at his injured hand, which he had used to strangle Margaux. Since Margaux chose to sabotage the day he had meticulously planned for years, part of his marriage to Madelyn, everything had been ruined.
He knew she was back for revenge. She wouldn't spare him easily, nor would she forgive him for being responsible for her sister's death. They could have been a great couple, even if not the perfect ones, navigating their marriage and achieving their dreams together.
"Maddy, you shouldn't have left. You could have waited," Rafael muttered, tears welling in the corners of his eyes as he reminisced about their brief, beautiful moments that were once filled with sincerity, before he ruined everything himself.
He found himself thinking about her every day, missing every little thing about her.
"Maddy," her name slipped out of his lips in a whisper.