Fenella’s POV
“Fenella.”
I woke up when a hand gently touched my head. Slowly, I blink my eyes to see more clearly. I lifted my head and immediately saw Laird’s face.
“Uhm,” my neck felt sore, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Laird’s eyes open. He looked at me with his emerald green gaze and a small smile.
“Laird!”
“Yes, Fenella,” he smiled softly as I wiped my cheek and the corners of my mouth.
“Oh, thank God.”
I sighed deeply and kissed his forehead for some time. Then I kissed his cheek and quickly pecked his lips. He chuckled softly before suddenly flinching and groaning.
“Hey, are you okay? Where does it hurt?”
I pulled back, afraid I had hurt him. I immediately examined his bandaged stomach. There was no blood seeping through, and the bandages looked clean.
“It’s okay. I was just playing a trick on you.” Laird laughed lightly.
“What? Liar!” I lightly tapped his shoulder with a pout.
“Ouch, that hurts.” He furrowed his brow, and I sat back in my chair.
“What time is it now?”
“Uhm, let me see.” I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the screen. “It’s 7 a. m.”
“You’ve been sleeping in that sitting position all night?” Laird rubbed my cheek.
“Uh huh. I couldn’t rest if I slept far from you. I was afraid you’d wake up and look for me.” I whispered softly, looking at him as he now wore a gentle smile.
“That’s overprotective. I’m sure your neck and back must be sore. Why didn’t you just go home last night? Your ankle is sprained, too.” His hand squeezed mine as he gazed at every corner of my face.
“It’s fine. My ankle is bandaged, and I applied some ointment, so it doesn’t hurt as much now. Hey, do you want something to drink?” I asked, changing the subject as I picked up Lloyd’s blanket that had fallen to the floor.
“Sure,” Laird nodded.
I placed the blanket on the back of the chair and then moved to the nightstand next to the bed. I poured mineral water into a glass and helped Laird to drink. After a few sips, Laird tilted his head back, signaling that he had quenched his thirst.
“Whose blanket is that?” Laird asked, looking at the blanket on the chair as I put the glass back on the nightstand.
“Oh, Lloyd borrowed it from the nurse.”
“He came here?”
“Yes, he stopped by last night to handle some paperwork as your family.”
“Oh, right, you couldn’t,” he muttered, his lips pursed, understanding the situation.
“Yes, I felt frustrated because I’m not yet your family and couldn’t help during a critical time when you needed someone with family status.” My arms crossed in front of my chest. I just wanted to sulk for a moment, but it made Laird chuckle again.
“Maybe next time,” Laird smiled wryly.
“Oh, no. Na-ah. There won’t be a next time. We won’t get involved in cases that risk our lives recklessly ever again,” I shook my head.
“You realize, right, that you were the one insisting on doing that crazy thing yesterday?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“That was the first and last time for me. Believe me. No more playing FBI. I almost lost you.” I squeezed Laird’s hand, and he gave a small smile.
“Well, what about Lloyd? He must be surprised to see me here.” Laird sighed deeply.
“Yes. I told him everything, and he was amazed at how brave you could be.”
“Understandable. Especially since I haven’t shown up at all since Christmas.” He sighed as he adjusted his pillow.
“Why did you lie to him?”
“I just wanted to focus without being disturbed by other matters.”
Before I could ask further, the door was pushed open. I immediately saw Jessy coming in with several large bags.
“Hey, Laird! Thank goodness you’re awake.” Jessy quickly walked over and squeezed Laird’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Jessy.” Laird flashed a grin.
“What are you bringing?” I asked, looking at the bags he put on the small cabinet next to the bed. Hearing my question, Jessy rolled his eyes upward.
“Your clothes, silly. Even though I had to force you, you would insist on waiting for Laird all day, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, yes, you’re right,” I smiled amusedly. “Did you bring face wash and makeup?”
“Yes, I brought everything. Look in the bag.”
“Thank you. You’re my lifesaver,” I sighed happily as I pulled out a skincare pouch and a compact cosmetic pouch from the large bag Jessy brought.
“Hey, what about Peter and Alan?” Laird asked me.
“Oh, you’ll have to see for yourself.” Jessy shook his head, grabbed the TV remote, and turned on the main TV channel.
“Viewers! Last night, Peter Morgan, a Massachusetts senator, was arrested by a joint team of the FBI and the prosecutor’s office on charges of corruption, money laundering, and various other illegal activities.”
A female news anchor spoke enthusiastically in front of the camera. The microphone was held close to her chin with a serious expression.
“Peter Morgan’s crimes have shocked the international, particularly among celebrities, designers, and artists, as he dragged down top names like Mallory West, Jemima Hors, Oscar de Ragetti, and Mr. Morgan’s wife and brother-in-law. Joining us now is Mr. Malcolm Golden from the federal prosecutor’s office.”
The camera shifted to a face I recognized well. The old man still looked the same, with brown hair and some gray hair. His eyes were sharp, showing the stern figure of a veteran prosecutor.
There was no sign of the human side of a man who cared about Laird, willing to sacrifice his shirt and hand to help others, and a cookie lover who ate like he had been starving for a week. There was only a stiff prosecutor doing his job on the screen.
“Mr. Golden, could you tell us a little about the chronology of Peter Morgan’s arrest?”
“I can only say that we have conducted a meticulous covert operation, and we are proud of our achievements. The FBI team and our informants worked hard to achieve the best results.”
“Mr. Golden, from the investigation, is it true that Peter Morgan utilized funds from corruption of the Massachusetts government budget?”
“I can’t answer that now. We are still digging into the evidence, preparing the indictment, and reporting to the higher officials. I can’t disclose more details until everything is complete. Just wait for the trial to start.”
He stepped back from the camera and left the reporter. Jessy changed channels, and the same news was discussed by the news anchor. Jessy changed channels several times, and almost all channels were covering the big news. Even gossip and entertainment stations were discussing the same news from different perspectives.
“Stop criminalizing artists! We stand with the fashion designers! Mallory is innocent!”
Some places showed demonstrations from various countries. It was clear they were fans of Mallory and her friends.
“Uphold the law! Mallory deserves the death penalty! Return the public’s money!”
Other places showed demonstrations with the antithesis. They seemed to be Mallory’s haters.
I took the TV remote and turned it off. Jessy’s eyes widened as he saw me quickly turning off the TV.
“Enough. We get the gist. Now let Laird rest,” I grumbled.
“Yes, you’re right, dear.”