Chapter 151
Earlier at the Holt mansion, when Vanessa had attacked Serena, it was Dennis who had stepped in. He had taken the hit, and it had landed squarely in his back.
So, for the past two hours, after admitting Dennis to the hospital, Serena had been taking care of him.
Not casually taking care of him, she was thoroughly, attentively, and excessively doing so.
Nathaniel watched as Serena handed Dennis a cup of water. Then she asked if he was in pain and if he needed anything else.
Anything at all.
Nathaniel crossed his arms.
It was a stab wound.
A superficial one.
Nothing serious at all.
Serena even listened carefully when the nurse explained the aftercare, nodding along, repeating the instructions back to Dennis as if he were a child who might forget how to breathe the moment she looked away.
At one point, Serena helped Dennis shift on the bed, her hand steady at his arm.
“Slowly,” she told him gently.
Nathaniel resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
He told himself to be rational. Dennis had stepped in. Dennis had taken a hit meant for Serena. Gratitude was normal.
This was normal.
Still, Nathaniel couldn’t help thinking that if he were the one lying on that bed, he would have been the center of Serena’s concern.
The thought that followed was ridiculous and unworthy of him: ‘I should’ve been there to take the stab p>
Dennis groaned softly, and Serena immediately leaned closer. “Does it hurt?” Nathaniel inhaled through his nose. ‘Unbelievable p>
He had known Dennis for years. He had seen this man walk off broken ribs, sprained ankles, and food poisoning without a complaint. And now here he was, milking a shallow stab wound like it was a battlefield injury.
And Serena was enabling him.
Nathaniel cleared his throat.
“He is fine,” he said flatly. “He is a grown man. He doesn’t need emotional support p>
Serena didn’t even look at him.
Dennis, of course, did, a sly grin forming on his face.
“Oh, Serena,” Dennis said, “can you check my back? I think it’s bleeding again p>
Nathaniel stared at him.
Slowly.
“For crying out loud,” Nathaniel muttered. He stepped forward, gently but firmly nudging Serena aside. “I’ll help you p>
Dennis blinked. “You p>
“Yes,” Nathaniel said, deadpan. “You are my best friend. That makes you my responsibility p>
Dennis smirked. “Yeah, but I protected Serena. She should help me p>
Nathaniel’s eye twitched.
“No,” he corrected. “I told you to protect Serena. So technically—and more importantly—indirectly, I protected Serena p>
“Pfft!” Dennis burst out laughing.
Serena finally looked at Nathaniel, her lips twitching.
Nathaniel straightened. “A clear understanding of facts is vital to recovery p>
“You are being ridiculous. I’m just
being grateful, and if Dennis wants
to be pampered for savine my
then so be it Serena said. “Besides, he is no stranger to me p>
“Yeah,” Dennis chimed in. “Loosen up, Nathan. I’m the one who got stabbed p>
Then he chuckled.
“The more serious question is Nathaniel changed the topic. “How did the Holts
find out about Serena’s job offer at Oakridge p>
The mood in the room shifted.
Dennis hissed. “I don’t know, Nathan was certain I kept it a secret though akridge University often contacted me and my parents noticed-Peter and Tim included p>
“But I never mentioned it was for Serena,” he added. “I’m sure of it p>
“The Holts have resources. If they found out Alice was looking into my identity, they could have easily discovered you were arranging a job for me,” Serena suggested.
“That’s also true,” Dennis acknowledged. “I was even surprised by how deep their connections run—deep enough to purchase Precision AeroCare in secret p>
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted their chat.
It was Peter Wells, Nathaniel’s other best friend. He made a face when he saw Dennis in the hospital bed, but soon laughed as he brought out a bouquet. “For you, man p>
Nathaniel shook his head.
Dennis cracked up.
Serena sighed.
“I can’t believe you got stabbed by Vanessa. You realize this means you’ll never hear the end of it, right?” Peter said still amused. “Thank goodness you protected Serena. Otherwise, Nathan would have had your head p>
“Tell me about it,” Dennis said, accepting the flowers. “Where’s the box of chocolates, Peter p>
Nathaniel muttered, “Earlier, you were being sensitive about being stabbed. Now you look absolutely fine p>
More laughter echoed in the room, but it was about to get more entertaining.
Peter added, “I saw the nurses watching the news on TV. Let’s check the report. They’re covering Nathan’s press conference and the Holts’ arrest p>
Peter was the one who turned on the TV.
The first thing they saw was a video of the entire Holt family being escorted into a police car, Vanessa’s face streaked with tears.
What followed next was the police’s account of what happened during the arrest.
On the screen, the lead officer said, “Miss Vanessa Holt made several… questionable decisions p>
“Decision one,” he said, “she slapped herself p>
“HARD,” another officer added.
“Decision two,” the lead officer resumed, “she assumed no one saw it p>
“Decision three,” he continued, “upgraded to a weapon p>
“Decision four,” he added, “chose a weapon that was more dramatic than effective p>
“Decision five,” the second officer said, “stabbed the wrong person… with her eyes closed p>
The lead officer closed the file, shaking his head. “We stopped counting after that p>