Page 110 of Cruel Obsession

My phone rings, the shrill tone slicing through my spiral of questions. Unknown number. I almost ignore it, but something makes me answer.

“Miss McLeod?” A woman’s voice, professional and crisp. “I’m calling from Saint Catherine’s Hospital. Your father was brought in during the night.”

I sway as the floor feels like it’s shifting beneath my feet. “What? What happened? Is he—?”

“He’s stable for now, but his condition has deteriorated significantly since his last treatment. The doctors would like to speak with you about possible options. Without specialized intervention soon, his prognosis is concerning.”

Specialized intervention. I know what that means: more medical bills… when I’ve already stretched the budget as far as it will go. My legs nearly give out.

Oh, Dad.

Why didn’t you tell me?

I hang up and press my forehead against the cool wall, trying to think through the storm in my head. My father needing expensive medical care. My sister’s possible kidnapper roaming these halls. My pregnancy. Arkady’s secrets.

“God, what a nightmare,” I whisper into the silence of the hall.

Everything is collapsing at once, and I have nowhere to turn, no one to trust. I’m completely alone in this beautiful, terrible house with its beautiful, terrible master—a man I’m still drawn to despite everything.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Mirabel

Hours blend into the polished surface of Arkady’s mansion as I complete one task after another.

The scent of fresh polish and detergent clings to me, but my mind is elsewhere—each sweep of the cloth, each adjustment of the curtains carries me to the sterile corridors of the hospital where my father lies.

During a lull, I spot Arkady striding down the hallway, engrossed in his phone. I step into his path carefully, making him pause.

“I need an extra day off tomorrow,” I tell him, trying to keep my voice steady.

“What for?” His eyes pin me down, icy and assessing.

“It… It’s my father,” I swallow hard. I don’t want to share my personal problems with a man who might very well have been involved in my sister’s disappearance. “He’s in hospital.”

I brace myself, knowing my request unsettles the routine, particularly when he has a house full of important guests. Not to mention that the man’s a control freak. He might say no just to show me who’s boss.

“Tomorrow is impossible,” he says, voice dropping to that low register that vibrates through my chest. “There is a lot happening right now.”

“I know. And didn’t I rise to the occasion to make it all happen? When you needed the conference room prepped for your associates with the special food requirements, I did it, didn’t I?” I counter, forcing strength into my voice despite the way his proximity makes my pulse quicken. “I worked like a dog, Arkady. Surely you can give me one day?”

I know I’m pushing my luck, but I have to try. Dad needs me right now.

Arkady exhales, his lips pursing. “Your father’s condition—is it critical?”

“I don’t know yet,” I admit. “But it looks that way. I want to be by his side.”

He stares at me, making me want to squirm. For a terrifying moment, I wonder if he can read suspicion on my face—if he knows I’ve recognized Stefan from that terrible day when Debra disappeared.

“Take the day,” he finally says, the permission sounding like both a concession and a threat. “But I expect you back the following morning, ready to work.”

Relief floods me. “Thank you.”

I try to slip away, but his hand catches my wrist. “Don’t think that our… private activities mean you can take advantage of this position, Mirabel.”

Private activities?

Really?