Chapter 361 The Package
‘A parcel? Let me see it,’ I said, then thought to ask, ‘Was there a return name or address?’
Maybe it was something I’d ordered while shopping.
‘No,’ Geoffrey replied. ‘That’s the strange thing. It was delivered by a courier, but it only has your name and address on it.’
How odd.
Geoffrey went to fetch the package. It was a small, corrugated cardboard box, sealed tightly with tape. Just as he’d said, there was no sender information, only my details.
I took it, found a pair of scissors, and cut the tape to see what was inside.
The moment I opened it, I gasped and threw the box away from me. ‘Agh!’ I turned my head away, a dry heave wracking my throat. ‘Get rid of it! Now!’
Geoffrey was equally startled by what lay on the floor: a dead, skinned rat, its body glistening and bloody.
‘Oh dear! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?’
‘I’m...’ I wanted to say I was fine, but that would be a lie.
Without delay, Geoffrey called for another staff member and instructed them to dispose of the rat immediately.
I kept my face averted, listening to the frantic cleaning sounds. Once the footsteps had faded, I asked Geoffrey, ‘Is it gone?’
‘It’s gone, it’s gone,’ he assured me quickly. ‘Everything’s cleared away.’
Only then did I allow myself to turn back around.
My eyes instinctively dropped to the spot on the tiles where I’d thrown the box. The staff had already cleaned it up; it was spotless now. But I could still picture that dead rat lying there.
‘Wait, keep the box. Don’t throw it out.’
‘Why?’ Geoffrey was puzzled.
‘Maybe there are prints left on the box. Or some kind of clue.’ Clue to figure out who the hell decided to play such a disgusting prank on me.
‘Oh, that’s right! I’ll tell them...’ Geoffrey scurried away and returned a moment later.
My stomach churned again, a wave of nausea rising without anything actually coming up. I couldn’t stand to be there another second.
I stood up quickly and said, ‘I’m going up to my room. Please have dinner sent up later. Actually, no, don’t bother. I really couldn’t eat anything.’
I had been a little hungry before, but now my appetite was completely gone.
‘Yes, Mrs Laurent. Are you sure you don’t need me to call a doctor?’
‘No, I’m fine.’ Nauseated, disgusted, but otherwise fine.
Lying in bed, I still felt queasy. I couldn’t, for the life of me, understand who would do something so vile.
When my phone rang, I scrambled to grab it. Seeing Ashton’s name, I answered immediately.
‘Hello?’ I said, my voice tight with urgency.
‘Geoffrey told me about the parcel. I’m coming home now,’ Ashton said.
I was surprised he’d found out so quickly, but hearing he was on his way back filled me with instant relief.
I was just about to tell him to come home when I faintly heard a man’s voice in the background: ‘Boss, the shareholders’ meeting starts in five minutes.’
‘Hold on a second,’ Ashton said to me.
‘Okay,’ I murmured.
He made no attempt to hide his side of the conversation, so I could hear him clearly. His next words were cool and decisive. ‘Postpone it until tomorrow.’
‘But, Boss,’ Dominic’s voice came through, sounding strained, ‘all the shareholders are already here. This meeting is for the quarterly review; it was scheduled last month. Several have flown in from overseas specifically for this, and their schedules are very tight.’
‘That’s your job as executive assistant,’ Ashton replied, utterly unmoved, his tone turning even colder. ‘You need to coordinate this. Do I really need to spell it out for you?’
Hearing this clearly, I quickly cut in. ‘Wait!’
‘What is it?’ Ashton asked.
‘You don’t have to come home. Really, I’m fine. It was just a shock when I first saw it. Please don’t worry about me. You should go ahead with your meeting.’
After hearing how complicated Dominic made it sound, I’d have felt terrible if Ashton had cancelled such an important meeting because of me.
‘Are you sure you’re alright?’ Ashton’s voice was low and serious.
‘Yes, yes, I’m sure,’ I insisted, trying to sound cheerful to reassure him. ‘Honestly, don’t worry. It was just a dead rat. You see worse things online all the time; you get desensitised. And it’s not like you’re away for days. It’s only a few hours. You can just make it up to me tonight by spending some extra time with me.’
Ashton relented. ‘Alright. I’ll come straight back after the meeting.’
‘Okay, good. You focus on your work.’
I hung up, closed my eyes, tried to sleep, but couldn’t.
I thought of calling Yvaine, but why burden her with something I couldn’t stand myself?
For a moment, my thoughts flitted to Rhys, but I quickly dismissed the idea.
Wherever he was now, he wouldn’t try coming after me again.
Then who was it?