Chapter 81: A talk (ish) with Terry

Terry entered Rina's office a few minutes after Chloe left to call him.

"Take a seat," Rina directed Terry as she motioned towards a nearby chair, her attention still fixed on the computer screen before her.

Terry complied silently, settling into the chair as directed. However, as several minutes ticked by without any communication from Rina, and with her attention still riveted on the computer screen, Terry began to feel increasingly anxious.

For Terry, the situation felt like the calm before the storm - an unsettling and ominous stillness that hinted at impending chaos or turbulence.

However, the uneasy silence did not last much longer. Rina abruptly rose from her seat and walked over to the printer to retrieve some papers that had just finished printing. She then went and sat down across from Terry.

"Alright Terry, I've received a highly troubling report that you've been informing my brother about everything I do. What do you have to say about this?" Rina asked, her tone serious and unyielding.

When Terry heard that question his heart almost left through his mouth but he still managed to remain calm and tried to explain himself.

"Ma'am, that report is completely false. You know that I've been working for you since your high school days, so why on earth would I do something like that?" Terry protested, his tone trying but failing in conveying a sense of anger and offense at the notion that his character was being slandered.

As Terry tried to act indignant, Rina couldn't help but chuckle at his display. Although she still felt a lingering sense of betrayal from the day she learned that he was one of the individuals who had turned against her, the irony of Terry's feigned outrage struck her as amusing.

"Ha! You really ought to take some acting classes, Terry. You're absolutely terrible at it," Rina exclaimed, unable to contain her amusement any longer. However, as memories of their past interactions flooded her mind, she found herself becoming increasingly angry at Terry's attempts to portray himself as a victim.

Despite her rising anger, Rina managed to keep it under wraps, determined to see the meeting through without lashing out at Terry. She remained composed and focused, resisting the urge to slam the table in his face.

"Ma'am, I think there's been a misunderstanding on your end. I wouldn't bother acting if I knew I was innocent," Terry insisted, doubling down on his earlier protestations.

Terry persisted in his defense because he knew that any admission of guilt could prove fatal. It was widely regarded as taboo for a member of the Rothschild security team to betray the person they were tasked with protecting, and the consequences were severe - anyone who did so would be made to disappear, serving as a warning to others.

"Enough with the melodramatic performance, Terry. Do you really think I would base my accusations on mere speculation?" Rina's tone turned serious as she hurled the papers she had retrieved from the printer at Terry.

Terry scrambled to pick up the papers that had been scattered around him, curious to see what was written on them. To his shock, he realized that they were transcripts of his conversations with her brother's secretary spanning the past five years.

Terry was filled with fear and began to tremble as he comprehended the contents of the papers. He was perplexed as to how Rina had obtained them since he was certain he had deleted every conversation they had after each talk.

In a fit of fear and desperation, Terry lunged at Rina and began to strangle her. He acted impulsively, not thinking about the consequences of his actions or what he would do if he succeeded in killing her.

"Khghhkhghk" Rina fought for air as Terry tightened his grip around her throat. His eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his scalp were bulging, demonstrating the sheer amount of force he was using. His entire body shook as he continued to strangle her.

As Rina was on the verge of losing consciousness, a loud "bang" echoed through the room. A gunshot had been fired, but she didn't have time to comprehend what had happened as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"RINA, RINA. " Chloe, the secretary, yelled as she moved the bleeding body of Terry off of Rina's unconscious form that he had fallen on top of after being shot.

"Call the doctor now!" Chloe shouted at Alex, the security detail who had shot Terry immediately after entering the room.

Alex quickly left the room to call the family doctor stationed in the mansion as quickly as possible.

....

Half an hour later.

As Rina slowly regained consciousness, she realized that her throat was sore and she had a pounding headache.

She opened her eyes to see the worried face of Chloe walking back and forth.

As Rina looked around, she noticed the younger man in a suit standing nearby, his hands clasped behind his back with a serious expression on his face, indicating that he was there for security purposes.

She tried to speak, but her throat was too painful to form any words and only hoarse gibberish came from her mouth.

Rina attempted to clear her throat and speak once more, but the pain was unbearable. Chloe acted swiftly by bringing her a glass of water and assisting her in drinking it.

Rina felt relieved as the cool water she drank soothed her throat and eased the pain. After a moment, she finally managed to utter comprehensible words.

"Who is he?" Rina asked in a hoarse voice while pointing at the young man in the room.

"I'm Alex, your new security detail stationed here since last week, miss," Alex explained without waiting for Chloe to answer Rina's question.

"Where is Terry?" Rina asked Chloe after she finally managed to recollect herself.

Chloe hesitated for a moment before answering, "He's... in the hospital. He was shot by Alex and is still receiving treatment at the moment."

"But how did you know I was in danger?" Rina asked, not quite believing that it was just luck.

"I didn't, I only came in behind him after he barged inside without even knocking or saying anything to me"Chloe replied, pointing to Alex.

When Chloe and Rina turned to Alex, he explained, "About 35 minutes ago, I received a text message ordering me to be on standby. Then, 10 minutes later, I received another one to come into the room as fast as I could. Aren't you the one who sent it?" he finished with a question as he was quite confused.

"Oh, yes, I did send that message. The event must have slipped my mind." After realizing that it was Ava who had sent the message as a contingency plan, she decided to take credit for it to avoid creating any suspicion.

Because she had never faced any significant threats or danger within her family, she failed to prepare for any potential contingencies. This oversight caused her to overlook the potential dangers when she attempted to comfort Terry.

She simply hadn't considered the possibility of something going wrong, as she had never encountered a dangerous situation before.

In her mind, she believed that everything was under control. She had devised an elaborate plan to turn Terry into a reverse spy, manipulating him into providing false information about her to her brother.

She thought that she had covered all of her bases, and that nothing could go wrong with her carefully crafted scheme.

But fate is a bitch, and she had experienced it first hand.

"Thank you" Rina thanked Alex for saving her.

"It's my duty, miss," replied Alex, giving a small bow to express his appreciation for her gratitude towards him.

"What did the doctor say about my condition?" Rina asked about her condition as it was the first time for her.

"After examining your condition, the doctor said that you're fine and the bruise on your neck should heal within a week," Chloe explained what the doctor had told them.

Rina attempted to sit up on the sofa in her workroom, where she had been laying on inorder to receive treatment.

With Chloe's assistance, she was finally able to sit down on the sofa, and it was then that she noticed the blood stains on her shirt.

"Can I have a new shirt?" Rina asked Chloe for new clothes.

"Here" Chloe seemed like she had expected to hear that request as she had the shirt in her hands by the time Rina finished asking the question.

"Okay, can I have a moment alone?" Sarah requested, as she began to unbutton her shirt to change, in search of some privacy.

"Yes, miss," both Alex and Chloe responded, as they exited the room to provide her with some much-needed privacy and alone time.

After being left alone, Sarah removed her bloodied shirt and discarded it in the trash can, leaving her in a bra that hugged her ample bosom.

She quickly put on the new shirt that Chloe had handed to her, and then made her way over to her computer to take a seat.

As she settled into her chair, she gazed at her computer screen and murmured, "Thank you, Ava," expressing her gratitude for the assistance she had received from her.

[As always, your welcome] replied Ava calmly, feeling a sense of pride in herself for accomplishing one of the purposes for which she was created.