Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

Valerie waited for the man to finish speaking before she turned towards the three doctors who were standing beside her silently. Her sudden attention on them made them raise their brows immediately. But nobody spoke a word, looking forward to what she had in mind.

This was not the first time Aria was meeting Valerie. Though she had treated her once when she had been unconscious, this was the first time they were initiating a conversation with each other. She wondered if Maggie would flip once she found out all that had happened with her in the hospital and that she met her superior, who had no knowledge about her being friends Maggie.

Valerie too was pleasantly surprised to see the female doctor. She knew who she was, for she had done a background check on Ivy, one that held selected files sent to her by Maggie. Unknowingly, a smile broke out on her face, the sudden change making Aria look at her skeptically.

But Valerie continued smiling, not caring about her unusual behavior, her eyes observing the three doctors closely. Even Preston too was focused in the direction she was looking at, only that he was looking at the female doctor, completely ignoring the male doctors by her side.

'How long had it been since I last saw her?' Preston wondered. Even though he remained impassive, his eyes were sparkling in delight. She was the first woman who had even intrigued him, and she still did even now.

There had been a lot of times when his mind had wandered off in her thoughts, forcing him to leave everything and go to her to at least see her from afar. Only he knew how much strength he had used to stop himself from carrying out his heart desires. Now that he had finally met the interesting woman after months together, he could not help but gawk at her.

To Preston, Aria looked more beautiful than he remembered. There was a strange glow around her, which attracted him all the more. Compared to the last time he had seen her, she seemed more powerful and confident, and Preston could not help but admire this change in her. He wondered what had happened for she sure looked different.

But he was not complaining though. Preston had no idea when or how but the female doctor had slowly made her place in his heart, making him feel different kinds of emotions he had never experienced before. 

His heart skipped a beat as soon as he met Aria's gaze. And it started to thump madly when she smiled at him, acknowledging his presence. 'Her smile is so pretty!' He sighed in his mind, completely giving a deaf ear to what Valerie was saying. His eyes were completely transfixed on Aria, not noticing a pair of eyes that were now eying him suspiciously.

Ian had not missed the way the man was staring at Aria, and this did not sit well with him. He was well versed with the look the young man was giving Aria, for that was how Noah looked at her, only that it was more intense. Although he did not know how it had happened, his smart brain already understood that the man in front of him had feelings for Aria.

'Should I warn Aria about it?' He thought to himself and glanced at the girl who was frowning lightly while facing the female officer. As soon as the thought came to his mind, he shook it away. 'It is a matter between her and this strange man. She will know how to handle it better. Let me not interfere in this unless required.' 

"Hello, I am Valerie Evans and this is my colleague, Preston Walsh. We are from the Intelligence." Valerie introduced, making sure to pass the hint to Aria, and Aria was not a fool to understand it. She had heard the tone with which the woman had introduced herself, and from this alone, she could infer that Valerie wanted to get to know her on a personal level.

"I am Aria West and these are my friends, Ian Davis and Stuart Lee." Aria too did not stand on ceremony and took it upon herself to introduce the men too. Valerie smiled at them in greeting, unlike Preston who did not budge his eyes from Aria whatsoever.

"Would you mind telling us what happened here?" She queried, taking a glance at the policeman who stood silently a step behind her. His face was filled with obvious panic while he clenched his fists in worry.

"Umm..." Aria took a look at Ian, who nodded at her lightly. "Shall we take this somewhere else? I have something crucial to discuss with you."

Aria trusted Valerie for she had heard only words of praise for her from her good friend, Maggie. So, she did not hesitate to involve her in their plan and seek her help. If Linda's case was now to be handled by her and her team, she had to take her assistance to save Stuart and find the actual culprit.

As soon as the Inspector heard Aria's words, his panic rose all the more. He took a step forward to stop them, only for his words to fail him at this critical moment. His tongue felt heavy and his mind refused to cooperate with him.

"If that is what you want, Dr. West. Lead us the way." Valerie acknowledged her request, and Ian sighed softly in relief.

"Please follow me." He led the group towards his office with Valerie and Stuart right behind him. 

Before leaving, Valerie did not forget the policeman and his team, who now looked vexed and scared. "You may leave now. I will contact you if I require your assistance."

"But..." Hudson tried to negotiate. However, even before he could speak a word, Valerie had left the room, leaving him with a mind filled with frightening thoughts. He now did not know what to do and where to go, especially when he had failed to do his task. 

Hudson felt like crying when he remembered the man who had sent him here. His fierce stature only made him tremble. Even though he was nowhere in his presence, he still felt fear sucking his soul away, and he was just short of having a heart attack.

Right at this moment, his phone rang, startling him more than he already was. With a dreadful gaze, he picked up his phone, which was lying on the ground, and the name he saw on the screen made him want to throw the device away himself.

Hudson so desperately not wanted to answer the call. But he knew the consequences of not doing so. This would then become the last day of his life, and no one would be able to save him from the person who was ready to hunt him down.

Reluctantly, he picked up the call, and even before he greeted the man on the other side, he heard him speak.

"I see that you failed your task." The man's voice was deadly calm. But Hudson knew otherwise. He was livid and disappointed in him. 

"But Master..."

"No issues. Come back right now. I will fix this right."

The call ended, and Hudson collapsed to the ground immediately, staring at the door blankly. He knew what exactly the man meant and what would happen to him if he were to go to him.. He was now done for sure, and his butcherer was waiting for his arrival.