From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 53: Chapter 53

Paisley and Serena were back at their usual spot—Axion Enterprises riding club atop that same little brown horse they loved. They were taking it easy, just wandering around the grounds, when Paisley ended her call, a slight frown creasing her forehead.
"Mom? Everything okay?" Serena picked up on her mood right away.
"Yeah, baby, I'm fine." Paisley let out a soft sigh. "But we need to head out now."
"What? Why?" Serena's face fell. "I thought we were staying until afternoon. We promised Emery and everything."
"I know, sweetie, but something just came up that I need to handle."
"Is it super important?"
"Yes," Paisley nodded, "really important."
"Okay..." Serena's shoulders slumped, but being the sweet kid she was, she didn't want to be a burden on her mom.
"That's my girl. We'll come back next time and stay longer. How does that sound?" Paisley hated seeing Serena disappointed, but she had made a promise and needed to follow through.
This was exactly why she tried to limit her students. Not only were they useless, they were constant headaches. 'Great, more baggage to deal with,' she thought.
"Ms. Sutton." Nathaniel approached, leading a gorgeous white horse. Paisley recognized it immediately—Nyx, his personal mount.
"Even if you call me that, I'm not taking you on as a student," Paisley said flatly. She was beyond done with the whole teaching thing.
"Aw, don't be so cold, Ms. Sutton." Nathaniel rode up beside her. With his tall frame next to the white stallion, he looked like a prince from a fairytale—elegant, yet with a playful streak.
"Then tell me." Nathaniel moved closer, his smile turning devilish as those ruby lips curved up. "What would it take to become your student? I'll agree to anything."
Whether Nathaniel had done it on purpose or not, his shirt was unbuttoned way too low, offering teasing glimpses of toned muscle underneath. Combined with that face of his, he was the very picture of a heartbreaker.
Too bad Paisley had seen every trick in the heartbreaker book. She was so over this kind of act. "It's getting cold. Button up your shirt," she said.
Nathaniel's face lit up like Christmas had come early. "Ms. Sutton, are you worried about me?"
Paisley was speechless. With an epic eye roll, she dismounted from the horse, keeping Serena close as she headed for the stable exit.
Nathaniel wasn't fazed at all. He trailed behind her with a goofy grin. "Ms. Sutton, I'm nothing like that punk Dominick. I'll be on my best behavior. I swear. Won't cause you any problems. Just want to take care of you."
Paisley felt the cringe crawling up her spine with every word. This was getting way too weird.
"Okay, stop right there." She cut off his bizarre rambling. "I've got somewhere to be. Thanks for hosting me these past couple of days."
Before Nathaniel could say anything else, Paisley spun on her heel and booked it.
"What about becoming your student? I'm serious about learning equestrian," Nathaniel called after Paisley.
"We'll talk about it next time." Paisley tossed a casual wave over her shoulder without looking back.
Nathaniel watched the tour car carrying Paisley and Serena drive away, a smile crossing his face. "Sure thing," he murmured. "Next time it is."
With a sharp whistle, his gorgeous white horse came galloping over. Nathaniel caught the stirrup with one foot, and swung the other long leg over the saddle, settling into the ride with ease.
But before Nathaniel could even get moving, his phone buzzed. It was from Beaumont Villa. "What?" he snapped into the phone, then his expression suddenly darkened. "Hold up, Brightmoor?"
The person on the other end kept talking, and Nathaniel cut in, irritation clear in his voice. "Grandpa, are you crazy, or am I the crazy one here?"
As the serious tone continued from the other end, Nathaniel could only curse. "Screw this. Don't regret it."
Nathaniel's eyes blazed with fury as he smashed his phone against the ground with enough force to shatter it.
The staff around him froze, not daring to make a sound. The tension in the air was thick enough to cut with a knife.
"Nyx, take a lap," Nathaniel shouted.
The beautiful white horse let out an eager neigh, rearing up on her hind legs before galloping off into the distance.
The stable staff exchanged bewildered glances once he was gone. 'Wait a minute,' they all wondered. 'Isn't Mr. Beaumont supposed to be clueless about horseback riding? But he sure doesn't look like it.
'And if he already knows how to ride, why's he so desperate to get lessons from that equestrian champion?'
After dropping Serena and Maria off at home, Paisley grabbed her gear. She was just about to head out when Jonathan's text popped up on her screen. "Jonathan?"
Paisley frowned at her buzzing phone. 'Why would Jonathan text me at this hour?' she wondered. 'Don't tell me he's already out of those meds? No way. I specifically told him to make them last.'
As Paisley walked out, she tapped open the message. Her frown deepened as she read. [Paisy, got a minute? I've got this tricky patient case. Any chance you could swing by and take a look?]
'Since when does Jonathan get stumped by patients?' Paisley thought. 'The universe can't seriously be messing with me like this.'
Paisley pocketed her phone without responding. She was headed to Harrowfell Hospital anyway—might as well ask Jonathan about it in person.
"Paisy, wait up." Maria hurried after her, slipping some snacks into Paisley's bag. "Don't forget to eat something when you're hungry."
Maria knew Paisley too well. Once she got into work mode, she'd completely forget about taking care of herself.
The gesture warmed Paisley's heart. "Thanks, Maria. I will."
"Go on. I've got Rena covered. She's in good hands," Maria smiled.
At Harrowfell Hospital, after Jonathan briefed the Vanderbilts, he and Charles headed to the consultation room to discuss Paul's ongoing care and treatment plan with the medical team.
Seeing Charles about to leave, Marissa quickly called out, "Mr. Hansen, when's your mentor arriving? Should I send a car for her? I imagine she might need assistance at her age."
"Her age?" Charles looked startled and then corrected. "Oh, you've got it wrong. My mentor isn't old at all, and trust me, she'd be pretty mad if she heard you suggesting that."
Marissa quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Hansen. I had no idea."
"No worries, just watch what you say around her when she gets here. And don't worry about sending a car." Charles checked the time. "She'll still be a while getting here. She'll let me know when she's close."
"Of course." Marissa nodded with a smile.
Once Charles was out of earshot, Kayla couldn't help rolling her eyes. "What's the deal with Mr. Hansen's mentor? Getting all touchy about being called elderly.
"Like, anyone who taught Mr. Hansen has got to be super old, right? What else would you call them? Don't tell me it's some young woman."
"You just don't get it." Lauren strolled over. "The more talented they are, the more quirks they've got. It's totally a thing."
"That's enough." Reginald's stern voice cut through their gossip. "Stop speculating about Mr. Hansen's mentor."
Lauren and Kayla caught themselves, knowing they'd stepped out of line, and quickly shut up.
Reginald turned to Marissa, gratitude written all over his face. "Marissa, I can't thank you enough for this."
"Seriously," Lauren chimed in. "If you hadn't brought Mr. Hansen in, I don't even want to think about what could've happened to Grandpa."
The rest of the Vanderbilt family joined in, looking at Marissa with newfound appreciation and thankfulness.
Marissa was secretly pleased but kept her expression humble. "Please, it's the least I could do. I'm part of the Vanderbilt family, too, and I'd never want anything to happen to Grandpa. Right now, I'm just praying Mr. Hansen's mentor can really help him."
Her eyes welled up with tears as she gazed at Paul, putting on quite a show of concern and attachment.
Marissa's emotional display seemed contagious, pulling everyone else into the same worried mood.
No one was going anywhere until they got solid news about Paul's condition. Since they couldn't go into the room, they all camped out in the hallway. At least it was the VIP wing, so the waiting area was decent.
Still, after standing around for hours, exhaustion was starting to hit everyone hard.
Marissa sniffled, acting like she was doing her best to hold back. Her voice quivered. "You guys must be exhausted from all this waiting. Let me get some food and drinks sent up here."
Normally, Lauren, as the lady of the house, would've handled things. But here was Marissa, jumping in to play hostess.
But Lauren didn't seem to mind at all. Instead, she beamed at Marissa, "You're such a thoughtful girl, aren't you?"
This was the scene Paisley walked into.