Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 172

Chapter 172

Annabelle’s POV

I found out Elise was still in the hospital by accident. I was walking down the corridor when I overheard two nurses talking about a blonde patient in room 304 who was being “difficult.” One of them said the name Elise, and my blood boiled.

While Zoey was meeting Matt for the first time, Elise was in the same hospital, probably pretending to be the victim.

I couldn’t hold back. I had to see her. I had to look her in the eyes and get the truth.

I went up to the third floor during visiting hours, when the halls were busiest and I could slip by unnoticed. Room 304 was at the end of the corridor, cut off from the others. Perfect.

I knocked softly and went in without waiting.

Elise was propped up in bed, scrolling through her phone, an arm bandaged and a few scratches on her face, but visibly better than my sister had been. When she saw me, her expression shifted instantly into a mask of fake sympathy.

“Annie!” she said, trying to sound surprised and cordial. “So good to see you. How is Zoey?”

“Pretending to care now?” I replied, closing the door and leaning against it. “How touching.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Elise said, trying for an innocent tone. “It was a terrible accident. I got hurt too, as you can see.”

“Of course you got hurt,” I said, moving closer to the bed. “After all, you tumbled down the stairs too. The difference is you pushed my sister first.”

Elise’s mask slipped for a fraction of a second before she put it back on.

“That’s a very serious accusation, Annie. I would never do something like that.”

“You would never?” I laughed without humor. “The same person who sabotaged the Kensington business? Who stole confidential information? Who spent months trying to destroy my sister’s marriage?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I sat in the chair beside the bed and settled in like I planned to stay a while.

“Elise, dear,” I said, my voice sweet but poisoned. “We’re alone here. You can stop pretending. Why did you push my sister?”

“I didn’t push anyone,” Elise insisted, but there was a nervous edge to her voice now.

“You wanted to kill her, didn’t you?” I asked plainly, watching every microexpression on her face. “You wanted her out of the way for good.”

“You’re crazy!” Elise snapped, but her eyes darted away from mine.

“My sister remembers you up there, angry at her. She remembers you saying she couldn’t tell what she saw,” I leaned forward. “What did Zoey see, Elise?”

For a moment Elise was silent, clearly processing.

“She… she remembers?” she asked carefully.

“She remembers everything,” I lied outright, studying Elise’s reaction.

Then Elise smiled, a cynical, cruel smile that sent a chill through me.

“She’s fine now,” Elise said with contempt. “You’re making a fuss over nothing.”

“Fuss?” My voice rose a notch. “She almost died! The baby almost died! You destroyed one of the most important moments of her life!”

“Accidents happen,” Elise shrugged.

Her coldness only made me angrier,

“I’m not going to tell Zoey,” I said, laughing. “I’ll let her see it with her own eyes. But you know what I’m sure of? “My voice slid back into that sweet, poisonous tone. “That you will pay for this every day for the rest of your life. And I hope that life is very, very long. So you have plenty of time to regret it.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m making a promise,” I said, smiling angelically. “Karma is a beautiful thing, Elise.”

I started to leave, then stopped and looked right at her. On impulse I snatched the phone from her hand. She tried to protest, but I was already walking to the door.

“I’m leaving your phone right here. Come and get it,” I said, opening the door with a grin.

“Annie!” Elise shouted, clearly frustrated.

“Bye, dear,” I waved cheerfully. “Get well. Or not. Whatever.”

I left the room with a quiet laugh, a deep satisfaction settling over me. Was it petty? Maybe. But after everything that woman had done to my family, she deserved every second of inconvenience.

And it was only the beginning. If Elise thought she was going to get away with what she did to Zoey, she did not know the Bennett family. We protected our own.