That night, she dug into the bottom drawer of her vanity. Locking herself in the bathroom, she leaned into her self-destructive coping mechanisms, leaving faint red marks on her arms. Only when the physical sting eclipsed her internal agony was she finally able to breathe.
The next morning, she went to the rehearsal studio as usual to work on her compositions. Around noon, Swain practically burst through the doors, his face pale and frantic.
"Helena." He hurried over to the piano, sweating through his shirt. "How... how is Mr. Lonsdale?"
Seeing his panic, she grabbed a couple of tissues and handed them to him. "He's stable. His life isn't in danger. What's wrong?"
"His hand..." Swain stammered, his eyes wide. "Is it... ruined?"
"You heard?"
Swain was practically hyperventilating. "An insurance company contacted me today. Mr. Lonsdale had his hands insured for a hundred million dollars! And now, because I invited him to our celebration... they might hold me liable for the payout!"
Helena's expression tightened. She reached out and took his trembling hands. "Don't panic. I spoke to Morris yesterday. He explicitly told me he isn't going to hold you responsible."
"Are you sure? Then why are they coming after me?" Swain's eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a man standing on the gallows. "Helena, it's a hundred million dollars..."
Watching him unravel, a quiet sense of repulsion flickered in Helena's chest. She pushed it down and kept her voice gentle. "I'll talk to him again. Just try to calm down."
It took several minutes of coaxing before he finally stopped hyperventilating.
Glancing at the clock, Helena realized she wasn't going to get any more writing done today. She stood up. "I was planning to head to the hospital anyway. Do you want to come with me?"
Face Morris Lonsdale? Swain felt a spike of sheer terror, but he managed a jerky nod. "Yes. I need to apologize to him in person. I never meant for him to get hurt. It was an accident."
Swain bought an expensive fruit basket, and the two of them made their way to Morris's VIP suite.
Their timing couldn't have been worse. Two massive bodyguards flanked the door. Inside, Loyce and Forrest Lonsdale were already there.
Swain stood in the doorway, clutching the fruit basket, suddenly paralyzed. He had never been exposed to this level of wealth and power. The men in black suits with earpieces scanned him from head to toe, looking at him like he was a bug on the windshield.
He nervously swapped the basket to his left hand and wiped his sweaty right palm on his jeans.
Helena glanced at him, wanting to say something, but ultimately kept quiet and pushed the door open.
Morris lay in the hospital bed. His facial bandages had been changed, leaving only his dark eyes and pale lips exposed. His right arm was still elevated in a brace, though the gauze was slightly thinner today, revealing the faint outline of his fingers.


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The readers' comments on the novel: She Was the Treasure All Along
Please publish another book... Reborn fake heiress: watch the whole family burn.. thank you !!...