Chapter 21
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Darryl couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Is Mr. Calderon actually concerned about Mrs. Calderon?” he wondered.
This was unprecedented in all the years he’d worked for him.
Darryl thought, “Word has spread about the hospital attack two days ago, where Mrs. Calderon narrowly escaped being stabbed.
“Could it be guilt that’s driving Mr. Calderon to do something like that?”
Darryl didn’t dwell on it.
Alejandro’s voice on the phone grew colder.”Keep an eye on her. Don’t let her make any
Darryl understood instantly.
fuss again.”
It was clear that Alejandro wasn’t worried about Concetta; he was protecting the Calderon family’s repu
With the Calderon Group at a critical stage of expansion in Miami, the last thing they needed was a scandal involving Mrs. Calderon to attract the wrong kind of attention.
Their marriage might be private, but the elite circles were quick
to sniff out drama.
At that time, any scandal involving Concetta could be ammunition for rival companies.
Alejandro was playing the long game.
Darryl could tell this wasn’t about care or guilt-it was strategy.
Relief washed over Darryl.
He believed his loyalty to Sharon hadn’t been misplaced.
“Understood, Mr. Calderon,” he replied.
Darryl planned to visit the hospital himself to arrange Concetta’s transfer, a gesture he figured might earn him some goodwill.
After all, he’d seen how devoted Concetta was to Alejandro over the years, and he believed a little heads-up would earn him some favor.
“Darryl, there’s a same-day delivery from Coral Gables, sender named McFarland, addressed to Mr. Calderon. Should we bring it to you?” the receptionist asked over the internal line.
“No, just store it in the archives,” Darryl said dismissively.
With the Calderon Group’s expansion, every small-time company in Miami was tossing their hat in the ring with unsolicited proposals.
He brushed it off and headed to the hospital.
There, he learned Concetta had already discharged herself the day before.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
He thought, “Mrs. Calderon always informs Mr. Calderon about her plans, even for small outings.
“So she left… without a word?”
Darryl comforted himself, thinking, “But since she was out, her condition must be stable.”
Darryl decided not to bother Alejandro with the update.
Meanwhile, Concetta arrived at Baptist Health South Miami Hospital.
She carried a thermos of soup and a neatly folded suit jacket, taking the elevator to the top-floor VIP ward.
Before heading up, she’d asked the nurse about the daily costs.
The man had saved her life, and she wanted to repay him.
She figured she could start with covering his medical bills.
“Ma’am, the tenth floor is for gold-tier patients. No need to pay separately,” the nurse explained.
Well, it looked like money couldn’t help her this time.
< Chapter 21
Concetta’s plan fizzled.
Stepping out of the elevator, she collided with a woman, nearly spilling her soup.
“Watch where you’re going!” the woman snapped, then froze.”Concetta? What are you doing here?”
Concetta studied the woman in front of her.
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The woman wore a sleek white dress with a plunging neckline and a strategically messy bun. Her makeup was soft, almost innocent-if not for the smug little smirk tugging at her lips.
It was Sienna Rangel, the stepdaughter of her uncle, Ramiro McFarland.
Officially, Sienna was Ramiro’s stepdaughter, but everyone knew she was his illegitimate child from an affair.
Ramiro’s first wife died when Concetta’s cousin, Burt McFarland, was fifteen.
Six months later, Ramiro married Sienna’s mother, Gisselle Rangel.
The betrayal sent Concetta’s grandfather to the hospital for months.
Burt, heartbroken, left to study abroad.
When Concetta’s parents died unexpectedly, Ramiro took her in.
At first, she thought it was out of familial duty, but his true motives soon surfaced.
Her father, a renowned professor at the University of Miami, left a vacancy too sudden for the school
to fill.
Ramiro, a mere associate professor, swooped in to claim the position.
Gisselle took over Concetta’s mother’s fashion brand under the guise of “caretaking.”
