Chapter69Dealing with Scum
Margaret had just stepped out from a meeting with Francesca, sealing an alliance, when Paige’s call caught her off guard. The news that Paige had brazenly kidnapped Xena left the old lady struggling to catch her breath in fury.
"What on earth do you mean you're with Xena? Paige, have you lost your mind?"
The Sackler family cherished no one more than their sole heir, Xena. The matriarch had adored her like the apple of her eye for years. How could she tolerate even the slightest threat to Xena's safety?
Paige, phone in hand and eyes squinted with pleasure, savored the sound of Margaret's explosive and frantic voice on the other end. She leisurely lit a cigarette, drew in a deep drag, and exhaled slowly.
It was as if she was exhaling years of pent-up resentment buried deep within her heart.
After allowing Margaret’s tirade to subside, Paige spoke in a haunting tone. "Bring the antidote in exchange of your precious granddaughter. Rest assured; I won’t hurt her for now. However, I can’t promise I won’t if you don’t bring the antidote."
Margaret had never anticipated such a move from Paige.
The leverage she once held over Paige through Paige's mother forced Paige to do her bidding without question. The Sacklers needed someone to handle their dirty work, and Margaret counted on Paige to follow through.
Now, with the support of the Carnegie family, Paige had shockingly turned against Margaret immediately.
Honestly, it wasn't unexpected.
That's why Margaret had sought Francesca for an alliance immediately instead of approaching Paige for negotiation.
"Have the Sacklers at the South Garden Villa in thirty minutes. That’s ample time, Mrs. Sackler. I'll be waiting!" Paige concluded, not bothering to add another word before hanging up.
Sitting in her car, Margaret didn’t care whether the South Garden Villa was under Carnegie's ownership or not. She promptly instructed her driver to head there while also making a call to the Sanatorium. Hearing the report that Paige had incapacitated all of Xena's guards before taking both her mother and Xena, Margaret’s face turned pale.
The thought plagued Margaret—Paige would not easily let Xena go. Paige’s hatred for Xena and for her was evident.
Once Pearl reported to Paige that they had settled her mother, Paige went to the room to see for herself. Despite the rush, Pearl had managed everything quite efficiently. The room contained a large, comfortable bed where her mother lay, seemingly infused with a touch of vitality.
A team of medical staff stood by the bed, respectfully stepping aside as Paige entered. Paige sat down beside her mother, gently taking her hand, and whispered, “Mom, we’re home now.”
After speaking, Paige turned to the attending nurses and doctors, “Please take good care of my mother. She must have medical personnel with her 24/7. I don't care about your shifts; not one minute should she be left unattended.”
Paige couldn’t afford to stay by her mother's side continuously; there were too many things she needed to handle.
The medical staff nodded in acknowledgment. Paige stood up and stepped outside to call Julian.
“Where are they?” she asked without preamble.
Julian knew exactly what she meant, “Basement. Let me know what you need, and I’ll get it for you. Those two weaklings couldn’t withstand much interrogation.”
Paige shook her head, “I need to see the doctor. As for Xena, just leave her hanging.”
She had no time to deal with Xena, whose cries for help were nothing but a nuisance to Paige. Besides, she was confident that Margaret would arrive soon enough.
Julian replied, “Wait here, I’ll bring him up.”
Paige nodded slightly and turned to sit in the hallway to wait. Perhaps because of the day's numerous events, her mood was off. As soon as she sat down, she lit up a cigarette.
Since she had no intention of returning to the house, she shared with Raymond that day and didn't care if anyone disliked the smell of smoke on her, she smoked one after another without hesitation.
Paige inhaled deeply from her cigarette, nearly finishing it, and Julian returned with the doctor in tow. With a push, Julian forced the doctor to fall to his knees in front of Paige.
Paige glanced down at the doctor in restraints, his mouth sealed with tape. She bent down, ripped off the tape, and asked in a cold voice, “Are you the doctor?”
The doctor had never seen such a scene before and was still shell-shocked. At the Sanatorium, he'd witnessed Paige take on ten men single-handedly, beating them down with ruthless efficiency.
As a doctor, he saw clearly as Paige's blade struck their skilled bodyguard over a dozen times, yet skillfully avoiding vital spots.
Despite being cut in multiple places, the bodyguard's injuries were surprisingly superficial.
But, of course, there was a lot of blood, nonetheless.
Now the doctor knew he needed to tread carefully around Paige, or who knows what fate might befall him.
When Paige questioned him, he nodded vehemently, "Yes, I'm a doctor."
However, as soon as he spoke, Paige delivered a fierce slap across his face.
She spat out disdainfully, "You call yourself a doctor, huh? A doctor's hands are meant to save lives and provide care. What are your hands for? Don't you know?"
The doctor recoiled in fear, leaning back to put some distance between them, but Paige's harsh gaze froze him in place.
"You're Margaret's confidant, aren't you? It's always been you administering injections to my mother, correct?"
The doctor was terrified. This woman looked stunning but harbored a terrifying aura.
A femme fatale – truly frightening.
As silence fell for three seconds without a response, Paige grew impatient.
She raised her voice, "Answer me!"
The doctor shivered with each word she uttered, finally stammering, "I... I was just following orders. It was all Mrs. Sackler's doing. I swear I didn't know what was in those injections. I honestly didn't know anything."
Paige's gaze turned colder and more intense, "You didn't know? As a doctor, you dared to inject a patient with something unknown? How can you have the gall to call yourself a doctor?"
She was furious. Such moral corruption was a disgrace to the profession.
In Paige’s eyes, the medical profession was noble, but this man before her was nothing.
He had not only failed to treat her mother but had wickedly administered those harmful substances to her.
Paige looked down at the man with disdain and, with a forceful thrust of her knee, slammed it into his chest.
He couldn't support himself and collapsed to the ground, wailing in pain.
Paige spotted his hand behind him, and she walked over without a shred of mercy and stepped on it.
Her stiletto heels crushing the man's hand, she drew a cigarette, placing it between her index and middle finger.
In her other hand, Paige flicked the lighter twice before igniting it. As she lit her cigarette, a voice from outside announced, "Xanthe, an elderly lady is here for you. She says her name is Margaret."
Paige slightly smirked, "That was fast!"
