After ending the call, Roy slid the phone into his palm, his gaze lingering on the hospital corridor for a moment. Then he turned and called out to a passing security staffer.
"Get Eric," he instructed.
A few minutes later, Eric arrived, striding up with his usual easy posture. Roy held out the phone.
"Here," Roy said.
Eric took it, nodding. He turned to leave, but then paused mid-step, glancing back at Roy with a curious tilt of his head.
"How did you know Erisia Wrenford?" he asked, brows slightly lifted.
Roy leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms loosely. "She was a young woman I found collapsed on the sidewalk three nights ago," he said evenly. "I took her to the hospital, made sure she was admitted. She just got discharged and decided to call to let me know—and to thank me." His eyes narrowed faintly. "Why do you ask?"
Eric gave a small shrug, but his tone carried that spark of gossip he was itching to share. "Nothing much. It's just—there's been a lot of noise on the net about the Wrenfords. Family drama, daughters—both biological and adopted. I got curious when I heard her name."
Roy straightened slightly. "Controversy? What happened? Who are the Wrenfords anyway?"
Eric chuckled under his breath. "You don't know anything, do you?" he said, shaking his head in faint incredulity. "Alright, I'll summarize. The Wrenford family has two daughters: an adopted one and a biological one. The biological daughter was lost when she was maybe four years old. Recently, they found her living in a rural community and brought her back. The problem is, the adopted daughter has been with them ever since the biological one went missing, and the parents are… a lot more affectionate toward the adopted one."
Roy's expression remained unreadable, but he was listening closely.
Eric went on, his hands gesturing faintly as he spoke. "Anyway, not long ago—during the Altheorn family's youngest daughter's birthday party—both girls fell into the pool. The next day, a post went viral claiming the biological daughter had pushed the adopted one in. People jumped on it instantly, tearing into the biological daughter online. But later that day, another post surfaced on a major site showing the full footage… and turns out the adopted daughter faked the fall and framed the biological one. She's been making the girl's life hell from the moment she returned to the family."
He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice like the corridor might have ears. "So yeah… basically, it's just one of those drama-heavy scandals teenagers love to dissect on the internet. I stumbled across it while looking for something else. The twist?" He smirked faintly. "The biological daughter? She's got style. So I was a little surprised when she called your phone and asked me to hand it to you."
Roy nodded slowly. "I see… so that's what happened that night she fainted on the sidewalk."
"Guess so." Eric gave a small salute with the phone. "Alright, I'll head down now."
As Eric walked away, the door to Kaelith's room swung open, and Seliora stepped out, her heels clicking softly against the floor. Her gaze flicked over Roy in that unhurried, assessing way of hers.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice carrying its usual indifferent lilt. Without waiting for his answer, she crossed the short stretch of hallway and entered the open room opposite. She lowered herself into one of the plush, upholstered chairs arranged neatly along the wall. They looked nothing like the cold, metallic seating of a public hospital—this was the kind of furniture that implied wealth could make even waiting rooms comfortable.
Roy inclined his head slightly in greeting, his hands clasped loosely behind his back. "Nothing serious, Ma'am," he said evenly. "Just a call I had to take."
Seliora smoothed the skirt of her dress over her knees. "A call?" she repeated, her brow lifting faintly.
"Yes." Roy's voice remained level. "The young woman I assisted the other night contacted me to thank me for helping her get to the hospital."
Seliora leaned back against the chair, "Oh? The one who collapsed on the sidewalk?"
"Yes, Ma'am. She was discharged today," he replied.
Her voice was low as she closed her eyes and leaned back. "And what did you call Eric for? I noticed he lingered longer than a simple handoff."
Roy lifted his chin a little. "She introduced herself as Erisia Wrenford. Eric recognized the name and asked how I knew her. When I explained, he told me she belongs to a family currently in the public eye. He filled me in on the situation."
Seliora tapped one manicured finger against her knee, her brow arching higher. "Mm. You said her name is Erisia Wrenford?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Roy confirmed.
Seliora gave a quiet hum and lifted her eyelids, her gaze drifting towards Kaelith's room. "Call Eric here. This seems interesting and worth hearing directly. I'd like to see it for myself."
"Yes, Ma'am." Roy bowed his head slightly before turning to summon Eric.
——————
Eric knocked lightly before stepping inside. His stride was relaxed, but the way his gaze darted from Seliora to Roy betrayed the awareness of standing in front of someone far above his pay grade. He stopped just short of the plush seating area and dipped his head respectfully.
"You asked for me, Ma'am?" Eric said, voice even but careful.
Seliora stared at him and gave him a faint smile. "Show me what you told Roy."
Eric pulled a sleek black tablet from under his arm, the screen already awake, and crossed the small space to hand it to her. "Yes, Ma'am. It'll be faster if you see it yourself."
Seliora accepted it without a word, her long, pale fingers curling around the device. She tilted it slightly, her gaze gliding across the glowing screen.
Eric cleared his throat and began, his tone slipping into that steady, report-like rhythm. "So… the Wrenfords. An old-money family with just enough wealth to stay relevant, but not enough to dominate. Their fortune was built decades ago, and while the shine has dulled, the name still carries weight in certain circles. They own Wrenford Media Systems, a mid-tier tech company. They've got two daughters: an adopted one, and their biological one who went missing as a toddler. About three or four years old at the time. A few months ago, they tracked her down in some rural community and brought her back home."
Seliora's brows flicked faintly upward, though she didn't interrupt.
"Now, the adopted daughter's been with them the whole time, which made her the center of the family. And, well…" Eric gave a dry chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Let's just say they favor her a little too much. The biological daughter—Erisia—is getting the short end of everything."
Seliora slid her finger across the screen, and the feed changed. Her eyes lowered slightly as she recognized the grainy party footage—balloons, streamers, the shimmer of an outdoor pool.
Eric leaned forward a little, lowering his voice unconsciously. "During Altheorn's youngest daughter's birthday party, both girls ended up in the pool. The next day, a post blew up—claimed Erisia pushed the adopted one. Internet ate it alive, called her manipulative, jealous, the usual. But later that evening, a new upload went viral. This one had the full footage." He paused, tilting his head toward the screen as if to cue her.
Seliora tapped, and the video rolled.
She watched as the adopted daughter staged the stumble, the over-dramatic fall, and the way Erisia's shocked face had been twisted into guilt by the earlier cropped clip. Her lips curved—soft, amused. A light chuckle escaped her, airy and unrestrained, echoing faintly in the room.
"Mm." Her eyes glimmered as she swiped, scrolling through the comments. Teenagers flaming each other, people backpedaling, others defending Erisia with fervor. The corner of her mouth tilted higher the longer she read.
Eric continued, pacing his words like a man who half-expected to be cut off. "After that, people started digging into the history between the two. Turned out the adopted daughter's been undermining Erisia since day one. Pretty much framing her in every way possible."
Seliora hummed, still scrolling. She froze briefly on a short, scathing post written in Erisia's voice.
Her brow arched, and she read aloud under her breath: "Dumpster fire site. Vomit-tier hot takes."
A low laugh slipped out of her again, light but genuine.
Eric blinked at the sound, then went on quickly. "Afterward, Erisia followed it up with a longer post on Instagram and X. Kind of a final statement before she went quiet. I bookmarked it."
Seliora's fingers were already gliding to the tab. The black-and-white minimal profile appeared, and she tapped the pinned post. Her eyes scanned smoothly down the words, her expression barely shifting—until she reached the second-to-last paragraph.
"So, that's all. I'll be back when the next scandal drops, which I have a feeling isn't far off."
The laugh that broke from her this time was fuller, richer. She leaned back against the chair, her head angling slightly as though savoring the absurdity. Her shoulders shook once in mirth before she pressed her lips together, controlling it.
"Oh…" Seliora's smile lingered, eyes bright as she finished the last few lines and skimmed through the replies. Erisia's witty retorts to faceless usernames only made her amusement deepen.
Finally, she powered off the tablet and set it gently on the low glass table before her. She crossed one leg over the other, elegant as ever, and rested her chin against the back of her hand.
"I like her," she murmured, the words soft but laced with intent.
Her gaze flicked to Eric, "Keep an eye on anything concerning Erisia Wrenford—or her family. I want to know every time her name resurfaces."
Eric straightened, nodding quickly. "Yes, Ma'am. Consider it done."
Seliora leaned back again, her faint smile returning as she let her gaze linger on Kaelith's door. "Good. Now go."
Eric bowed his head once, retrieving the tablet from the table before slipping out.
The room fell quiet again, save for the faint hum of the hospital lights. Seliora's smile faded into something more thoughtful as she exhaled softly, her eyes dimming.
"The girl seems to have had it hard before finally fighting back."
"Should I run a background check on her?" Roy asked.
Seliora rolled her eyes and waved him off. "No need; it's more interesting this way. I just hope Kealith wakes up soon."