One Wild Night

Chapter 928  Win Or Lose Together

Diana was jolted awake by the shrill ring of her phone cutting through the stillness of the night. Disoriented, she glanced at the clock on her bedside table and frowned when she saw the time— 4:37 AM.

It was barely two hours since she slept. After her visit to Mia's place, she had driven back home ruminating on what Mia had said about ruining her life because of Henry.

It had taken a while for sleep to come because she kept thinking about all the things she wanted to do to Henry, but when it finally came, it had been filled with dreams of Henry's torment and her own sense of justice served.

Who could be calling so early in the morning? She mused, and her heart raced as she fumbled to grab her phone, her bleary eyes squinting at the screen.

The caller ID displayed a number she recognized all too well. It was her blackmailer turned partner in crime.

Immediately, she sat up and swiped to answer. "Hello," she breathed, her voice hushed and strained.

"Have you gotten to Henry? What did you do to him?" Tom's voice was low and urgent.

"Yes, I saw him where you left him. Thank you for fulfilling your promise and handing him over to me. You don't have to worry about him anymore. Leave Henry to me," Diana said confidently.

There was a pause, "I'm worried. I don't want you to kill him," Tom said with a sigh.

Her brow furrowed in irritation. "Why do you suddenly care about Henry?"

"I don't," Tom assured her. "I just don't want to be an accessory to murder."

Diana sighed, trying to maintain her composure. "I assure you, I won't incriminate you. I'm going to do this myself and turn myself in. No one will ever know I had help. I don't even know who you are, anyway, so there is nothing for you to fear."

Tom's voice was firm. "There has to be another way for you to get what you want without killing him. I suggest you think of something else."

Diana's patience was wearing thin. "I'm not handing him over to the police. I don't trust the law."

"I don't either," Tom admitted, "but we need to come up with a punishment worse than death— something that won't cause you to stain your hands with Henry's dirty blood. He's not worth it. You are a doctor, Diana, not a murderer. Henry isn't worth it."

Diana's grip on the phone tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Fine. I wasn't planning on killing him anytime soon anyway. I will think about it and come up with something. How can I reach you when I have a new plan and need your help?"

"Try dialing back this number. I'll call you," Tom said before hanging up.

Diana stared at the phone, seething with frustration. She threw back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her mind racing.

Tom's interference had thrown a wrench into her plans, but his words lingered in her mind the same way Mia's had lingered.

Maybe they were right; killing Henry would be too easy, too final. She needed something that would make him suffer for a really long time.

She paced the bedroom, her thoughts churning. After what felt like hours, an idea began to form. She needed to make Henry's life a living hell, a torment that would last for the rest of his days.

The solution came to her in a flash of inspiration: an accident. If Henry were to survive but be left permanently paralyzed and unable to move or speak, she could stay by his side as the loving wife.

She would let him watch her destroy everything he had built but he would be powerless to do anything about it. That would be a fate worse than death for him.

Determined, Diana grabbed her phone and tried dialing back the number. The call bounced back as usual, but five minutes later he called back as promised.

"I have a plan," she said without preamble. "But I need your help. I need  to get Henry into an accident…"

"Isn't that the same as murder?" Tom cut in impatiently.

"No. It won't be fatal but it will be just enough to paralyze him. What I mean is, it has to be perfectly staged as an accident. He is paralyzed already."

Tom was silent for a moment, processing her words. "Won't that be suspicious?" he finally asked.

"No," Diana replied confidently. "Not when he has alcohol in his system. He has been drinking heavily since Vanessa left anyway. And I'm going to infuse some drugs and alcohol into his system. I will plant some drugs around his study so they believe he takes drugs. While he is in the hospital I will insist on marrying him since I'm pregnant for him…"

"But you're not really pregnant," Tom pointed out.

"I'm going to have a miscarriage. I will get a doctor to confirm my miscarriage," Diana said and Tom thought about Tyler but decided against it.

"I will have Dr Evans confirm it. Since he is Henry's doctor it will be more believable," Tom said and Diana frowned.

"How do you plan to get him to do that? He's really loyal to Henry and could expose everything," Diana pointed out.

"Trust me, and leave it to me," Tom assured her since he was willing to help her as long as she didn't kill Henry.

There was a long pause before she spoke again, "Alright. By the way, did you know about the new chef? Is he working for you?" She asked curiously.

No matter how hard she had thought about it, she had not bought the story Jeff had told her about knowing Vanessa while in the house.

The way she had seen them clinging to each other, they had been more like lovers than mere friends. And she knew for a fact that they couldn't have developed such a friendship in the brief period since Jeff started working in the house. Not when Henry's cameras were all over the place. They would have seen and known something.

"What about the new chef?" He asked, hoping Jeff had not blown his cover.

"I met him at Vanessa's place and they seemed to be really close," she said and Tom swore under his breath.

"What did he tell you?" Tom asked and Diana raised a brow.

"Judging by your question I take it he is your person then. Does that mean you were looking out for Vanessa from the start? You used me to help her get out?" she asked thoughtfully.

"He is not my person. I already told you why I asked you to fire the former chef. It was a test to see how cooperative you would be. Is there anything else you need me to do for you?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

Diana decided to let it go since she didn't mind whether or not Jeff and Mia were lovers as long as they didn't get in her way and they were safe.

Diana outlined her plan, her voice calm and measured, and Tom listened intently, occasionally interjecting with questions or suggestions. By the time they finished the call, Diana felt a grim satisfaction. She had a plan, and with help, she would see it through.

As she hung up, a sense of resolve settled over her. Henry would pay for what he had done, maybe not with his life as she had intended, but with his suffering. And Diana would be there to witness every agonizing moment until he drew his last breath.

Away from there, Tom was seething as he dialed Jeff's line, not minding that it was still the early hours of the morning over there since Jeff had done the same to him.

It took a couple of rings before Jeff received the call, his voice rough with sleep, "Tom?" He asked as he sat up on his bed in the hotel room where he had lodged for the night.

Because the previous day was his off day, he had lodged in a hotel since he didn't have a house there to go back to, and he planned to return to Henry's house the next day and stay there until it was all over so as not to arouse further suspicion.

"When did you plan to let me know you blew your cover and Diana found out you were there for Mia?" Tom asked, unable to keep the annoyance from his tone.

Jeff sighed, "It's nothing for you to worry about. I handled it. I told her I had my personal vendetta against Henry and I met Mia right there in the house…."

"Does that make sense to you? If you were in Diana's shoes would you buy the shit you just said? If she decides to look into you, it is only a matter of time before she finds out you are Bryan's manager and lives with Mia, and guess what? Bryan would naturally become the suspect behind these calls. And by telling her you're there on a mission it means you have also exposed the domestic staff agency that sent you there. If things become a mess and they are questioned, don't you think I will be fingered?" Tom asked incredulously.

Jeff sighed deeply, "I realize I messed up. I'm sorry. I didn't expect Diana to show up at Mia's place. I thought with Henry out of the picture it was safe to see her," Jeff said apologetically.

"It doesn't matter now. We have to make sure everything is wrapped up perfectly. Remain in the house with Diana for some time. Since you told her you have a personal vendetta against Henry, prove it by offering to help her with whatever she plans. I've spoken to her. She can't kill him. Make sure she doesn't. I will tell you when it's safe to leave. And neither you nor Mia can come back to Ludus immediately," Tom said and Jeff nodded.

"I understand. What about Mia? Can she at least leave here and go somewhere else until all of this is over? Diana suggested she leave," Jeff explained.

"No. She should remain there for the time being. It would be suspicious if she left too soon. And she should be there to see what becomes of Henry," Tom said and Jeff nodded.

"Alright. Thanks. And I'm sorry once again," Jeff apologized.

"I understand you miss her and want to be with her. But you should try to be more careful else you're going to expose us all to danger," Tom said before hanging up.

Done with his phone calls, he returned to join Lucy, who was waiting in bed for them to see a movie.

"So? What did she say?" She asked hopefully and he gave her a nod.

"She came up with a new plan. She won't kill him," he said and Lucy smiled, relief written all over her face.

"Thank you," she said as she pecked his lips.

"I should be thanking you. Sometimes it's easy to make bad decisions simply because I can get away with it. And for a moment I didn't see a big deal in killing him because I was convinced he doesn't deserve to live. I'm glad I have you to keep me in check and make sure I don't lose my humanity. And thank you for not judging me for my momentary lapse in judgment," Tom said, holding her gaze.

"There's nothing to thank me for. It's my duty as your partner to not let you make such mistakes. We are a team, Ace.  If something affects you, it affects me too. We win together. We lose together," she said and Tom smiled.

"I like the sound of that. We win together, we lose together. I hope we have more wins than loses," he said before capturing her lips in a kiss.

"Me too."