Chapter 148

Chapter 148:

Brinley held Austin’s gaze, his deep eyes steady on hers, and a lump rose in her throat. The secrets she carried felt like storm clouds packed into her chest, pressing until it was hard to breathe.

She wanted to explain—but where could she even begin?

How could she tell him she was Rosara? How could she admit that her so-called daring self-rescue moves hadn’t been improvised at all, but instincts etched into her bones long ago?

Her voice wavered as she fussed with the hem of her racing suit, fingertips twisting the fabric. “There are things I can’t say yet p>

P𝗗𝗙𝘴 o𝗻

Austin studied her for several seconds. In the end, he didn’t press.

Rubbing his brow, he returned the emergency kit to the trunk, then slid into the driver’s seat. When the engine started, he spoke softly. “Let’s get your arm properly treated at the hospital first. We’ll talk about the rest later p>

They drove straight to a private hospital owned by the Moore Group. The moment the medical staff spotted Austin’s Maybach, they hurried over with a wheelchair already prepared.

Brinley had stayed here once before, back when Austin had been admitted for stomach bleeding.

Stepping inside again, she caught the sharp tang of disinfectant, and with it came a strange, almost familiar sensation.

A nurse led them into an exam room. The doctor cleaned and redressed her wound while Austin stood by the window—upright as always, yet tense, his unease coiled tight beneath his stillness.

“It’s a superficial wound—nothing serious, no damage to the bone,” the doctor said, concern lingering in his voice as he pulled off his gloves. “You’re lucky. If it had gone even a little deeper, you would’ve needed dozens of stitches p>

“Thank you,” Brinley murmured faintly, her eyes drifting to Austin despite herself. His profile looked razor-sharp under the sterile hospital lights. He was typing on his phone, jaw clenched, and even without a word, she could feel the anger simmering inside him.

When the treatment was finished, Austin didn’t let her go home. He led her straight to a ward.

It didn’t resemble a typical hospital room at all. It felt more like a refined hotel suite.

The balcony was arranged with the same greenery and fresh flowers Brinley remembered from her last visit, and even the lamp on the bedside table matched the design she recalled.

“Stay here tonight,” Austin told her, pulling a chair up beside the bed. “I’ve already asked the butler to bring your clothes over p>

“That’s already too much trouble,” Brinley protested, trying to sit up—but Austin gently pressed her shoulder back against the mattress.

His voice was firm, yet tender. “Please stay here. We still don’t know what happened this afternoon. I can’t relax until we do p>

The memory of the accident stopped Brinley from arguing further.

Her gaze dropped to the bandage wrapped around her arm, then snapped up as a thought struck her. “What about Jensen? Will he be blamed p>

“I already had Miguel take him to the police to give his statement,” Austin said, handing her a glass of warm water from the bedside table. “Bowman, on the other hand, ran. But surveillance caught him meeting with Milly.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice had gone cold. “Focus on recovering. Leave everything else to me p>

Brinley accepted the glass, the warmth soaking into her palms and quietly spreading through her chest.

She knew exactly what Austin meant by “leave everything else to me.” He wasn’t a man who spoke empty words.

Yet the fatigue shadowing his eyes made guilt twist in her stomach.

“Actually…” She hesitated. “Milly’s after me. You don’t have to p>

“Brinley.” Austin cut her off, a faint, mocking smirk tugging at his lips. “She set a trap for someone under my protection and thinks she can walk away without consequence?” His gaze hardened. “You’re my wife. I will always care for you and protect you p>

The blunt certainty of his words made Brinley’s heart jolt.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

Miguel stepped in with a folder in hand. “Mr. Moore, we’ve uncovered something.” He passed the documents over and explained, “Yesterday, Bowman’s account received a transfer of fifty thousand from a shell company tied to Milly. We also discovered she’s been approaching several pit crew members, repeatedly asking about Mrs. Moore’s training schedule p>

Austin frowned as he flipped through the folder.

When Austin reached the final page, he let out a cold laugh. “She really pulled out all the stops p>

Brinley leaned over to look and saw a detailed record of Milly’s recent activities.

Not only had Milly bribed Bowman, but she had also planned to smear Brinley on race day, fabricating claims of rule violations.

Brinley’s anger flared. “Damn it! She’s trying to orchestrate my downfall, all because of that scumbag Colin p>

Her jab at Colin seemed to amuse Austin. The corner of his mouth lifted briefly before he smoothed his expression back into place.

He snapped the folder shut, handed it to Miguel, and said with casual authority, “Sort this out and send it anonymously to Kashton p>

Miguel hesitated, then, understanding dawning, nodded and left at once with the file.

Brinley scowled, confused. “Why send it to him p>

Kashton Palmer—Colin’s grandfather—had always indulged him. Even if he learned what Milly had done, at most he would probably offer her a token reprimand.

Austin chuckled as he poured more warm water into her glass. “He cares about reputation more than anything—especially the Palmer family’s. Milly pulling shady tricks while exploiting Colin’s connections won’t sit well with him p>

He set the glass back on the table and added, “Besides, the Palmer family is bidding for land in the east of the city. Kashton is eager to establish his authority at the board meeting. With Milly stirring up trouble, tell me—how do you think he’ll deal with her p>