Maurice is sitting beside Thea's bed. His left hand strokes her head gently, while his right hand softly pats her abdomen.
His little princess had cried herself to sleep. There isn't anything in the world he wouldn't do for her. Even his wife often joked that Maurice loved Thea more than her.
In a sense, it was true.
His youngest child came to him when he had already given up the idea of having a daughter. And she was born during the time when Montrose Corporation was fighting for its life. After Thea was born, it took off. It's one of the many reasons Maurice loves her so much.
Once he is finally sure that Thea is deeply asleep, he straightens his back and turns to the rest of his family.
He beckons them to follow him to the sofas.
All four of them sit comfortably in the little living room of the hospital's VVIP suite.
"Update us," Maurice says in a soft, low tone, afraid he will disturb Thea's sleep.
"It is just as I told you on the phone earlier. She woke up at 10 a.m., very disoriented. Then the massive headache came. Lucas said it's normal, and there's a chance that her missing memories might never return," Arthur explains in the same tone and volume as his father.
"And the fever?" Maurice presses.
"Lucas was not sure why she suddenly had a fever. His best guess was that it was Thea's body's last attempt to wake her up," Arthur exhales.
Leila closes her eyes. The thought of her Thea never waking up frightens her. Maurice notices and wraps his hand around her shoulder, kissing the top of her head.
"It's okay, chérie. The important thing is, she woke up. Our Theodora has returned to us."
Leila nods. "I know, I know. But still…"
"Shh, don't. Just concentrate on helping her get back on her feet."
Leila nods again and rests her head on his shoulder. Maurice turns his attention back to his sons.
"Any news on the investigation?"
Arthur's gentle demeanor changes. His gaze becomes colder, his jaw clenches. "Not much progress. We know it was Thornfield, but he would never let anything trace back to him. Sam believes, and I do too, that if we are to get evidence, Marie is our best way."
Both Julian and Maurice clench their jaws when they hear this.
Greg Thornfield is the head of the Blackwood Family. They have been the Montroses' rival for years. Unlike the Montroses, nothing is too much for Greg. As long as he gets what he wants, he'll do it. It gives a new meaning to the phrase 'the end justifies the means.'
If the Montroses have the Montrose Corporation, then the Blackwoods have Blackwood Enterprises. Greg was only an employee when the daughter of the previous owner fell in love with him. They got married, and Greg became CEO when Thomas Blackwood fell ill.
Since then, Greg has been at the helm of Blackwood Enterprises, and three years ago, he was elected head of the Blackwood Family.
Maurice doesn't believe he was truly elected. "More likely he did a coup d'état," he always says. And it's not too far-fetched. Greg is an extremely ambitious man.
At the mention of Marie's name, Julian groans. "Aw!" His mother glares at him.
He presses his lips together and lowers his voice. "No one else? It has to be Marie?"
Arthur holds back a smirk. "Yes. It has to be her. No one else."
He adds, "We all know that Marie is Greg's favorite child. No one would suspect her."
Then, in a more serious tone, he continues, "From the last info I received, Greg promised her a seat on the board if she could succeed in getting her hands on our latest invention—the spatial bracelets."
Julian's expression changes. "How do they know we've succeeded? Brad?"
Arthur confirms it with a nod. "Yes. Brad the spy. The funny thing is, he still thinks we don't know. Hah! We knew it from the first day he stepped into our lobby."
Maurice nods proudly. "Excellent, Arthur. What's your next step?"
Arthur turns to Julian. "It's not me. It's him."
Julian groans again. "Do I really have to? I'd rather spend my time in the lab with my babies than… seducing that stupid woman!"
"Julian! Shh!" Leila reprimands him.
"Sorry!" Julian whispers.
Arthur chuckles lightly. "Well, I'm not the one Marie is in love with." He ends his statement with a wide grin.
Leila exhales. "Speaking of Brad and love…" She glances toward Thea.
Everyone turns to her.
Julian breaks the silence. "Don't worry, Mom. She might not remember him."
Leila bobs her head slightly. "Let's hope so."
------------------------------
Theo opens his eyes and immediately closes them again as the sun hits directly. He adjusts his position and opens his eyes once more.
Ah, he sighs. It wasn't a dream. I really am here. In another world. In a different body. In a different gender.
He takes a deep breath and scans his surroundings. Where's everyone? I'm surprised they left me alone.
Theo remembers the night before—the Montroses, the way they interacted with each other. They really do love Thea… and each other.
I'd always wished I had a family like that. He chuckles bitterly. Be careful what you wish for.
He continues scanning his room.
A spacious hospital room. Too spacious to be called a hospital room. The ones he knew were small, dark, filled with the smell of blood and death. Nothing like this. And those… tools.
Theo notices there's no beeping sound. They're gone. It's only this clear rope sticking to my wrist. How did they make it stick? Tape?
Thea's memories give Theo crash lessons on her world.
Those tools are called machines. Hospital machines. They check for vitals. Wow! They can do that?
Theo's face changes every few seconds. If anyone were watching him, they'd think he was about to have a breakdown.
This world is amazing!
Suddenly, Theo feels the urge to go to the bathroom. He pales. He's been dreading this.
No, no, no, no! Anything but this!