Page 49 of Her Wicked Plan

They are a huge danger to themselves or others. I am not a danger to myself; even though I could be a danger to other patients, I have control over myself. Sometimes. It's not until someone crosses that line that all hell breaks loose.

The reason I hold back is that I actually like this ward. No one really tries to bother me anymore here. I have more freedom, and most patients are saner than those in Ward R. I’m still unsure why Dr. Bennett chose one of the safer wards. Why not send me to a few wards below R?

“Ms. Rollins.” Speak of the old man.

“Hey, Henry.” I sip my coffee while I reach the door to the offices.

“Do you have a session today?” He asks as he approaches me, and I nod in response. “Here, let me open this for you. I can walk you to Dr. Madden’s office.”

“No need.” I pat his shoulder as a thanks. “Dr. Madden said I can escort myself to his office. It’s sort of like an exercise. To see how trusted I can be.”

Dr. Bennett's eyebrow pops up. “I see.”

“Gotta go, I don’t want to be late.” A tight smile forms as I leave him.

The hall goes silent after the door shuts. From behind, I still see Dr. Bennett's eyes on me, ensuring I get to Leo’s office without wandering into another. Earning trust. It’s a hard thing to do.

Hopefully, it won’t be too hard with Leo. With how fond he has become of Scarlet, I will need to make a move soon before he falls head-over-heels for the wrong girl.

As I approach his office, the door is wide open, and he is talking to someone. There isn’t a response, which means he is on the phone.

“I’m not talking about her anymore with you.” He chuckles to whoever is on the other line.

I stop outside his door, off to the side where he can’t see me yet.

“Yeah, I’m not talking about her either.” He states a bit more serious. “Because she’s my patient.” He whispers the last word. Interesting. “Dammit, Myles. I know... yeah, she is very pretty, but...”

My head snaps towards the sound of his voice. He thinks I’m pretty. Does he talk about me to his friends all the time? Oh, this is too good.

Smiling wickedly, I round the corner and knock on the door's frame.

Leo’s eyes shoot to mine like a deer caught in headlights.

“I gotta go.” He hangs up the phone before the person on the other end can speak. He clears his throat. “Veronica, come in.”

I won’t let him know what I heard. Not just yet. Shutting the door, I head to the leather chair.

“Sorry, I’m a bit early.” I apologize and take a seat. “I would have grabbed you a coffee, but I notice you drink it hot.”

“That’s alright. I was up early. I already had my caffeine fix.”

“Then I don’t feel bad.” I shrug and sit back in my chair. The cup rests on my stomach, the drops of water from the side of the plastic cup dripping onto my white tank top.

“Do you have a letter to give me?” he asks, uncapping his pen.

“I’m still working on it.” I haven’t even started it. “I didn’t realize there was a deadline.”

“There isn’t. I was just wondering.”

“I’m trying to find the right words to say. You know, in case I want to send it.”

“I’m glad you are taking your time with this.” He smiles at me.

My lips meet the lid of my cup, hiding my smirk. “What are we talking about today?”

Leo inhales a deep breath. “I’d like to know what happened with your previous doctors.”

My eyes stay trained on him while I take a sip, contemplating whether this is a good topic of conversation. He will tell me to deal with it if I throw a tantrum and state that I don’t want to talk about it.