Jonathan and Diana left the hospital in the same car. They sat in the back seat and created a long silence for almost half the journey. Diana refused to take her eyes off the road and her thoughts were always on the recent tragedy. Her chest still felt tight, but she didn't want to cry in the car, not when it was just Jonathan and the driver. "Are you okay?" Jonathan's voice broke the silence. For a moment Diana gave a small gasp as her reverie was interrupted. She glanced without interest at the one who had just spoken, her own father."I regret a lot of things. About your mother, Bill, and you," the man said as he looked down at his own hand that was still stiff and numb. The warm sensation of Bill's blood as he tried to carry the boy was still tangible. "I'm glad it wasn't you who got hurt, but I'm very angry with your grandfather for making Bill die." Diana listened. Even though she tried not to care, Jonathan's words comforted her a little. "I always do what your grandfathe
Julie had no idea who she was talking to. Ryan looked very bad in her eyes. How could someone who had put a bullet into his own grandson show no compassion at all? The man was pointing the finger at Julie as the cause of all this trouble, the reason Bill was dying the way he was."Diana is just like you. Insubordinate and petty," Ryan said, pointing at Julie. A slur that felt so sharp and piercing to Julie. "For a long time, you never really listened to what I said and followed my orders." Ryan added."Because you are selfish. What you do is only for your own self-interest to keep the Rainer family victorious! You never paid attention to how your actions affected those closest to you. You never cared, even though you always acted on behalf of the family. When in fact you never considered us family. To you, we're not even people, we're just robots. Tools that you use to achieve all your goals!" said Julie loudly. Julie had never spoken so boldly in criticizing her father-in-law. "Be
Joana, who was currently in her apartment, jumped out of her chair as soon as she heard the news about Bill. In a hurried voice, she asked, "Bill's in the hospital?" "Yes," Julie replied.Joana got up immediately. She was in a bit of shock, and hit the leg of the table as she was about to pick up her blazer. However, she didn't seem to care about that. "What happened to him? How did she end up in the hospital?" "He had an accident," Julie answered on the other side of the phone after a few seconds of silence. "She's undergoing surgery right now.""Surgery?" Joana gasped and was even more surprised. "How bad was the accident?" Only, right now she couldn't wait long to listen to the explanation over the phone. She had to meet with Bill first, or at least confirm how severe the man's condition was. "No, just tell me where the hospital is?" Julie actually felt torn between telling Joana where Bill was receiving treatment or not. But in the end Julie told Joana the address of the hospi
Jonathan and Diana returned to the hospital. They were both surprised and astonished to find Julie not alone waiting in front of the operating room, but with a woman who appeared to be crying bitterly. The woman looked younger than Diana.Diana frowned. She was even more surprised because Julie seemed to be comforting the crying woman. Who was this woman?Besides, Jonathan knew a little about Joana. He knew her as the owner of Zigga Company, the place where Bill worked and Bill's childhood friend at the same orphanage. Jonathan wouldn't be surprised if Joana burst into tears over Bill's current situation, because as far as Jonathan knew, Joana and Bill had been friends since childhood. Once Jonathan and Diana arrived in front of the two, Diana greeted them first. "I didn't know you weren't alone." Joana immediately straightened her back and hurriedly wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then she greeted the two newcomers with a brief nod of her head. "I called Bill and Mrs. Julie took
Everyone was silent. Joana never misinterprets situations and her instincts. There was indeed something wrong in this family. How could someone have an accident with a gunshot wound? Was it like trying to fight a gangster and ending up with a gunshot wound to save yourself? Joana was annoyed to death with the images in her mind."What are you hiding?" Joana asked again. She exhaled harshly. "Well, you may not have to explain it to me, but do you think the hospital won't ask questions about it? What if the media catches wind of all this?" With her visionary way of thinking, Joana was forced to give a little idea of what she was thinking right now. Julie was about to reply, because for her what Joana had said had gone too far. However, Diana stopped her and asked Julie to stay calm.Diana took a step towards Joana who was still overwhelmed by the anxiety that was so visible on her face. "Before that, what exactly was your relationship with Bill?" Diana asked expressionlessly. "What
"I'm sorry." Diana said the words for the umpteenth time. No matter how many times she repeated it, it didn't make her feel any better about what she had done to Bill. It was just that, for now, it was the only sentence that could describe how sorry she was.Joana shook her head as she wiped away the tears that had fallen unconsciously. She held back her anger because right now they were in a public place, many people were watching them, and of course it was because of Bill. Diana was still related to her lover after all. "I understand your annoyance and anger at me." Diana straightened her back, leaning slightly towards the table. "But, you should know that right now that's not what you should be focusing on." Diana felt Joana should know, because after all, the woman in front of her was important to Bill. "You have to know that right now you might be in danger," she continued."What do you mean?" Joana's eyebrows knitted together in surprise."Grandfather is going to set me and Bi
Ryan stared out the window of his office. He was in that position for quite some time with a blank look. No one knew what was on his mind. Occasionally a sigh escaped in a heavy manner, probably the effect of the pain felt in several parts of his body, especially the chest. Ryan pulled the blanket to wrap his lower body. A soft breeze came in from between the open windows. Someone entered after knocking on the door and Ryan didn't seem bothered at all. "Sir," the person called. It was Jeremy, Ryan's personal assistant. "You're not asleep yet?"Ryan showed no signs of sleepiness at all. The man had stayed up all night in the same way. Sitting in a wheelchair, and staring blankly outside as if busy thinking about something. "Sir," Jeremy called again politely. He then moved forward to close the window more tightly to keep his master from freezing. "Shouldn't you go to bed? Staying up late is not good for your health. You are sick. Your body might drop again like before." Jeremy remin
After walking around for a while, Julie finally returned. She found Jonathan talking with Diana."What about that girl?" Jonathan asked Diana who was sitting next to him. "I asked her to come home." Diana replied."Just like that?""Yes." Diana sighed. "I told her about why Bill became like this," she said frankly. "As Papa and Mama know, she is Bill's lover. So, she has to know what happened to Bill somehow."Jonathan didn't protest, and neither did Diana. They seemed to agree with their daughter's decision. "That's fine then," said Julie who sat with Diana between her husband and her. "We'll think about the girl later. Right now we need to make sure Bill is okay." Diana was a little stunned to hear her mother say that. Maybe just like her, Julie was also starting to open her eyes and heart about the real Bill. There was no way Julie would be this considerate if she still considered Bill as an enemy. Just like Diana, Jonathan also didn't need any more confirmation about his wife.