“What the hell, Steve? You would burst out in laughter if you just heard what Commander Lex told me. He told me that you all found my Alaric, my son, inside the building, lying down, with a pool of blood surrounding him. How laughable that is. Come on, Lex, come up with some better jokes. This is not a playful thing,” she said, turning around and smiling at the commander. “Ma'am, I am not joking with you. I am serious. We found the young master lying down, a pool of blood surrounding him. He was bruised all over, including his face, as blood was all over it,” he said. Mrs. Claire smiled. “Really? My son?” In the middle of the road, Mrs. Claire's laughter echoed, a stark contrast to the grim news the commander had just delivered. "What, my son? No way," she said between laughs, dismissing the commander's account. Her eyes betrayed a deep-seated disbelief as she struggled to fathom the unthinkable. Despite their attempts to reassure her, Mrs. Claire's laughter persisted, a defens
It didn't take long before they arrived at the hospital. Steve had already made an emergency call, saying that Alaric was in danger and that they needed to get the emergency team ready to rush him into treatment. Immediately the car pulled up in front of the hospital, the nurses brought the stretcher to take Alaric in it. Seeing the state of Alaric, gauze and cotton swabs were used to soak and wipe the blood from his face, and some parts of the body, as they rushed him inside. Mrs. Claire was standing by Alaric, holding his hands and urging him to stay alive. Some of the guards walked fast behind her to protect her against any harm. The doctor seemed to appear out of nowhere, and one of them walked up to them. “You have to wait here, ma'am. Seeing this amount of injury, I can see that we need to go into operation,” he said. Mrs. Wright was surprised. “Operation?” “Yes, ma'am. He has bruises, and we have to check for any internal damage, so we have to perform an explorator
Steve desperately avoided eye contact with Dr. Rodriguez. The tension in the air was palpable, and Steve silently prayed that the doctor wouldn't call out to him. However, his efforts were in vain as Dr. Rodriguez's voice cut through the uneasy silence. "Steve!" called the doctor, his tone demanding attention. Steve reluctantly turned to face him, attempting to mask the anxiety that lingered in his eyes. Acting as normally as possible, Steve silently pleaded that Dr. Rodriguez wouldn't bring up the recent events. The doctor, however, played mind games, leaving Steve on edge. Ma'am Claire, noticing the awkward exchange, intervened with concern evident in her voice. "Is everything okay, Steve?" Ma'am Claire inquired, her gaze switching between Steve and Dr. Rodriguez. "Why are you acting like this?" Dr. Rodriguez, maintaining his enigmatic demeanor, reassured Mrs. Claire with a casual tone. "Oh, nothing's wrong. Just wanted to say hello," he said. "Congratulations, Mr. Steve. You'
“It seemed like the place was hit a couple of times because the injury was also. emitting a pus. I wondered what he must be doing. Is his job just getting his life threatened?" The doctor asked. “That's not what is going on, doc. I agree that he was under attack, but we just find him in danger every time. We don't know where he goes,” Steve lied. He had really thought about it. I knew that whatever he was saying was the best thing. He had to do everything in his power to keep the truth hidden. “If that is it, and you don't know, then I guess this is a serious matter. You have to involve the police,” the doctor said, looking at Steve intensely. Steve was a bit surprised by the sudden statement involving the police. He didn't know how to say it, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. He tried hard to make sure the doctor didn't suspect something. “What do you say about that, Mr. Steve? If the man you are with is in danger, you really later save him, and the only way to do t
Steve stood frozen, grappling with the doctor's unsettling question. Why did the doctor want to know about Alaric? The room seemed to close in as Steve's mind fumbled for an explanation. The doctor's expectant gaze only added to his discomfort, making him feel like a deer caught in headlights. Once more, the doctor posed the question, a simple yet weighty "What is he to you?" Steve's mind raced, his face contorting in bewilderment. He couldn't understand why the doctor was delving into Alaric's role in his life. It just felt as if the doctor was doing too much. With a furrowed brow, Steve stammered, "Uh, h… he's… he's just eh… he's just m… my… he's just my senior,” he said, as he managed to finally say one sentence. “Oh. So that is it? Your senior at work?” “Y… yes,” Steve said. “He's my senior who is at work. I'm quite older than him but… let's say life is unfair,” he said. The doctor's nod seemed almost too accepting. Steve sensed a lingering doubt in those probing eyes, but
"This is the reason why I say you should not yet, ma'am. You have to understand what I want to tell you because it's really important. I don't really know the details but I think the young master will be able to talk about that later but for now, I want to tell you how it happened,” Steve said. “What? No way! I'm not going to believe it anywhere this year until he confirms it himself.” “You have to understand, ma'am. I really didn't mean to hide it from you. It wasn't something that I wanted to do, but something that I just had to do, because of good reasons. Please listen to me, ma'am,” he begged. Now, he was begging, but she didn't listen. Steve and Mrs. Claire stood face to face, their tear-streaked faces revealing the depth of emotion that had unfolded between them. Passersby couldn't help but notice the rare vulnerability etched on both their faces. With a quivering voice, Mrs. Claire broke the heavy silence, her words cutting through the air. "Is it true, Steve? Did
Norton's hands trembled on the steering wheel as he careened into the building, panic etched across his face. The echo of his racing heartbeat resonated in his ears, drowned only by the gasps of air escaping his burning lungs. He barely registered the worker's greeting as he sprinted past, the urgency propelling him forward. Inside, the dimly lit hallway stretched before him, but Norton's focus narrowed on the door to his family's home. He walked in, only to find the sitting room filled with expectant faces. The weight of their collective gaze bore down on him, causing him to pause in his tracks. His mother, her eyes filled with worry and the room thick with tension, hurried towards him. In a desperate embrace, she clutched him, seeking answers in her quivering voice, "Oh my goodness! My son is back! Where have you been, Norton?" She asked, with a worried look on her face His father had a different tale to tell. While his mother was expectant and was really waiting for him to com
Mr. Jefferson looked at Norton with a smile on his face. "Good job, son. Thank you for this. You have just saved our family. When we needed this money the most, you were there for us. You have done a really good job and I'm very proud of you, Norton," he said and hugged him. Arnold wasn't so happy with that. He questioned how the money came to be, but apart from that, his father was happy with Norton, and not him. He felt as if he was useless, and he regretted not doing anything when he realized that money was not just financial security but the potential for a new beginning—a chance to rewrite the family's story and forge a path toward a brighter future. The jovial atmosphere within the celebration echoed through the room, laughter filling the air. Yet, Arnold felt an unsettling frustration bubbling within him. He couldn't shake the suspicion that something was amiss. Determined, he marched toward Alaric, the center of attention. "Alaric," Arnold interrupted sharply, "did you real