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The Hospital Watch
The hospital hallway was clinical and cold, smelling of sharp antiseptic and silence. It was late into the night. Gabriella stood outside the surgery doors, her night blue silk gown now wrinkled and stained with Felix's blood. She looked like a fallen forest spirit, haunted and pale.
Dona stood by her side, but Gabriella was lost in a memory from an hour ago. When they first rushed Felix in, the doctors were frantic. "He's lost too much blood! We need a donor immediately. What is his group?"
"AB Negative," Felix had gasped, even as his eyes flickered shut.
"I have the same group! Take mine!" Gabriella had stepped forward, ready to do anything.
Dona started to protest, but Felix's voice—weak but commanding—cut through the air. "No. She can't. She's anemic. Don't take hers."
Gabriella had frozen. In his most critical moment, he was protecting my health? He still remember that I'm anemic? Gabriella thought.
"Gabby!" Dona's voice snapped her back to reality. "The doctor said they've moved him to the observation ward. Only one person can go in."
Gabriella didn't hesitate. she rushed into the room. Felix was already awake, leaning back against the stark white pillows. When he saw her, a small, tired smile touched his lips.
"Are you alright?" she whispered, helping him sit up. Her hands trembled as she touched his hospital gown.
"It's late, Gabriella," he said softly. "You should go home."
"Not until your relatives get here," she insisted.
"My sister is abroad," Felix chuckled weakly. "My assistant will be here soon. Don't worry."
"No. I'm staying," she said firmly. Her heart felt heavy with a confusing mix of guilt and something deeper. "Why did you do it, Felix? Why risk your life for me?"
Felix's face turned serious. "Do you think I'd leave you in danger ?"
Gabriella face softened for a second.
Gabriella's gaze turned cold immediately, a shield against the emotions swirling inside her. "Still... don't risk your life for anyone. Not even me. I'll find whoever did this."
"You think it's Raina, don't you?" Felix asked.
"Of course! Who else would want me dead?" Gabriella's jaw tightened. "She's the one who tried to shoot us in the park two years ago, wasn't she?"
Felix hesitated. The truth about Robert and the sniper was a heavy weight in his chest. "It wasn't Raina, Gabriella. She's not that foolish. She wouldn't strike right after her own party where everyone would suspect her. Leave it to me. I'll handle it."
To break the tension, Felix leaned back. "I'm hungry."
Gabriella blinked, momentarily distracted. "I'll see if I can get food, but the hospital is strict."
Felix pointed to a bowl of oranges on the side table. "Just those."
Gabriella picked up an orange and began to peel it, her fingers stained with the citrus scent. Before she could hand him a slice, he simply opened his mouth, waiting. With a slight blush, she began to feed him, one slice at a time.
later, she called Dona. "You go home, Dona. Only one can stay. I've got him."
As the night deepened, Felix drifted into a restless sleep. Gabriella, exhausted from the fire, the betrayal, and the shooting, pulled her chair close to the bed. She leaned her head on the edge of his mattress, her hand inches from his, and fell into a deep sleep.
Felix opened his eyes in the dim light of the ward. He looked down at Gabriella. Her face, usually so fierce and full of revenge, looked soft and innocent in sleep. He remembered the way she had sobbed when the bullet hit him.
He reached out with his uninjured hand, his fingers gently brushing her hair. After he realized, "What is happening to me?" he whispered to the empty room.
He slowly climbed out of the hospital bed, his body aching. He needed to check his phone—the one the nurse had tucked into the drawer. He walked out silently.
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The Fall of an Empire
The night was thick with secrets as the moon hung low over the Emilda Group HQ, a towering skyscraper of glass and steel that pierced the dark sky. Inside the penthouse office, the air was cold, smelling of expensive leather and impending doom.
The Shadow in the Penthouse
CEO Robert stood by his floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the city he thought he owned. He was mid-call when a voice, sharp as a razor, cut through the silence.
"Your plan failed, Robert."
Robert spun around, his heart leaping into his throat. Standing there, bathed in the dim blue light of the office, was Felix. His arm was still wrapped in a blood-stained white bandage, but his presence was terrifying.
"How did you get past my security?" Robert stammered, his voice trembling.
Felix scoffed, a dark, joyless sound. "Your security is a joke." His eyes were hollow, devoid of any mercy.
Down on the street, Jake pulled up to the building. He looked up, and his blood turned to ice. Through the glass of the top floor, he saw a silhouette—his father—being pressed against the window, bending backward over the ledge. He saw Felix's shadow looming over him.
"No!" Jake roared, sprinting into the lobby.
"Sir, you can't go up!" a security guard shouted, blocking the elevator. "Mr. Robert gave strict orders—no visitors!"
Frustrated and fueled by adrenaline, Jake grabbed the guard's collar and shoved him aside. He dived into the elevator, the doors sliding shut just as more guards rushed the lobby.
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Back in the office, the room was a mess. Files were scattered like fallen leaves, and Robert had collapsed against a bookshelf.
"You think you can stop me?" Robert chuckled breathlessly. "You ran away like a coward two years ago. You're nothing."
Felix's jaw tightened. He stepped closer, his boots crunching on broken glass. "I didn't run. I was in search of the truth. I spent two years abroad collecting every piece of evidence on your illegal drug empire."
Robert's face went ghostly white. "Impossible..."
Felix pulled a sleek, black handgun from his waist, pointing it directly at Robert's forehead. "Should I end it now? Or..."
"Shoot me then!" Robert spat in fury. "You'll never make it out of this building alive."
Felix smirked, sitting casually on the edge of Robert's mahogany desk, one leg resting on the leather chair. "I escaped after shooting your partner, Xavier, four years ago. I'm a ghost, Robert. You can't catch what you can't see."
Felix pulled out his phone and made a single call. "Send the files to the authorities. Arrest him now."
He hung up and looked at the broken man on the floor. "You're going to rot in a cell for the rest of your life."
Suddenly, the doors burst open. Jake rushed in, gasping for air. The room was destroyed, his father was shivering on the floor, but... Felix was gone. He had vanished into the shadows of the balcony as if he were never there.
"Dad! What happened?" Jake cried.
Robert looked at his son with bloodshot eyes. "Take care of the empire, Jake. It's all yours now."
Seconds later, the sound of sirens wailed. Police swarmed the office, handcuffs clicking into place. "Robert Emilda, you are under arrest."
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The Hospital Revelation
Back at the hospital, the halls were eerie and quiet. Gabriella jerked awake in her chair, her head snapping up. She looked at the bed, expecting to see Felix's sleeping face.
The bed was empty.
"Felix?" she whispered, her voice thick with panic. She ran into the hallway, searching the bathrooms, the cafeteria—nothing.
As she stood in the waiting lounge, her eyes drifted to the wall-mounted TV. A "Breaking News" banner flashed in bright red:
"BREAKING: BUSINESS TYCOON ROBERT EMILDA ARRESTED IN MASSIVE DRUG TRAFFICKING STING."
Gabriella stood frozen, her breath hitching. Jake's father? Robert?
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To be Continued...
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