My eyes fluttered open to the blinding white of a hospital room. A dull, throbbing pain pulsed in my arm, and for a moment, I could barely remember why I was here.
Then, a deep voice pulled me back to reality. “You’re awake.”
My breath hitched as I turned my head.
Aaron Alabaster.
The powerful, untouchable billionaire. I had seen his face in newspapers, on TV, but never like this. Never sitting just a few feet away from me, watching me with dark, unreadable eyes.
I swallowed hard, pushing past the haze in my mind. “What… What are you doing here? Where am I?”
Aaron leaned forward, his gaze sharp, as if he were studying me—assessing whether I was a threat.
“You’re in the hospital.” His voice was calm, controlled. “What’s the last thing you remember? Do you remember what happened last night?”
I tried to think. The restaurant. The restroom. Then—My breath caught.
“The girl!” I shot up, pain searing through my arm. My heart pounded. “Where is she? The little girl I was with—”
Aaron’s expression didn’t change. “Do you know the child?”
I shook my head. “No. I just— I saw her outside the restroom. She was alone, scared. So, I pulled her to safety. That poor girl experienced something bad outside, I’m so confused as to why she’s alone.”
There was a pause. Then, his next words made me freeze.
“Do you regret saving her?”
I stared at him. “What?”
“You almost got killed protecting her,” he said, his tone even. “Was it worth it?”
I clenched my jaw, my pulse racing. Was he seriously asking me that? Did he expect me to say yes, that I regretted saving an innocent child?
My hands curled into fists. “Every child’s life is precious. Even that little girl.” My voice was sharp. “How dare you ask me that?”
Aaron’s jaw tightened.
The man standing beside him, a bodyguard or a secretary, maybe, cleared his throat. “That’s not what he meant,” he said. “The boss wants to know why you didn’t abandon the child to save yourself.”
I let out a slow breath, my body tense. “I’m not the kind of person who would do that. To save myself while I let the child alone in that situation, do not sit with me.” I said simply.
Aaron watched me for a long moment, then nodded, as if he had confirmed something for himself.
“I see,” he said. “In that case, I owe you.”
I blinked. “You owe me?W-what do you mean about that?”
Aaron leaned back slightly. “I owe for saving my daughter.”
I froze. Was the girl… his daughter?
My lips parted, but no words came out.
Aaron’s gaze darkened. “You didn’t know, did you?”
Slowly, I shook my head. A billionaire’s daughter. The child I had nearly died protecting… belonged to him. I did hear that Aaron Alabaster has a daughter but of course, I thought that might be some rumors just to make Aaron’s image go down. But still, his company makes the most profit and is powerful.
I turned my head, staring out the window where the sun hung high in the sky. Everything felt surreal. Just last night, I was fighting for her life, now it’s a new day as if what happened last night didn’t happen. Then my eyes widened. Carter and father are waiting for me.
I exhaled, forcing my voice to stay steady. “I need to go now.” I removed the blanket and sat on the edge of the bed.
The man beside Aaron frowned and Aaron just frowned. “You still need rest. You took a bullet and lost a lot of blood.”
I gave him a small smile. “Someone’s waiting for me at home and probably needs me.” of course to confirm if things go well. Typical and always the same thing that happened. There is nothing new. But sometimes, I wish that… They will care for me even just for a little bit.
Neither of them stopped me as I stood, ignoring the dull ache in my body and left the room. Then eventually left the hospital. Somewhere inside the hospital, Aaron Alabaster’s daughter was safe.
A Few Moments Later, tiny footsteps echoed in the hospital corridor. The little girl’s eyes lit up as she rushed into the room. But when she didn’t see me, her smiling face and the light in her eyes immediately left as. The prior excitement left her body as soon as she didn’t see me.
“Where’s the pretty Aunty?” she asked, her voice full of excitement.
The man beside Aaron glanced at his boss, then looked down at the girl.
“She left.”
Her small face fell.
“Oh…” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Aaron watched his daughter quietly, something unreadable in his expression.
---
When I got home , the moment I stepped through the door, Carter was there. His sharp gaze flicked over me, taking in my pale face, the bandages wrapped around my arm.
His brows furrowed. “What happened to you?”
I barely had the energy to answer that.
But before I could, he asked, “Did you seal the deal with the investor?”
I stared at him. A part of me wanted to laugh. Another part of me broke. I had almost died. And the first thing he asked about… was the deal?
I swallowed the lump in my throat. And then, I answered. “No.”
His eyes glared at me and slapped my face. Oh damn, it started again.
