Sweet Devil [BL]

Chapter 49. Strangers

Misha's sudden arrival took everyone aback, including Gabriel and Angela, who froze upon seeing the child. His timing couldn't be any worse, and they couldn't help but silently pray he hadn't overheard their conversation just now. Otherwise, they had the feeling that it wouldn't be long before the situation got out of control.

That boy's temper wasn't something to mess with, and they feared the room would be turned upside down.

Time halted until Angela snapped out of her stupor. She had the urge to kick Misha out of the room but couldn't, lest she wanted Gabriel to realize something was off. Thus, all she could do was tighten her grip around the teenager's arm, making it seem like she had difficulty restraining her anger in the boy's presence. Considering what she had previously told Gabriel, this kind of reaction wasn't odd—on the contrary. It fitted the caring mother's act well.

Who wouldn't be furious when the one who had tried to kill their so-called son showed up in his hospital room, happily roaming about without a care in the world? No one.

Of course, Angela wasn't merely putting on an act; she was genuinely annoyed by the boy's presence and inwardly cursed everything that could be cursed. However, that only was because Misha was disturbing her plans. It had nothing to do with Gabriel's wounds and emotional state.

'What the hell is that brat doing here?!' Angela inwardly cried out, frustration welling up in her chest.

From her investigation, Angela knew the boy's family tended to visit Gabriel before noon and always left before the clock's hands hit 2 PM. That was why Angela had come at this hour, even making sure there were no other visitors before entering the room. In the presence of outsiders, she couldn't freely talk and had to watch her tongue, even more so when said outsiders were the ones she was bad-mouthing and scheming against.

Angela didn't care about the nurse standing in the corner of the room because she knew from previous experience that the hospital staff wouldn't dare do anything that risked angering her. They would keep their mouths shut even if they were outraged to death, fearing she'd talk her husband into stopping providing money and medical equipment to the hospital.

Naturally, there were some exceptions, but most abided by the unspoken rule: "Never interfere with the Laflamme family's business. Turn a deaf ear to everything you hear and a blind eye to everything you see."

Such a controversial rule was birthed due to the hospital being owned by a family, not a not-for-profit foundation or a charity—in other words, it was a private hospital. As a result, it didn't receive government financial help and had to rely on sponsors to support its operation. It wasn't something common in Canada, and Gabriel's father's financial support was necessary for the hospital's proper functioning.

On the one hand, that hospital specialized in medical fields that were very specific, mostly about neurological problems. It thus needed peculiar equipment worth a fortune, and the owners knew patients couldn't entirely pay for the real cost of their services. Overly expensive admission and consultation fees would only drive people away; no one would seek their help to treat their disease if they couldn't afford it.

On the other hand, they also researched rare diseases, which weren't very popular with donors, yet those studies cost an arm and a leg.

Long story short, the hospital was pretty much a bottomless financial pit, and Gabriel's father was their most important donor, whether it was for money or medical equipment. They couldn't afford to offend his wife, much less the man. This harsh reality was known to everyone in the hospital, even Yuki. Gabriel had also figured out the situation a long time ago, and he knew he couldn't count on the medical staff.