The Man of My Prayers (Fitzmael 3) - COMPLETED

12: Thirty-Five Peonies To Remember

ADORN ZHARICK VALE

I SMILED WIDELY when I saw Franco walking toward the car. "What did Kuya say?"

He quickly sat beside me and kissed my head. "He asked me where I live, then suggested we stay there for now. I'm also leaving my car behind, and one of the drivers will take it back home. It's not an armored car like the one we're in right now. Hunter doesn't want us riding in anything that's not armored."

"Sounds good!" I said happily, then leaned my head on his shoulder. It was a long journey, so I ended up falling asleep along the way.

"Adorn..."

I woke up when I felt Franco's gentle touch. His blue eyes were the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.

"Your golden amber eyes never cease to amaze me," he said, then helped me out of the car.

I noticed that the security personnel with us were patrolling the entire property. They moved from the inside of the house to the outside. Good luck to them. Franco's land was so huge, it would definitely take them a while to cover all of it.

"They'll be adding more security," Franco said. "They need to patrol everything to make sure we're safe."

"It's safe here," I started. "I've even walked around alone before."

"But it's different now," he said, his worry evident. "I don't want to get complacent about our safety. Let's head inside," he suggested.

When we got inside, I quickly took a shower and got myself ready.

"You can wear my clothes," Franco said. "Hunter told me earlier that he'll send your clothes to Jenna."

"Okay," I replied, smiling at him. "I'd actually prefer wearing your clothes."

"Only thing is, you won't have any underwear."

"You don't mind that, do you?" I laughed. "Easy access."

He immediately shook his head, smiling. He cooked us food, we watched movies, then went to sleep. The next morning, Jenna stopped by to deliver the clothes she had prepared for me.

A FEW DAYS passed, and it was just me and Franco at home. Not once did he leave me or abandon me. I felt so light, like I was a piece of paper carried by the wind. I wanted to stay like this forever—no heavy thoughts, no problems.

"I'm going to the hospital," Franco said, breaking the silence.

I paused in what I was doing. We were in the living room at the time. I was sitting on the couch while he sat on the floor. I was braiding his hair—it had gotten a bit long. Thankfully, he didn't complain.

"My parents want me to prepare to manage the hospital. If I resign as a doctor, they don't want me to just leave the hospital behind. I'm too young to manage it, and I don't even know if I'm fit to be the heir."

I continued braiding his hair. "What about your other siblings?"

"Marcus is in charge of Fitzmael University. I don't want Serene to have that responsibility. I want her to live freely, without being controlled. So, they're pushing me to manage the hospital."

"Do you want to do that?"

"No, but I don't have a choice. The hospital is one of the family legacies they built, and I don't want to just disregard that."

"Crazy, right? Even as you grow older, you're still making sacrifices for your family."

"I'm doing this for my siblings. Even though my parents don't really care much about me, I know I've proven my skills to them, which is why they trust me with the hospital. I also know the privilege I have as the child of the owner. Aside from passing the exam and my skills as a surgeon, my journey hasn't been as difficult because I'm their child."