THE HEIRESS

CHAPTER XXVIII

A doctor walks into the waiting room and we all stand up. I am sure he is shocked by the turnout. "I would like to go ahead and assume that everyone in here is a relative of Miss Nozizwe Ntombela."
"Yes, doctor. Now please update us on my sister's condition." Khwezi states. She is shaking. Does she really care that much about Nozizwe or this is all for show?

"Okay, first things first, I am Doctor Mthabela and I am the Chief of Surgeon. When Miss Ntombela was brought in, she was in a very critical condition and we had no choice but to send her straight into surgery. Her gunshot wound caused a myocardial rupture which occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is obstructed by a partial or complete blockage of a coronary artery by a build up of plaques. We were able to remove the bullet without any complications and we did a surgical repair where we did a mitral valve placement. The bullet hit a really sensitive place so it might cause her some heart problems in the near future. Should she experience any difficulties, she must be brought in as soon as possible. Due to blood loss, we did a blood transfusion. She is currently in the Intensive Care Unit. She needs great care after this. Her blood pressure should be monitored regularly, as her family, you must prevent her from getting agitated, her heart rate must always be in control among other things. If you have questions for me, I will be at office 322."

"So she might experience heart problems in the future? Or even have a heart failure and be forced to have another surgery? Is that a possibility?" I ask and everyone turns to look at me as if I am the Devil's advocate. I work well with knowledge.
The doctor smiles. "As I have just said, heart problems are a huge possibility especially to gunshot wounds or stab wounds patients. The heart is a very sensitive organ and once something pierces it, it is bound to give you problems for the rest of your life. Do you have another question, Miss Myeni?" Of course he knows who I am.

"If I do, I will come to office 322, right?" He nods.
"When can we see her?" Aneliswa asks. When did she get here?
"I am sorry young miss, but your sister is not taking any visitors at the moment. Her condition is still critical and she is not out of the woods yet. We are going to be monitoring her progress for the next twenty four hours. So she can't have visitors. But if her condition improves within the next twenty four hours, you can see her." So it's that bad? "Any other questions?" No one asks anything. "Okay, I will come back to update you about her condition tomorrow. You can go home and get some rest." He walks out and I sigh before walking away. Sitting here and staring at the Ntombela assholes won't make Nozizwe recover quickly. I just need to distract myself with some work before I go crazy.

***

I enter my apartment using another entrance because the front is a crime scene and I think if I were to go there, I would be traumatized. I order some takeouts and just sit in the kitchen wearing only a satin gown and drinking wine. I know I said I was going to do something to distract myself once I got home but my mind is all over the place. I need someone to do some hypnotherapy on me and make me shut down or something. This is too much.

I hear the doorbell ring. That was fast or maybe the food is on time, I am just the one moving too slow. I go open the door and I am shocked to find Will standing there carrying a paper bag and a laptop bag. I frown at him.

"I didn't remember ordering a tall Dutch man." I mumble and he laughs.
"I just happened to be an extra bonus. Mind if I come in?" I open the door wider for him and he walks past me to the kitchen. He is already unloading the contents of the paper bag as I enter the kitchen. He pours wine for himself and then sits down. I sit opposite him and start eating. "I saw what happened to my number one fan. Are you okay?" Number one fan? Oww, he is talking about Nozizwe.

"My mind is a bit hazy right now and my feelings are scrambled so I can't tell you what I feel because I don't know how I feel."
He sighs and reaches out for my hand. He kisses it. "I know exactly how you feel. I have been there before. This shitty feeling doesn't pass. At least there is a possibility of your twin being okay."

I look down and a few tears drop on the marble countertop. "Even if she does, her heart is always going to give her problems. She is bound to suffer from heart problems and she is so young. She doesn't deserve this. She wasn't supposed to get shot. I was the target. I regret getting close to her because she is facing death because of our bond." I hear a chair squeaking and not a minute later I feel strong arms around me.

"Don't do that. Don't blame yourself. I know right now you are finding it hard not to put the blame on you but none of this shit is your fault. I used to blame myself for the death of my wife and child and hell sometimes I still do, but my therapist got me out of that black hole. I never did anything wrong and my family got harmed because of my kind heart and strong will for doing the right thing. You are a woman in power, a young black successful woman and not everyone is going to like that. But I need you to chase away that guilt lingering at the back of your head. If you do that, I will help you find the shooter and we will get justice for mother of all nations." I slowly raise my head and look at him.

"Find the shooter? How?"
"Did I fail to mention that hacking is one of my hobbies in our many past conversations?" He gives the most innocent smile ever. I frown. Hacking and Will? Not to sound judgmental but a guy with these muscles doesn't look like he even knows how to crack a simple safe code. "I know that look and I know you are judging me."

My eyes pop out. "I am not."
"Ask any question that only a real hacker would know."
Any question? I bite my lip. "Who is the best hacker in South Africa?" I know it's Princess Lisakhanya Zulu. As a CEO of a tech company, this knowledge is compulsory.

"The best, well that title goes to the Queen of the Mkhwanazi clan, Queen Lisakhanya Mkhwanazi formerly known as Princess Lisakhanya Zulu, the humble princess. She is the best in Africa actually. Then you have Power in your company. That kid is a bad ass, and he is only 18. I wonder where he would be at the age of 21. But maybe dead because the life expectancy of a hacker is 25, right?" I am still stuck on him being a hacker.

"How are you going to help me find the shooter?"
"Is it a habit of yours to ask obvious questions?" He asks with a smirk and then wipes my tears before going back to his seat. He takes out his laptop and starts tapping on it.

I finish eating my food and then clean up in the kitchen. Will requests some snacks and I give him chips. Seeing that he is working, I take my own laptop and then check some of the emails from work. I respond to a few and flag some. I get a bit excited that there are interviews for the PA position in two days but that's the day of the fashion show, so I won't be present. I just hope the HR team hires someone worthy and someone who can be loyal. Even though that person won't be my actual PA, just my receptionist.

"Found it." Will's announcement startles me and I quickly rush to his side. He shows me a picture of a middle aged man and I frown.
"Who is he?"
"The shooter. His name is Musa Hlophe. He is the one who shot your sister. Well he is a hitman, so he was probably hired for this job. Anyways, now that we know who he is, I will get my buddy Nathan to make him talk." I tilt my head to the side just to look at him in the eye. He looks at me. "What?"

"Why are we asking Nathan for his help?"
"Because he is a gangster and his methods are much faster and convenient than the ones of the police." He did not just tell me that his friend is a gangster with a straight face. No. I am dreaming. He did not even stutter. "You are not dreaming, love. Nathan is a gangster and I am not one. I hope that is clear. I was, after all, a prime minister candidate. How could I be a criminal?" This is so confusing and all too much.