Marino's Heir

Chapter 39

He walked away, carelessly, and slammed the door behind him. "AAAH!!! FATHER!!!" I screamed one last time as my tears fell down my cheeks.
Natasha put her hand on her mouth in shock and looked at me on the ground. Jason and Ryder were standing at the other side, heads down, and speechless. I cried... "I'm really sorry..." Ryder said as he put the dagger and his glasses on the table. "There must be something we can do, right?" Natasha spoke and walked to me. "If we don't stop it, the poison might spread inside her whole body." I sniffed and looked it. Jason sighed and then walked to the door, "I'll try to talk to him." He said and left. I closed my eyes as Natasha helped me up to the bed again.

Ryder cleared his throat when I started crying more. Natasha hugged me, trying to calm me down. "I'll be outside." He left us. I sniffed. "What's going to happen to me now?" She didn't know what to say. "Why is he doing this to me?!" I cried even more. It feels like he will always treat me like this, unfairly, brutally, and never trust me. I did everything he wanted me to do. Everything. To be something to him. To change his idea of me, always the failure, disgrace to the mafia, and I'm not fit to be his daughter. That's what he always thinks of me, and it feels like this will never change.
I killed for him, I killed the man I love for him, and that's how he still treats me! I didn't get a chance to even grieve. I'm most likely to die soon because of this small scratch. This scratch, my dagger, I had no idea he would do such thing. He switched my dagger with his own because it's poisoned. Not only did he want me to kill Marco, but he even wanted him to suffer.
I have never thought there is someone like this. There are not enough words to describe him. This was a really cruel move of him. It didn't hit his enemy but his daughter, and he doesn't care about what could happen next.
"He won't let you die. He can't!" Natasha spoke. I sobbed. "Something's not right. You need to talk to him."
I shook my head and moved away. I dried my tears and looked at my arm again. It's getting worse. "How long do I have left?" I asked as I got up. "Cleo..."
"It's fine, Nat." I walked to where Ryder works. All his papers and medical books were set on the table. I held the dagger and remembered when I threatened Marco with it. Father tricked me, and I was foolish to trust him or obey his orders. "I will never forgive myself for this. I'd rather die than live without him." I saw a flower in a small vase beside the window. Natasha walked to me as I held it. "But..." I smelled the flower and closed my eyes. "But we can't continue without you either." She said. I turned to her, starting to feel a bit tired. I sighed, "You can, pretend I never came in the first place. Everything will go back to how it was." I smiled to her. She frowned and looked down. "But you changed so many things around here. It won't be the same as it was before you. Your presence makes a huge difference, boss." I shook my head at the last word. "Don't call me that, Nat. I was never your boss. I never wanted to be anyone's boss or be involved in any of this." She didn't say anything. She crossed her arms and didn't eye contact me. Her face began to turn red. I rubbed her arm with my right hand to comfort her. "Since he wants me to die, I won't fight it. I'm tired." I said that, then went to the bed. My head started to ache, and my whole body felt cold. My arm started trembling when I lay on the bed. I looked at the ceiling as tears fell from my eyes. Natasha cried as she patted my head, playing with my hair. I moved my eyes to her, I smiled, "At least no one will come after me or trouble you, for Marco's death. I'll be with him peacefully now." She shook her head and sobbed.
My breath began to slow down, and everything felt blurry. I felt her hand on my cold cheek, burn me, but I was too numb to react. She kept talking, but I couldn't hear anything but the sound of a siren. "I need...I need some... sleep... give me five... minutes..." I closed my eyes.

"CLEO NO!!"

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Jason got back with the cure in his hand. He tried to call Ryder but he didn't answer. Cleo was already unconscious when he got there, when he saw her his eyes widened. "What...?" Natasha was crying at how her colour changed in a couple of minutes. "It's already spreading all over her chest and face..." she sobbed. He walked to her and held her face, it was pale and her mouth has turned purple and her veins were very dark and visible on her neck. It scared the both of them. "Her breath and...heartbeat are slowing down!" He said and ran to the table, looking all over it. He put his hand through his hair as Natasha cried louder. "I don't know what to do. I can't find a needle!—— Can't she drink it?!——No, Nat! I don't think so!" Jason shouted as he held the small glass bottle in his hand. "Then what are we supposed to do?!" She shouted back making him more nervous. "I don't know.... I can't reach Ryder... he's the only one with a medical degree.... And he suddenly disappeared, Nat. What do you think can we do..?" He spoke and walked to Cleo slowly. He held her cold hand and looked down. "I wish I was there sooner." He whispered. "Hospital!" Natasha said making him look at her. "We can—— He nodded his hand which made her stop. "There's no time." He said and turned around. Suddenly the door opened and Sofia entered followed by Ryder. She gasped at the sight of Cleo on the bed, her skin colour wasn't natural anymore, it almost looked like a virus spreading all over her body. "Ryder!!" Natasha shouted getting both of their attention to her. She woke them up from the minor shock they were in. He ran to Jason, taking the cure bottle from him and started working on it. Jason walked back and forth as the girls sat beside Cleo waiting. After a minute he finished and took out a needle from a drawer, filling it with the cure. He spoke, "How did he give it to you?" Jason stopped walking. "What do you mean?" He asked. Ryder turned to them. "Is it the right cure?——How would I know!? Aren't you the doctor?!" Jason started shouting but Ryder remained calm. "We can't just give her anything just because it's a CuRe." Jason laughed sarcastically. "So you don't trust our boss?" He said changing his expression into a cold one. Sofia stood up when she noticed the tension. Ryder narrowed his eyebrows, "Where did you get this from, Jason?" He asked. "What is going on?!" Sofia asked and walked close to them. Jason didn't answer right away. "Guys! We're losing her! This isn't the time to fight!!" Natasha spoke. "Seems like our doctor here doesn't want to save her." He said making Ryder lose his cool. He put the needle aside and held his jacket. "I don't save someone temporarily with a false cure, Jason. From where did you get it?!" He whispered then asked him angrily. Sofia held his arm and tried to stop them. "Ryder!! Stop! What's wrong?! What are you talking about?!—— He knows what I'm talking about!" Natasha stood up and walked to them, while Sofia stood in between them confusion all over her face. "What's he talking about, Jason?!" Sofia asked slowly. "I don't know. He's clearly up to something." He moved his eyes from Ryder to her as he spoke. "Anything, so he doesn't save her." He said in a low tone only Sofia could hear him. She looked at him shocked but didn't show it. "Are you talking about yourself now while trying to switch it on me! I won't let you get away with this!" Ryder shouted but Sofia put her hand on his chest stopping him. She slowly moved her eyes to him.
Natasha stood there completely out of the picture, all she could think about was the cure behind Ryder. "Whatever you're trying to do isn't going to work now. We need the cure. She's dying so step out of my way!" Jason moved but Ryder held his wrist before he could reach the needle. "You can't fool a full time doctor!" He pushed him so strongly he tripped on the ground. The girls gasped and Natasha was starting to panic. She softly walked behind Ryder and held the needle behind her back. She gulped walking backwards to the wall. She looked at Cleo, seeing her health getting worse. She walked to her completely blocking their sounds out of her mind and held her arm. She closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks and whispered to herself, "You'll stay with me. You'll stay alive. You'll stay here for a very long time...."

"I'm not giving her an expired medication when she's already suffering from a deadly poison!!"
"What!?!!" Sofia screamed putting her hand on her mouth in shock. "You think I wouldn't notice!!" Ryder continued.
Jason got up and shook his head, denying this accusation. "I'm not trying to kill her! The only thing that matters to me how is that Cle—— Don't you dare mention her name with your filthy mouth! You turned out to be such a liar, Jason! You oath to protect her every day yet kill her slowly without any of us realising, but you can't fool me!" Ryder said angrily and when he turned around Sofia screamed. "NATASHA NO!!!" He widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at the now empty place where he left the needle. He quickly turned to Cleo and ran to Natasha, grabbing her hand that held the needle. He pulled out the needle softly from her swollen skin and gritted on his teeth when he found it empty. "What have you done...?"
They all looked at Natasha who was a crying mess. She walked backwards looking at the ground. "Do you realise what you just did?" Ryder turned to Cleo then to her again. "You guys were wasting time, arguing. Someone had to do something..." She spoke innocently and unaware of what could possibly happen to Cleo due to her simple action. Ryder looked down and closed his eyes, "Were you even listening?!" He tried to calm himself and asked her.

"I was only listening to her heartbeats slowing down by each second you weren't helping her in, doctor..." He opened his eyes and walked to her. He stared at her emotionlessly, "Well now you will never hear it beat again, well done." He said that and threw the needle on the ground, losing every bit of patience he had. She shook her head not understanding.
He moved from beside her and gave Jason one last look then left the room. 

Ryder stood outside the room, defeated. He leaned his back to the wall and slid down. Aurelia showed up running towards him. She was out of breath. "What... happened?" He put his hand on his head and looked at the ground. "Ryder." She touched his shoulder and leaned down. "Did you save her?" She asked and he sighed. "Did the cure work? Did he bring it on time?" He raised his head at her questions. He looked at her suspiciously. "Who? What?" He asked pretending to not get her questions. "Jason? Did he bring the cure on time?" She replied. "I'm sorry, hah...I I'm existed....all of this... what cure, Aurelia? What do you know and where have you been?" He sighed in between. "I was with him but boss sent him out first. He needed to discuss something with me after giving us the instructions about the medicine. He expects Jason to give it to you and you'd know the rest." Ryder turned completely to her and stood up. He nodded his head. "I saw something inside this cure Jason brought." He whispered. She widened her eyes. "Like what?" He looked around them and walked, pulling her arm with him. They stopped a few miles away from the room. "I told them it was expired but there was something odd about it..."

To be continued...