UNTIL DAWN

Chapter Five

ACE'S POV

I watched her disappear. She was trying to keep it cool for now but her dad's sudden collapse was taking a toll on her.

"Me and Hazel have been close since high school. I am glad that someone is helping her out."

My attention was brought back on the guy who seemed to be scolding Hazel earlier.

"Really? Then you should know that this is a hard time for her to care about another person's bullshit."

It was clear that whatever this Mike guy was saying to her was making her uncomfortable.

He seemed taken aback by my response to what I was implying. I could see that he didn't mean to be close in a friendly way.

She had introduced me to him as her boss and I didn't want to push her into things she was not ready to go into. I was going to wait. At least for now.

No one was going to try to blackmail me with our pictures together. It would be a form of invading my private life. Violence was not always the solution. That's what Lexus did. Sometimes spending money where it was mostly needed was not that bad. As long as I got what I wanted in return.

I received a text from Doctor Miller to meet him at the terrace. Things didn't look good for Hazel's father.

With a last warning glance at Mike, I took an elevator and found him with some papers I didn't recognize, spread out in front of him. I took a seat across from him and he started to explain more about Mr. Black's condition.

I was getting half of what he was telling me but the main thing was that his condition was not how it seemed. He needed surgery as soon as possible.

"Then what's stopping you?" I was not getting the reason why he was telling me those things.

"It is not that easy Mr. Donovan. The techniques we use here cannot be used in Mr. Black's case. But I know a colleague in Russia who can help you."

Was he kidding me? This is what Hazel wanted for his dad to get treated as soon as possible and here he was wasting time.

"Then do it! Call him and set the surgery to be tomorrow evening. I am going to take care of the rest."

Someone gasped from behind and I turned to find Hazel frozen on the spot. Her slender hand covering her mouth, eyes wide.

Just how many times did she cry this day?

She might have heard our conversation.

The hope she had was shattered in seconds. She was going to have a mental breakdown.

***

She bawled her eyes out and it was not easy for me to see her broken like this. Doctor Miller had explained the situation as if the chances of surgery success was low. She blew her nose loudly and her face became redder with embarrassment. I smoothed her hair which was ruined because of crying. She sent me an apologetic smile.

"Do you feel light?" Her eyes were all swollen.

She nodded, her head hung low. She was embarrassed.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of. You can cry when you feel like it. My little sister used it as a weapon when one of us started to tease her and our father could come and scold us for teasing his princess. She got away with it a lot of times because she knew that when she started shedding tears everyone would be on her side." I saw her smiling a little in the corner of my eyes.