Chapter 156 : By your side. VICKY I sat by his bed, watching him open his eyes slowly like someone waking up from a heavy dream. The relief that washed over me was so overwhelming I couldn’t stop the tears that came.“Hey baby …” Rue’s voice was soft, weak, but it made my heart leap.I moved closer, holding his hand tightly. “Rue,” I whispered, tears spilling. “You scared me. You really scared me.”He gave me a faint smile, trying to pull his hand up to wipe my face, but he was too weak. “Don’t cry… I’m here now.”I let out a shaky laugh and shook my head. “Do you know how worried I’ve been for two whole days? Two days, Rue! I haven’t closed my eyes for a second. I couldn’t leave your side because I was so scared something would happen.”He looked at me quietly, guilt written all over his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to make you scared.”“You didn’t mean to get shot either,” I sniffled, trying to wipe my tears with my sleeve. “But you
Chapter 155: What Do You Know ? VICKYThe doctors rushed into the room, and everything around me felt like a blur. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it would burst out of my chest. The beeping sound from Rue’s machine was going crazy, and he was jerking uncontrollably.“No! No! No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, holding his hand tightly like that would keep him alive. “Doctor! Somebody, please help him!”Bella grabbed my shoulders, trying to pull me back, but I refused to let go. My hands were trembling so much, but I couldn’t release him.“Vicky, you need to move back. Let them work on him,” Bella said with tears rolling down her cheeks. She was shaking too.“I can’t! I can’t leave him!” My voice broke. “Rue! Stay with me, please. God, please don’t let anything happen to him.”Julia ran out of the room, shouting for the senior doctor. Nurses rushed in with more equipment, and one of them looked at me firmly.“Ma’am, please, you need to step outside,” she said.“No!” I scr
Chapter 154: The After Tea. VICKY . The door opened slowly, and Julia walked in with Bella behind her. I was lying on the bed with Rue sitting quietly on the chair beside me, scrolling through something on his phone. My body still felt sore, but seeing him there was the only thing keeping me calm.Julia smiled the moment she saw me. “You look better today,” she said, walking closer.I smiled faintly. “I feel a little better. What’s up?”Bella dragged a chair and sat at the edge of my bed like someone about to spill gossip. “We came to give you tea,” she said with that mischievous look on her face.Rue raised a brow and looked at them. “What tea?”“Not your type of tea,” Julia replied with a smirk before turning back to me. “You missed a lot today.”I adjusted on the bed, already curious. “What happened? Don’t keep me waiting, Julia.”Bella chuckled and clapped her hands. “Girl, you should have seen me. I swear, Williams had it coming.”The moment she mentioned his name, my brows pu
Chapter153: The MeetingThe conference room was quiet when Julia and Bella walked in. Barth was already seated at the head of the long polished table, adjusting his glasses and scrolling through something on his tablet. His expression was calm, but Julia could see the tension in the way his jaw tightened.“Barth,” Julia greeted politely, taking a seat across from him. Bella sat beside her, crossing one leg over the other.“Julia. Bella.” Barth’s voice was steady. “I assume this is about tomorrow’s election.”“Yes,” Julia said, her tone firm. “We need to postpone it.”Barth’s brows shot up. “Postpone?” He set the tablet down slowly, as if to give her his full attention. “That election has been anticipated for months. The board is ready. The shareholders are ready. And now you want to cancel it a day before?”“Not cancel,” Bella cut in smoothly. “Just postpone.”Barth shook his head. “That’s not how it works. Do you know what kind of backlash this will cause?”Julia leaned forward. “Ba
Chapter 152: Screenshots and Secrets . VALERIE. My leg throbbed beneath the cast, but it wasn’t the pain that kept me restless, it was the thought clawing at my mind. Should I tell Vicky what I knew? Should I tell her that Williams hinted something like this would happen? That he said he would surprise her?Every time I replayed his words, my stomach knotted tighter. “Don’t go. It will be raining bullets.” Then that stupid laughing emoji, like it was a joke. I took a screenshot before he deleted it, but what would Vicky think if I showed her? That I knew and didn’t warn her enough? That I waited until after it happened to speak up?I hated myself for even hesitating, but I didn’t know how to explain it without making things worse. She already had enough to deal with , Rue unconscious in another room, her name being dragged all over the internet, the election drama. And here I was, sitting with a secret that could change everything.The door creaked open, snapping me out of my though
Chapter 151: I need you VICKYI sat there, staring at the white ceiling of the hospital room, my mind buzzing with everything happening outside these walls. The smell of antiseptic hung heavy in the air, mixed with the quiet hum of the machines keeping Rue alive. My heart squeezed as I turned to look at him. His face was calm, almost like he was asleep, but the bandage across his side told the truth. He took a bullet meant for me.I swallowed hard and brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Please wake up soon,” I whispered.My phone kept vibrating on the table beside me, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick it up. I already knew what it was, news, rumors, lies. And then the soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.“Come in,” I said, my voice low.The door opened, and Julia walked in, dressed in her usual sharp suit. She looked tired, her face tight, and when her eyes met mine, I could see the worry. She shut the door gently and walked over to me.“ Julia …” i whimpered