OCEAN EYES,HIDDEN LIES

Rosie pov…..

I packed everything, put it into the car, paid the house rent, and moved to New York, the city that had snatched everything from me.

As I entered the city, I immediately started feeling a panic attack and intense anxiety. My breathing became heavy. I couldn't risk going back to my old home, so I rented a room again. It was too small, really but I had to adjust. Nearby, my baby, Misthi, was sleeping soundly.

At the first sight of sun rays, I started the car. Misthi was with me because I had no one here to care for her. Since I was short on money, I decided to take out a loan from the biggest loan provider

Angel's Office Department. I'd heard about their policies. They were too strict but it was the only option I had. I needed the money, though I didn't know how I was going to pay it back.

"Mamma! Mamma!" Misthi's voice broke my thoughts.

"Yes, my child?"

"Mamma, I want ice cream!"

Oh, no. She caught colds very fast; I couldn't allow it. I tried to be strict. "No, Misthi, not today."

"Please, Mamma," 

she begged with those pretty eyes. How could I say no? I bought her an ice cream, and then we reached the office.

I closed the car door."Misthi, I'll be right back, okay? Don't go anywhere and don't talk to anyone. Understood?"

 She nodded, busy with her ice cream. Thankfully, since she was so absorbed, she didn't ask too many questions.

I went inside, filled out the form, and took out a loan of one hundred thousand dollars for now.

But as I turned, I collided with someone and literally fell backward. My documents and papers scattered across the floor.

 "Don't you have eyes?" I said while quickly gathering my things. 

"You just made me drop everything!"

When I finally stood up and looked at him, I saw a man in a perfectly tailored black suit with intense ocean eyes. He just stared at me.

Oh, God, I think he's the CEO or something!

I tried to cover my blunder. 

"Ah, I'm sor-ry, sir. I didn't mean to," I stammered, trying to slip away.

Then, suddenly, I felt a grasp on my wrist. My soul practically left my body. I stepped back.

He said in a heavy voice, "What's your name?"

Words were stuck in my throat. I didn't know what to say.

 Only a whisper escaped: "Huu."

He freed my hand. "Huu. Nice name. Well"

I didn't wait for anything else. I just ran from there, got into the car, and drove as fast as I could.

Rhys pov.

I usually never go there, but today I had an important meeting in that building, so I decided to attend it myself in the Angel's department.

That name alone gave me a strange sense of peace. Angel. My daughter.

When the car stopped, the driver hurried to open the door for me. Just then, another car parked nearby. Through the tinted glass, I saw a little girl inside, busy eating ice cream. 

It was smeared all over her face. I couldn’t see her clearly because of the dark windows, but something about her, her small hands, her smile made my chest tighten.

 My Angel would have been around that age. She looked so adorably innocent that, for a second, I forgot how to breathe.

As I entered the office, a girl suddenly collided with me and fell to the ground. For the first time in years, I felt something I couldn’t explain. I reached out to help her, but her words stopped me cold.

“Don’t you have eyes?” she snapped.

Her voice. Her tone. It hit something deep inside me. My eyes stayed locked on her. When she looked up and realized who she had bumped into, she froze for a moment, then quickly tried to move away.but I wasn't done looking.

I felt like I could stare at her all day. I held her wrist; she was so soft. I'm certain my fingers left a mark on her skin. She told me her name: "Huu."

It was good. Not bad at all.

Then, she ran. Seriously, she ran away from there. I didn't stop her. I knew her name and her face. That was enough to find her. And then she literally ran out of the hall. I didn’t stop her. I didn’t need to. 

I already had her name and her face burned into my mind. That was enough.

After finishing my meeting, I stepped out of the room, and something shiny on the floor caught my eye. I walked over and picked up a small, diamond key-shaped pin.

The moment my fingers touched it, my heart skipped. My pulse raced, like life had suddenly been breathed into me again.

It was hers.

My Angel’s locket key.

There was no doubt. I recognized it instantly, the same one I had specially ordered years ago.

“Check all the cameras,” I commanded sharply. “I want every single detail where it came from, who dropped it, and everything connected to it.”

Rosie pov.

I didn’t care about traffic lights or rules, I just needed to get home.

When I stopped the car and stepped out, I gently held Misthi’s hand and took her to our room.

Her little face was completely covered in melted ice cream. I sighed and started cleaning her cheeks with a tissue. I wanted to keep myself busy, to distract my mind but that man’s face wouldn’t leave my thoughts.

Who was he? And why did his eyes feel so familiar… like I’d seen them before, somewhere deep in my memories?

I tried to change the subject. “Misthi, look what you’ve done!” I said lightly.

But she ignored my scolding and held my hand with her tiny fingers. “Mamma, what happened to your hand?”

“Huh?” I looked down. My skin was red faint marks still visible where that man had gripped me. His hold had been too tight, almost painful.

“Mamma, stop! I’ll bring the medical box,” she said in her soft, caring voice. She got up, fetched the box, and carefully started applying oil to my hand.

Then she looked up at me with her big eyes and said, “Mamma, you know what”

I forced a small smile. “No, baby. Tell me.”

“When I was sitting in the car, a man was staring at my ice cream,” Misthi said suddenly. “I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I think he wanted to steal it.”

I frowned, not sure what she was talking about, but I forced a smile. “It’s okay, baby. Forget about him.”

Later, while I was making lunch and setting it on the table, I noticed Misthi sitting unusually quiet. She never sat that still.

“Misthi,” I said softly, holding her tiny hand, “what happened to my baby?”

As my hand reached her forehead, my heart stopped.

“No, not again.” She was burning with fever and then I saw it. Blood. It was coming from her nose and her ears.

“Oh my God what do I do? Oh God!” I whispered, panic rising in my chest.

Tears fought to fall, but I held them back. Not here. Not in front of her.

“Mamma” she tried to speak, but her voice was weak and trembling. Her eyes filled with tears.

“No, no, my child. My baby. Everything is going to be fine, okay? Just believe me. Mamma won’t let anything happen to you,” I said, hugging her tightly. My whole body was shaking, my heart breaking with every breath.

I quickly gathered all the medical certificates, medicines, and documents, along with every bit of money I had. I carried Misthi to the car and started driving as fast as I could.

The Angle's Hospital was one of the biggest and most expensive in town, but I didn’t care. I was ready to pay any amount to save her.

Dr. Jasmine had already arranged everything and helped me get an appointment with Dr. Yasvi. As soon as I reached the hospital, Jasmine was waiting at the entrance.

“Doctor, please please just save her,” I begged, my voice breaking.

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Dr. Yasvi said softly. “Everything will be fine. But we have to perform surgery immediately.”

She looked at Misthi, her face full of concern. “We don’t have much time, Rosie. Please make a decision.”

“Yes please. Do it. Do everything. Just save her!” I cried, falling to my knees.

On the other side, the nurses and doctors rushed Misthi into the operation room in a wheelchair. She was breathing heavily, and the bleeding kept increasing.

“My baby my Misthi” I whispered, as my tears finally broke free.

Rhys pov.

Rhys sat with his gun in hand, his face hard and cold. In front of him, all the guards and security men stood in a line, trembling with fear.

Rhys spoke in a dangerously calm voice, “I’m asking you for the last time where did that pin come from?”

After a long silence, one man finally stammered, “Sir we checked every camera, every angle, but there’s nothing. And the place where we found the pin there’s no camera there. Maybe it was moved accidentally, maybe someone kicked it, or it rolled from another spot.”

Rhys aimed the gun directly at them, his eyes blazing red with rage. “Then why the hell do I pay you, huh? To listen to this nonsense?”

He was about to pull the trigger when Alex rushed in, grabbing his arm and forcing the gun downward. The bullet fired into the floor with a loud bang.

“What the hell are you doing, Rhys? Calm down!” Alex shouted, his voice firm but controlled.

Rhys’s chest heaved with anger, his eyes still burning. Alex signaled for the terrified guards to leave the room immediately.

As soon as they were gone, Alex turned back to Rhys. “Listen, Rhys. We're really close. That pin is proof enough. It means she’s alive… and safe. And I’ve also found a clue about that night.”

Rhys turned sharply toward him. “What clue?”

Alex took a deep breath. “There’s a man in Angle's Hospital, one of Kian’s men. He was there that night the night of the crash. He’s been in a coma for two years, but now he’s awake.”

Rhys’s grip on the gun tightened, his expression turning cold again. “Get the car,” he ordered, his voice low but deadly.