The Day That Didn't Happen

MARGAUX WAS SILENT AS SHE SIT IN THE LOBBY ALONE. She was too absorbed in her thoughts while playing footsie with her broken shoes. There were hundreds of questions inside her head, and the worst of them was about what happened just hours ago.

Everything came in a rush. The bloody, amber-eyed man passed out, and then things went out of control.

She was scared for her life at first, but that changed when she heard his faltering breath. In an instant, she knew that he was dying.

She couldn't remember how she managed to push his weight off her before she ran down to the guardhouse. She was shaking when she undressed him inside the company's car. Especially when she checked on his wounds and attempted to stop them from bleeding. He was shot twice.

‘Undress him...’ She shook her head when his half-naked image crossed her mind. She then reached down to her calves and began messaging them. She couldn’t just sit there and admire a dying man, right? That’s too awkward.

"Miss?"

A woman's voice made Margaux jerk from her seat. She turned in the direction of the operating room and saw the doctor walking towards her. She immediately cleared her throat and sat straight. "How is he?"

"He's safe." The doctor smiled in a comforting way. Mistaking her exhaustion for worry, the doctor felt compelled to assure her. "He is one tough guy, you know? He could have died if the bullets had hit him a little higher. You did a good job giving first aid to your man—"

Oh, you got it wrong. He is not with me." She dismissively evaded the doctor's stare. Although she admitted that the man was quite a stunner, she was sure that staying close to him would bring her more trouble.

With that in mind, Margaux gazed at her watch and made an excuse. "I'm leaving since everything's okay. I still have someone important to meet, and…" her voice faded before she looked at the lady doctor again. She sarcastically chuckled. "Stop watching too many movies. I don't even know the man. He’s a complete a stranger."

The doctor's mouth opened and closed. She never expected that the angelic-looking lady would be a spitfire. She nodded after a while and said, "Okay. I will have the nurses look at his things later to see who he is then."

"Where is he?" That was when an authoritative voice boomed through the hall.

Margaux's eyes widened as she made a sharp turn. The voice sounded very familiar to her—so much so that her mind screamed, 'Papa?'

"Is this the room?" Alejandro looked regal as he strode through the lobby. His steps were fast, and yet he displayed superiority. He had four guards following him—all of them were wearing black business suits, with only the old man wearing a Figaro hat on his head. He was undeniably an elite when he passed her and the doctor as if he didn't see them.

"This is the room, señor," one of the guards informed. Alejandro went straight to the door where his guard pointed and, without any warning, grabbed the knob to open it.

Alarmed, the doctor jumped onto the scene and grabbed Alejandro's sleeve. "I'm sorry, sir. You can't just come into the operating room. We have a procedure going on, and that's against this hospital's protocol—"

"Hands off." One of the four men immediately pulled a gun from his coat and pushed its nozzle against the doctor's forehead. The poor doctor, visibly turning pale, let go of the old man at once.

Alejandro, however, just looked at the doctor. Then, as if he didn't hear her, he pushed the door open and marched into the operating room. In less than a minute, a group of terrified nurses came running out of the room as if they had seen hell.

‘What’s going on?' Margaux wanted to ask, but her mouth felt too dry to talk. She just stood there idly, watching all the commotion around her.

Soon enough, the operating room's door swung open, and Alejandro stepped out of it casually. He had a white towel in his hand, wiping his bloody palm. He then threw a cold glance at the doctor and ordered, "Let the doctor finish what she was doing, then take the doctor with him. We'll leave this place as soon as she's done."

"Papa!" Finally, Margaux found the guts to call him out.

Alejandro turned to her, and she saw how his eyebrows instantly furrowed upon seeing her. In less than a second, the recognition on his face had turned to confusion. "Margaux?"

"Y-yes." She smiled. Her questioning eyes fell on Alejandro's bloody hand and then back on his face.

As if frustrated, the old man let out a sigh. It was evident that he wasn't happy to see her there. He gritted his teeth while thinking of what to do next, then looked at one of his guards. "Take her too."

Without any more words, the Don turned and started for the elevator. Margaux wanted to run after him, but her confusion paralyzed her feet.

"Papa! Where are we going?"

"Silence!" Alejandro's roaring command tore through the air. He then walked into the elevator with two of his men, leaving the other two guards with her. Then, just before the elevator closed, he turned to Margaux one last time and commanded...