Chapter 18 - Mr. Ford (2)

CALISTA

“Which hospital is she in?” The words slipped out of my mouth the minute I got down the stairs. My eyes went to Mikhail, who was going through something on his phone, and in his left hand was a newspaper.

He looked up from the phone, his eyes settling on me before moving behind me. I didn't need to turn to see what he was looking at.

“You're awake.” He ignored my question, setting down his phone and the newspaper on the table. “I thought Eren said her body needs more rest?” His brows shot up as he glanced past me to Eleanor.

“Yes, but for now… let her do the minimal things.” She answered, walking past me to the table.

Mikhail's eyes moved from her and landed on me, and for some reason, I felt the scolding in his eyes.

“What?” I snarled at him, my fists clenched beside me, and I wanted to punch him.

He sighed softly, rubbing his face. “Now that she's awake, Eleanor, what next?”

Eleanor didn't answer immediately, her eyes on something in the newspaper. She dragged it to herself, picked it up, and scanned through it.

“Mikhail…” her shaky voice sounded in my ears, and I frowned.

“What's wrong?” I walked up to her, closing the distance quickly.

Mikhail glanced at us. I glanced over her shoulder, my eyes going through the content, my brows tightening along with it.

“The hell?!” I screamed, startling Eleanor. “Sorry.”

She exhaled deeply, her hand pressed on her chest as she set down the newspaper. She finally turned to Mikhail. “We need to do something about it. If this spreads on the internet, the company will be in trouble, and so will my daughter.”

Her index finger poked the newspaper, her voice fierce. “I can't have those reporters snooping their noses around us.”

“I know.” Mikhail finally answered. “I already got in touch with their manager. It will be taken care of very soon.”

Eleanor's tense shoulders slumped, and she leaned back against the chair.

“How did that footage get into their hands? No one was there when your car crashed into Sera.” I demanded.

Mikhail's eyes went to me, to Eleanor, and back to me again, and that irked me. Just say the damn thing instead of exchanging glances like I'm blind.

“It was premeditated. Apparently, your friend had already hired someone to take photos of your reunion, but you know what happened next. After the car crash and knowing who you are… he decided to sell it to K & T Media.” He leaned back against the chair. “And here we are.”

Damn it.

That was so Sera-like, to take videos or pictures of everything. My hand gripped my hair as I turned around, walking to my room.

I need to get in touch with her, but first I must know which hospital she's in.

“Where are you going?” Eleanor asked from behind me.

“My room, obviously,” I answered in a hurry.

Eleanor didn't speak.

The door slammed behind me as I walked to my bed to take my phone. However, before I could get there, I caught sight of something on the table and stopped.

“What's that doing here?” I muttered, walking to the package on the table. I grabbed it and unwrapped it. Inside was a box of bandages.

My brows furrowed slightly as I took one out to examine it. It was the same as the one on the back of my feet where the heel had been injured.

“That's strange.” Shaking my head, I placed the bandage back on the table without thinking much about it.

I grabbed my phone and unlocked the screen. The first thing I saw was a notification from Sparta Tech. I couldn't even say a silent prayer before my thumb accidentally clicked on the message.

[Congratulations! You have successfully passed the interview and have been accepted into our intern program. Below is a link to the work schedule and accommodations. Please get back to us if you have any inquiries. We will be waiting for your reply.]

I got it.

“I got it!” I squealed, jumping with my phone in my hand.

Yes! Yes, yes!

Hurried footsteps sounded from outside before my room door burst open, Eleanor running in with a scared expression, and behind her was Mikhail, sweeping his gaze lazily around my room as though looking for something.

“W-what did you get?” Eleanor asked, closing in on me.

“I got accepted!” I shoved the phone to her face, jumping. She smiled softly, taking the phone from me before going through it.

I twirled around, my eyes closing as joy surged through me, but that little joy shattered in an instant.

“It's just an intern program.” His fucking annoying remark halted me, and I snapped at him.

“This is good.” Eleanor chimed in before I could speak, and my gaze went to her. “When are you starting?”

“Tomorrow,” I answered, a sly smile tugging at my lips. I stared at Mikhail, my mind burning with vengeance. “The car must be ready before 5 AM.”

His brows went up. “Eleanor, wasn't the message an intern position instead of the CEO position?”

“It sure did.”

Their gazes landed on me, and I saw the ‘pity’ in Eleanor's eyes and the smug smile on Mikhail's face.

“I understand, Cal. I was once in this position when Father was in charge of the company.” She walked towards me, holding my hand. “Make sure you do not over-impress your new boss so you don’t look desperate.”

Wait, what?

“I'm not trying to impress anyone.” I slapped her hands off me.

“First, denial.” His stupid voice came.

“I only want to get there early because I don't want to be late.” That was a big lie.

“Second, confusion.”

Can you shut up, Mikhail?

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, but when I looked at him, he was on his phone.

Ugh!

Suddenly, an idea came to me.

“Eleanor.”

“Yes, dear?”

“I want him to be my personal guard from now on.” I held her hand, my eyes teary as I spoke. “What if something happens to me when he's not with me? He cannot only drive me to work and back home. I don't feel safe.”