CHAPTER 2

Gabriela ran as fast as she could to the hospital, on getting to the entrance, she met a whirlwind of doctors and patients moving in and out. 

She quickly located the front desk and with a hurried tone spoke to the nurse.

“Please nurse, I'm looking for my brother, his name is Diego Ramirez, do you know where he is, do you know if he is alright?”

Gabriela asked in a panicked tone.

The nurse glanced at the computer before her and with a calm expression, looked up to Gabriela.

“Your brother is in stable condition Miss, he’s in Room 34”

Immediately Gabriela heard that, she sprinted in the direction of the Room number and with no hesitation, pushed the door open.

Her mum was sitting next to Diego’s bed, her eyes were weary and swollen from exhaustion, and her facial expression showed how scared she was about the gravity of her son’s condition, 

the moment she realized Gabriela entered the room, she sighed in relief, stood up, and gave her a reassuring hug, and with a faint smile on her face she locked her eyes on Gabriela’s.

“Don't worry darling, your brother will be alright “

She said, trying to put her daughter at ease.

Gabriela needed to hear those words but at the same time, she knew her mother too well, and despite those reassuring words, she could read the fear stamped on her mother's face.

Suddenly a subtle voice interrupted the moment.

“Mrs Ramirez, may I have a word with you?”

Gabriela and her mother looked at each other for a second and then stepped out to hear what the doctor had to say.

“Your son is stable” the doctor began 

“But unfortunately we can't assure he will remain stable if you don't act quickly, he was diagnosed with a rare disease that affects his lugs and makes it difficult for him to breathe”

Gabriela held her mum's hand tightly and tried her best to push back the tears in her eyes, she wanted to look strong for her mum no matter what, and while Mrs Ramirez was lost for words, Gabriela spoke for her.

“So, doctor, what can we do to help him?”

The doctor replied with a caring smile.

“The condition can be managed. Diego will need to come to the hospital four times a week for a procedure to drain his lugs and facilitate breathing “

After a brief discussion involving the cost and the need to book a dietician who will be monitoring Diego’s diet, the doctor excused himself, and Gabriela and her mother went back to the room and sat next to Diego’s bed.

Complete silence fell in the room, the only thing breaking that awkward moment was the beep of the ventilator.

Gabriela kept holding her mum’s hand and glanced at her, worried.

“Mum, I know the expenses are great, but don’t worry, we’ll figure something out”

Mrs Ramirez nodded in agreement kissed Gabriela on her forehead and with a subtle smile looked back at Diego.

Just then, Diego opened his eyes slowly,

“Gabriela”

He called out to his sister weakly.

“I’m here Didi, I’m here”

She said caressing his face and kissing his cheek.

“Don’t worry when we get home, I will flip some pancakes for you, just focus on getting better, okay?”

Diego replied with a faint smile.

The night ended with so many concerns, worries, and hidden tears.

The following day, Gabriela woke up pretty early, she was determined to maintain her promise to her little brother, she flipped a couple of pancakes, fried some eggs, and stored them in an airtight container.

She made enough for her mum too as Gabriela left her behind at the hospital.

Gabriela got dressed and grabbed her CV file, she had a job interview later that day.

“Yesterday was bad timing, of all days that I could be dismissed from work, now that I need the money, jeez”

She said aloud, frustrated at the situation she was in.

She grabbed her coat and before stepping out, she looked at her reflection in the grand mirror along the corridor with a sense of conviction and she smiled.

“I can do it” 

Gabriela raised her shoulder and stepped out confidently.

On her way to the bus stop, she saw someone weaving at her from a distance, it was Jenny, her best friend. 

The two friends had decided to grab coffee close to the neighborhood where Gabriela had an interview.

“Look who made up her mind to show up on time, is it the end of the world?”

Jennie teased in a sarcastic tone

“Come on Jennie, you know today is an exception, I had to wake up early to prepare breakfast for Diego, he is getting discharged today, I promised I would make his favorite, pancakes”

Jennie’s bright smile suddenly turned into a gloomy frown. 

“I'm so sorry your family is going through this Gabe, and you got fired as well? That's insane, but be of good cheer, I will always be here to help out”

Jennie grabbed Gabe and gave her a tight hug, they've been good friends for a long time and their relationship was one that many were envious of. They were practically sisters as their mothers knew each other very well.

As the bus came on, Gabriela and Jennie hopped on and continued their conversation, giggling, talking, and encouraging one another.

When they came down to the stop, they entered a cute cafe along the street, famous for its caffe latte and bagels.

Few people were at the cafe and the rush was minimal. 

Men and women rushing to work were coming in and out, grabbing their coffee, despite that, the atmosphere was calm, and natural light brightened the ambiance.

“Two cafe lattes, thank you”

Gabriela called out to the lady behind the counter as she stood to make her order.

They chose a small table close to the window that gave a view of all the people passing by and carrying out their daily business.

Suddenly a tall man, followed by his assistant, entered the shop irritated, and angrily spoke over the phone.

It was Simon Ramsey.

“I told you I need the goods ready by Wednesday, what is this schedule change?”

Simon's annoyed countenance made people clear the way for him to pass, he was portraying a commanding figure that was intimidating.

“I don't care how you'll sort it out, if you don't want to lose your job, you better fix this”

Simon hung the call aggressively and sat at the table next to Gabriela while his assistant Jimmy took their orders.

Simon had a serious meeting with a Business Investor later that day at the VIP section of the same coffee shop so he decided to grab a coffee to clear his mind from the stress he had encountered.

Gabriela and Jennie were too busy laughing and having a conversation to notice his presence.

“I think I'm craving a bagel, give me a minute I will grab two”

Gabriela said, excited to eat the famous bagel that made the coffee shop popular.

While approaching the counter to order, she bumped into Jimmy, Simon’s assistant, and that made their order fly on the air but with class and precision, he grabbed everything back on the tray without spilling a single drop of coffee.

“Wow, that was impressive”

Gabriela commented.

“I'm so sorry for the inconvenience caused Sir”

Gabriela apologized.

Jimmy smiled and nodded his head to let her know that it was fine. As she turned to return to her table, she met a tall man standing in front of her grinning.

“We meet again little brat” Simon echoed to Gabriela.

“Milkshake what's up, do you need the number of a good dry cleaner, or have you got your expensive suit sorted out, I don't mind paying for you?”

Gabriela replied sarcastically, not allowing Simon to make her feel inferior.

“ Paying for me?” Simon snubbed and erupted into laughter.

“Better think of a way to pay medical bills for little Diego, I will be fine.”

At the mention of that, Gabriela froze, her blood boiling from within.

“How dare you? How do you know my family, I am going to….”

Simon placed a finger on his lips,

“Shhh, be careful what you wish for. I warned you then and I will do that again, don't try me”

Gabriela clenched her fist, but before she could say anything, Jennie dragged her from that awkward situation.

“Gabe let’s go, you'll be late for your interview”

The two girls packed their bagels and they were off the door.

The fact that Simon went ahead to research her family scared her a bit, and the eagerness to defend and protect her brother and mum became more real than ever.

Gabriela kept replaying the words of Simon in her head.

“Don't dwell on what he said Gabe, he just wanted to destabilize you, let's focus on the interview, you have 30 minutes to go”

Gabe snapped back into reality.

“Yeah, the interview, the office building should be a couple of blocks away from here”

The two friends walked towards the office building when they noticed someone was following them.

Jimmy, Simon’s assistant appeared from the shadows.

“Is that not Simon’s assistant?” Jennie asked “What do you want from us?” she asked aloud.

“Miss Gabriela, I would like to speak to you”

Jimmy said keeping steady eye contact and his head held high.

“If you are here to apologize on behalf of your Boss, the apology is not accepted, tell him to come himself and then I will put it into consideration”

Gabriela responded clearly, standing up straight.

“No, I'm not here to apologize on his behalf, I want to offer you a job as an executive assistant at the Ramsey’s Empire“

Gabriela let out a skeptical chuckle, she shook her head in disbelief and faced the assistant.

“You want me to work for you Boss? Hell no, over my dead body, forget about it”

Jimmy responded, his gentle countenance, removing every feeling of tension from the situation.

“I think you’ll do a great job, Like Father, like daughter”

When she heard the last comment, Gabriela looked confused and with a disoriented tone asked

“Like Father, like daughter, what do you mean by that, you knew my dad?”

“Yes I did, and it didn't take me long to realize you were his, you two have the same eyes”

Jimmy mentioned in a compassionate tone.

“He would want you to take this opportunity, think about how much money you’ll be making, we’ll pay you 10 times more than you received from the restaurant…”

He reassured her.

“Think of Diego”

Gabriela kept quiet, thinking and rethinking that weird but life-changing offer, could this be an escape to help her family, or could it be a trap?