Chapter 6

Schuyler Savannah's P. O. V.

Roaming my eyes around the president’s conference office, I hid my hands under the table as I felt them shaken in nervousness. The president was sitting across from me with a serious face as he scanned my parents' hospital bill. I didn’t know that things like this could be handled by a higher person like him. I thought it’d always be his employees who would do it, but our situation has probably reached his ears now and can no longer be handled by the accountants.

“Miss Savannah,” he started and closed the report folder before placing it on the table. “You’re fully aware of your situation right now, right?”

I was contemplating whether to remain silent and wait for him or nod my head in agreement, but I still ended up doing the latter. He nodded back in understanding before he stood up and faced the glass wall, he was watching the scenery outside.

“I admire your affection for your parents, for the past years, you have proven how much you care for them.” I looked down at my hands and waited for him to continue. “It must’ve been hard, right?”

My grip on the lace of my bag tightened as I took a deep breath. “If you’re going to convince me to let them go, I know that we owe this place a lot already, but I am sorry, I can’t and I would never kill my parents.”

The president gave me a serious glance when he turned around and faced me. “I have thought of that already, Miss Savannah.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Convincing you would be no use, it is your right to decide for them and if we force you, then, you might even end up sending us to court. It’ll surely ruin our hospital’s reputation if that happens, no matter if we win the case or not.”

“T-Then… Surely, you didn’t ask for me here for nothing, right?” The president nodded at me before he motioned something to the doctor. “What is this for?”

I opened the folder and read the context of the file. My heart started beating faster and my eyes even widened a bit after realizing what it was.

Anger surges through me and I harshly stand up while facing them, “You want to transfer my parents and even apply them for a charity event?”

“We have run out of options, as you can see.” The president sat back down with his eyes on me. “This is our last shot, Miss Savannah. If we don’t send your parents to a public hospital, our hospital will go down.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about. The charity will cover up for the past expenses of your parents. Won’t you like that? You’ll have nothing to pay and you won’t need to work as hard as you do now.”

My lips were trembling in anger as I listened more to him before I slowly stood up and loudly slapped the folder on the table.

“Not only do you refuse to aid my parents, but you also want to use them for something, huh?” I licked the bottom of my lips as tears began to build in my eyes. “Just how heartless can you all be?”

“Heartless, you say?” A cold voice asked behind me. 

My body froze in shock as I recognized his voice before I slowly turned around, only to confirm my thoughts. It was really him. And beside him was his right hand, holding the door open for him. He started to make his way toward us, the same time the president stood up and approached him.

“Mr. Riego!” The president exclaimed in utter shock. “You should’ve informed me that you’re coming, so I could’ve made a prepa—”

“Give me the accountant’s report of Mr. and Mrs. Savannah’s bills for the past years!” He quickly cut off the president and sat on the center of the table. 

I only followed with my gaze on him and all I could feel was hatred. I don’t exactly know what for, but I do feel it towards him. The president took the folder from his side and handed it over to him. He never took his away from me as he opened the folder before he read through it.

“Say, Ms. Savannah… Ah, no. It should be ‘Schuyler’, isn’t it?” His meaningful yet cold eyes stared straight into me as he put the folder down. I balled my fist while eyeing him, no matter how much I wanted to explode at his face, I knew that I couldn’t, afraid that he might do something I had no power to stop. “Did you like ‘my’ kind suggestion to you?”

My mouth slightly parted open in shock upon hearing what he asked me. “Y-You.. What?”

“Ms. Savannah, this is Mr. Ezekiel Riego. He’s the Founding Chairman of the hospital, and yes, it was his idea to transfer your parents. All for the hospital’s benefits.” The president butted in and I darted my eyes on him before I looked back at… my husband.

I nodded my head, letting them know that I fully understood everything that they were trying to point out. “Well, ‘Mr. Riego’..” I emphasized his name. “I do appreciate your ‘kind’ suggestion, but I am afraid I will have to refuse.”

My eyes darkened while looking at his emotionless ones.

“No matter how hard it would be for me, I will do my hardest to provide for my parents. There’s no need for them to get transferred to a public hospital where their medications and supplies would be limited.” I took my bag and was about to turn my back on them when I heard him speak.

“This isn’t your decision anymore, Ms. Savannah.” I glanced back at him, only to see the cruelty in his eyes. “Your parents are in debt to the hospital with millions of dollars, do you even know that?” I remained silent. “We can legally refuse to give more treatment to your parents who have had no changes at all for the past years and have been pulling our hospital down because you couldn’t pay us.”

“You won’t touch my parents!” I hissed at him and both the president and the doctor were surprised with my reaction. “I am working to pay for them, so there’s no need for you to transfer them!”

“Pay?” His nudging eyes stared back at mine. “What you’re paying us is only coins of what you owe us, Miss Savannah!”

Ezekiel Riego stood up and walked towards me, leaving everyone alarmed about what we might do to each other. “

“It’s either you pay us tonight, or we’ll take the machines off and let you bring your parents somewhere else. All on your own.” We looked deep into each other before he walked past me and left the conference room.

I was left in shock and not anyone even dared to come to my comfort. They quickly left and followed Ezekiel Riego the moment he went out. I felt my knees shaking and I slowly fell on the swivel chair as my head throbs while staring at the hospital bill of my parents. It was piled with papers on the list for the past months and all I could ever do was cry while still eyeing it.

I felt so powerless and little right now. I knew that my family had always been poor, but I never experienced this hardship before the incident happened to my parents. Only just now. Sometimes, I do wish that if it’s true that they’re gone, I hope they can just take me away with them. So, I wouldn’t have to be in these hard days right now.

I do regret everything..

I stayed there for a while and just cried my heart out. I don’t even know if anyone saw me and just refused to bother me, but I did see when the president’s secretary came in with a warm smile on her face.

“You okay, sweetheart?” She asked gently and tapped my back.

I nodded at her before I dried my tears from my face and nape.

“I hate to say this, but.. There’ll be a meeting here later, so—”

“I-It’s alright, I understand.” I tried to offer her a smile, but I failed so I just wiped my tears again and took my bag. “I should head out now.”

She nodded at me before I left the conference room and went to the comfort room. I looked at myself in the mirror and I couldn’t even recognize myself anymore. I have wasted and thrown away my youth and beauty, all for my parents' sake and it’s something I don’t even regret doing. But sometimes, I do think that what if none of this is happening right now? Maybe, I’m like those young women out there, right? Enjoying my life until it lasts’.

But in this lifetime, that’s just not bound to happen. I washed my face in the water and fixed myself before I headed back to my parents' room. I was already outside when I noticed that the door was slightly open. My heart skipped a beat and I hurriedly rushed inside, imagining that people were working on transferring my parents, but to my surprise... None of that is happening right now.

Instead, inside was a man standing in between my parents' beds and just watching them closely. His back was facing me, but I could quickly tell who he was just by the way his cold appearance seemed to dominate the whole place.

I lightly closed the door behind me and it made him slowly turn around to face me.

I glanced at my parents, silently checking on them if anything happened or if this man had done something ridiculous to them while I was away. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that nothing was wrong with them.

I eyed him back while still standing in front of the closed door. “W-What are you doing here?”

“I keep my words, Shcuyler.. It’s something you should take note of.” His deep voice sent shivers down my spine and I literally had to ball my fists and prevent them from shaking.

He walked in the middle of the room until he reached the couch I was always sleeping on. My blanket and pillows are still there and I did notice when his eyes laid on the one he claimed to have left a claw mark.

He picked it up and I took a step to stop him, but it was too late already. He glanced at me and while looking straight at my eyes, he leveled the blanket in his nose and inhaled its scent in front of me.

I almost held my breath while watching him do that and somehow.. It sent something inside me. A feeling I don’t even know where it came from.

“Stop it!” I hissed at him when he closed his eyes and continued to inhale it.

He slowly opened his eyes, but the emotion in it made sure to let me know that he did not like the way I stopped him. He clenched his jaw while watching me.

“You’ll definitely look better when you have this wrap around your body, honey.” He took a step towards me and another, then another, until he was already approaching me, and I had to brace myself as if he’d be hitting me if he ever came closer. 

I took a step back until I reached the door and it hit my back. I silently cussed in my mind when I saw him eyeing me from head to toe as he cornered me to the door and kept the blanket in between our bodies. His other hand was resting beside my head and caressing my cheek as if it was a very normal thing for him to do.

“Much better if you get to wrap your naked body with this after we spend our night together.” A smirk made its way to his lips, but his face remained emotionless, still.

I pushed him away from me and snatched my blanket from his hand. “Cut your disgusting dream, because it’s never going to happen!”

I walked past him and was about to hide my blanket when my eyes darted to the claw mark. I creased my forehead and turned around to look back at him to ask a question I’d been thinking of for the past nights.

“How did you even do this?” I lifted my hand to show my blanket to him.

He didn’t answer and just eyed me so I rolled my eyes and continued to hide it in the cabinet. When I faced him again, I crossed my arms while looking at him. Although I can feel myself worrying and fearing him, I don’t want to show him that I would just back down without doing anything to fight for myself.

“Please, leave now. You’re not welcome here!”

He walked towards me again and I tried to step away, but he managed to catch me in his arms and drop me on the couch. I had to hold on to him, just for me to not fall off the couch.

“What.. Let me go!” I screamed at his face, but I stopped when he locked my jaw on his palm and pressed my head back on the couch.

“I had been considerate enough to let you stay here instead of having you fulfill your obligations on me, Schuyler..” The warning in his voice was evident that I had to stop and listen to him. “I am giving you one final chance.. Come to my house and give yourself to me or I’ll get rid of your parents without batting an eye.”

I stared straight into his menacing eyes and I couldn’t help when tears began to flow from mine while watching him. He harshly let go of my jaw and left the room, leaving me unable to even speak to him.