04: Saved By Bad News.

ROSE.

I stood frozen, staring at Drake, and half expecting him to take back what he had just said.

My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it from where he sat.

Slowly my hands moved toward the cap, ready to pull it off, when the office door burst open.

Clara rushed in, her face pale, and we both turned to look at her.

Drake stared at Clara for a long time before speaking. "Well?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I couldn't find the securities anywhere," Clara said, breathless. "There's news outside tho. The federal warehouse caught fire and it started from the shipment of imported goods that came in this morning."

Drake's expression shifted instantly, the irritation on his face was replaced by something sharper and urgent.

Whatever this news meant, it clearly mattered more than anything happening in that office.

He grabbed his car keys off the desk and stood so fast that his chair rolled back. "Get one of the drivers to bring the car around now!" he barked at Clara, already moving toward the door.

I remembered I still had unfinished business. I stood quickly. "Sir, what about my request?"

He paused at the door but didn't turn around.

For a moment he said nothing, then let out a hard breath. "Clara, handle her request, and make sure her father resumes work immediately. If he isn't back within two weeks, I'll have someone else take his place."

Without another word he walked out, his guards falling in step behind him.

My heart pounded in my chest, relief and disbelief crashing into each other at once.

I had walked straight into what felt like the lion's den, and whatever bad news had just pulled him away had somehow saved me.

I turned to Clara, who was already writing something out.

She handed me a signed check without meeting my eyes. "Here. This should cover it."

I thanked her quietly and hurried out of the office, finding Sharma waiting anxiously near the elevators.

The moment we stepped outside the building, Sharma turned to me. "So? What happened in there? Did he recognize you?"

I pulled off the cap and glasses, letting my curls fall loose. "The only thing that matters is that he didn't, and I don't really want to talk about it right now."

Sharma stared at me for a long time in confusion as we climbed into the car and drove off toward the hospital.

The ride was quiet except for the hum of traffic outside, both of us lost in our own thoughts.

In under thirty minutes we arrived, and I handed the check straight to Sharma the second we stepped out.

"I need you to cash this and get it to the hospital so they can start my dad's treatment," I said. "Can you do that for me?"

My voice came out softer than usual, almost pleading rather than commanding.

Sharma smiled and squeezed my hand. "Of course I can. Go see your dad."

I nodded and hurried inside, making my way straight to my father's ward.

When I walked in, he opened his eyes and looked at me, and I sat close beside his bed.

"Dad, don't worry, it's done," I said. "He gave us the money, but there's a condition. You have to be back to work in two weeks or he's replacing you."

My father let out a tired laugh. "That's typical Machorace. Ruthless to the last minute."

He looked at me with pride shining in his tired eyes. "Thank you, lovely. Where's the money?"

"I gave it to Sharma. She's handling everything with the hospital so they can start your surgery as soon as possible," I said, smiling.

He held my hand tightly, his smile fading into something more serious. "Rose, there's something I need to tell you. I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to let you down again."

I blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "The doctor told me that even after the surgery, I won't be able to work properly for another two to three months. That means I won't be able to show up for my shifts at the mansion."

My stomach dropped as the reality of the situation settled over me.

Without my father showing up, that job, the one thing keeping our family afloat, would be gone within weeks.

There was only one way to keep it: I would need to cover his shift.

I thought of the mansion, of the man I had just stood in front of an hour ago, and swallowed hard.

But then I reminded myself he was a busy CEO with a household full of staff.

There was no real reason he would even notice one extra face among the workers.

I smiled at my father. "I understand, and don't worry about it. I'll take your shifts whenever you're not able to."

His eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure about this? That man has a temper like nothing you've dealt with before."

"I know," I said, keeping my voice steady. "But it's a huge mansion. There's basically no chance he'd ever run into me. And even if he did, it's really not a big deal."

He chuckled and patted my hand gently before pulling me into a hug.

We held each other for a long moment until the door opened and the doctor stepped inside.

I stood, thanking him for his patience, and stepped out to give them privacy.

Walking through the hospital hallway, I felt an odd unease settle over me, though I couldn't quite place why.

Maybe it was the thought of my life shifting direction so suddenly, or maybe it was the fact that the very man who had warned me to stay far away from him was now going to be someone I worked under, night after night, inside his own home.

I spotted Sharma near the entrance and walked toward her.

She pulled me into a warm hug. "Don't worry, Rose. Everything is going to be fine."

We stood there holding each other for a while, until her eyes drifted toward the window. Her whole body went still.

"Why are the paparazzi outside?" she asked, letting go of me and moving closer to the glass.

I shrugged, trying to sound casual. "Maybe some celebrity is here for treatment. You know how this city gets."

She shook her head slowly, her face draining of expression as she kept staring through the window. "No. I don't think that's it."

She turned to me, swallowing hard. "Rose, I think you need to see this."

I crossed the room and looked through the window, my eyes following the crowd of flashing cameras and shouting reporters gathered just outside the hospital entrance.

My gaze landed on the source of all the commotion, and my whole body went numb.

"What the actual fuck is Drake Machorace doing here?!" I whispered.