Chapter 026

26.

A DAY LATER...

"When are you going to rest, Mrs. Salvador? You shouldn't be stressing yourself out like this. I don't know how much longer your body would be able to fight this." Doc. Mara, who was in charge of her health, spoke up, worry etched into her voice.

She had come to complain about her headaches and body weakness, and the doctor had checked her only to realize that her condition wasn't improving a bit.

Samantha sighed. "Doc, you do know the kind of work I do, don't you? It does not require me to just sit and do nothing. I have to be busy all the time, paperworks here and there, TV interviews day and night, not to mention the eyes of the press are always on me. I'm under a lot of pressure, you know." she complained.

"I know but it wouldn't bite to take a short break. During that period, you could hire a manager. That would make the work lesser for you. You wouldn't have to do tons of paperworks anymore." Doc. Mara advised her.

Samantha massaged her temple. "I'll consider hiring a manager, but before I do that, I need to put everything in place. Everything has to be perfect so I can actually be at peace. I'll take my drugs like you said, okay? You don't have to worry about me too much. Bye." she stood to her feet and walked out of the office.

She met Linda at the lobby. "Are you okay?" Linda asked and she nodded as they walked out of the building together.

She had lunch at a French restaurant with one of their French speaking partners, and she didn't want to keep the woman waiting. The woman had wanted to partner with them, and as a result, requested they talk over lunch.

As they arrived at the restaurant, Samantha was greeted by the partner, Madame Dupont. They exchanged pleasantries and sat down at their table. Madame Dupont began to discuss the potential partnership, but Samantha's mind kept wandering back to her health and the stress she was under. She tried to focus on the conversation, but her head was spinning and her body felt weak.

"Samantha, Es-tu à l'écoute? (Are you listening?)" The woman asked, worry evident on her face.

Samantha nodded. "Yes, Madam Dupont. Pardon my manners, please go ahead."

But Samantha's eyes began to droop, and she felt herself struggling to stay awake. Madame Dupont's words became a blur, and the sound of her own heartbeat was all she could hear. She tried to lift her head, but it felt too heavy, and she couldn't muster the strength to keep her eyes open.

"Samantha, mon dieu! (Samantha, my God!)" Madame Dupont exclaimed, alarm in her voice.

Linda rushed to Samantha's side, helping her to sit up straight. "Samantha, are you okay? What's happening?" Linda asked, panic in her voice.

Samantha tried to speak, but her words were slurred and barely audible. Madame Dupont quickly called for an ambulance, and they waited anxiously for the paramedics to arrive. As they waited, Samantha's vision began to fade, and she felt herself slipping away. She knew she needed to fight, but her body seemed to be giving up on her. The sound of sirens filled the air, and the paramedics rushed in to save Samantha's life.

They quickly assessed her condition and stabilized her vital signs before rushing her to the hospital. Linda and Madame Dupont followed close behind, their faces etched with worry.

At the hospital, the doctors immediately took Samantha into the emergency room, where they ran a series of tests to determine the cause of her collapse. Linda and Madame Dupont waited anxiously in the waiting room, their minds racing with worst-case scenarios.

Finally, the doctor emerged, looking grave. "She's suffered a severe anxiety attack, complicated by exhaustion and dehydration," he explained. "We'll need to keep her here for observation and treatment."

Linda and Madame Dupont exchanged a relieved glance, grateful that Samantha's condition wasn't more serious. Madame Dupont sat by her bedside, watching her sleep. Samantha was a lady she admired a lot. She knew how tedious the first year of being a CEO was, and she could relate to the girl collapsing. She reminded her of her younger self - always working so hard to meet expectations and making sure everything is perfect.

A smile spread across her lips as she continued to stare at Samantha's sleeping figure.

Linda used Samantha's work phone to send a text to Aiden, telling him about Samantha's condition.

Madame Dupont stood to her feet. "I have an important meeting by 2pm. I need to be on my way. Do send my regards to her and tell her I will fix another day for our meeting. Make sure she gets some rest, okay?"

Linda nodded politely and the woman walked out. It wasn't up to fifteen minutes the woman left, Aiden rushed into the ward. He was about to go for an important meeting when he saw the text from Linda and rushed there immediately.

"What happened to her?" he asked, panic evident on his face.

Linda filled him in on the details, from the dinner meeting to Samantha's collapse and subsequent hospitalization.

Aiden's expression grew more worried with each passing moment. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered, shaking his head. "She's been pushing herself too hard, and I knew it was only a matter of time before something like this happened," He sighed heavily and walked over to Samantha's bedside, gazing down at her with a mix of concern and frustration. "She needs to learn to take care of herself, not just her business empire."

Linda nodded in agreement, sharing his concerns. She was also aware of Samantha's dilemma. The woman had gone through alot in the hands of her ex-husband. Working six jobs at the same time wasn't a piece of cake, and still she was chastised for not always meeting now.

Now those stressful things she had to do to please them have affected her health greatly and are now manifesting in her physical and mental well being.

Samantha moved and Aiden quickly turned to look at her, taking her hand in his. Her eyes fluttered open and the next thing that hit her was a splitting headache.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, oblivious of the man, whose hand was tightly holding hers.

"What is wrong? Do you feel more pain anywhere? Call the doctor, Linda! Quick!" he exclaimed but Samantha shook her head.

"There's no need to call any doctor, I'm perfectly fine. What the hell am I doing here anyways? Last thing I remembered was having dinner with Madame Dupont." she twitched her brows.

Linda explained everything to her and her eyes widened. Her gaze went down to her hands interlocked with Aiden's and she quickly moved her hand away.

"Did you call Aiden here?" she asked and Linda nodded. She threw Linda a death glare before turning to Aiden.

"You can go now, I'm perfectly fine." she shooed him but Aiden scoffed.

"I am going nowhere. Look at you, you aren't looking good at all. You need to rest,"

"I'm resting now, aren't I?" she asked.

"You know the kind of rest I'm talking about. You don't gage to push yourself too hard, you know. Seeing you like this makes me so worried about you." he expressed his concern and Samantha went silent for a while.

She said nothing else and sat in silence.

The doctor walked in to check on her. "Good, you're awake," the doctor said with a smile. "How are you feeling now?"

Samantha shrugged, still looking a bit dazed. "I'm fine, I guess. Just a bit tired and my head is still spinning."

The doctor nodded sympathetically. "That's to be expected. You've been through a lot. But don't worry, we'll take good care of you here. I'll prescribe some medication to help with the anxiety and headaches, and we'll monitor your vitals closely."

"Wait, are you admitting me?" she asked and the doctor nodded. "No, I have tons of work to do. You can't admit me. Do you want the workload to pile up for me?"

"But you aren't stable yet, and we still need to look after you for at least three days."

"Three days?" she snapped. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay idle here for three days. What do you expect me to do, play around and chew gum?"

"Ma'am, it's for the sake of your health, okay? You've been stressed lately, and this is the least we can do for now."

"For now? I'm not spending another minute here."

She was about to remove her IV drip, but Aiden quickly intervened, holding her hand. "Samantha, please. Just listen to the doctor. Your health is more important than any workload. You can't risk your life like this."

"You're a businessman, Aiden, so you tell me whether you would sit and while away time in the hospital while there are things for you to do." she rolled her eyes with her arms folded.

"Health is wealth, Samantha. If you die, no one is going to do the work, so the best thing you can do is take care of yourself and prioritize your well-being."

"But what if the media catches a whiff of this? It might affect my work!" she snapped, trying to look for ways to win this argument.

"You don't have to worry about anything, I took care of it," he smiled. "Now take care of your health. Salvador Group wouldn't want a sick CEO, you know."

Samantha glared at him, but Aiden's words struck a chord. She knew he was right, but her pride and determination were hard to swallow.

With a sigh, she nodded reluctantly. "Fine. But only for two days. And I want a laptop and a phone, so I can keep up with work."

The doctor smiled, relieved. "Deal. But promise me you'll take it easy and not overexert yourself."

Samantha nodded, feeling a sense of defeat. She wondered why Aiden always had this effect on her. No matter what she does or says in an argument, he would always win. she sucked in a breath and pouted.

****

Days later, she was back on her feet and ready to work. Aiden gave her drugs for her headaches and would make sure to call her to remind her to take them. She found it annoying, but sometimes, she found herself anticipating his call even though she had taken the drugs.

Today, she was going to visit Madam Dupont at her house. She took some flowers and also a basket of healthy sweets. She wanted to personally thank the woman for taking care of her. Linda had told her how worried Madame Dupont was, and how she was even the one who called the ambulance.

They arrived at the luxurious mansion. Indeed the woman was French, judging from her taste in art and furniture. Samantha was impressed. Madame Dupont greeted her warmly and led her to the living room.

They sat down and Samantha handed her the flowers and basket of sweets. "Thank you so much for everything, Madame Dupont. I really appreciate your help and concern," Samantha said sincerely.

Madame Dupont smiled and waved her hand. "It was nothing, dear. I'm just glad you're feeling better. You were really worrying me the other day."

Samantha nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. I guess I just pushed myself too hard."

Madame Dupont nodded understandingly. "You work too hard, Samantha. You need to take care of yourself too."

Samantha smiled, feeling a sense of gratitude towards this woman. "I will, Madame Dupont. I promise. And thank you again for everything."

Madame Dupont patted her hand. "Anytime, dear. Now, let's have some tea and talk about something more pleasant." she clapped her hand and her maids walked in gracefully with a tray of tea.

They poured it into a glass for them and she dismissed them. While they were talking and chatting, a young man walked into the room.

"Mother," he called, drawing the attention of Samantha, who looked up to meet the grey eyes of a handsome young man.

"Elvis, you're back," she reached out to him and he took her hand, gracefully placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

After pulling away from the hug, he looked at Samantha, the lady that had caught his attention the minute he stepped into the room. "And who is this gorgeous flower you have here?"

Madame Dupont chuckled softly. "This is Samantha Salvador, CEO of the Salvador Group. Isn't she lovely?"

"Oh she is, mother," he extended his hand for a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, gorgeous."

Samantha smiled. "Nice to meet you too." she took his hand and he placed a soft kiss on the back of her hand.

"I will love to see you again, Ms. Sam." he gave her a charming smile before walking away.

Samantha blinked at Madame Dupont. She had no idea the woman had such a good looking son.

"That's my son, Elvis. He works overseas but has decided to come work here. It would be nice if you two got together, don't you think?"

"Huh?" Samantha blinked.

"He's a fine young man and you are a fair lady. You two are a match made in heaven, mon chèri (My dear)"

Samantha's eyes widened. What the heck was going on here?