Chapter 11: The VIP Treatment

 

"Oh, one more thing," Dr. Ryan added as he packed his medical bag. "His legs need to be massaged for an hour every day. No skipping."

Harper frowned. "Every day? But... I have weekends off."

Sebastian sat in his wheelchair, reading a book. Without looking up, he said, "It's fine. Two days won't make a difference."

Ryan winked at Harper. "Did you know? According to Sterling Corp policy, weekend overtime pay is triple the base salary. And holidays are quintuple."

Harper’s brain did a quick calculation. Base salary x 3... plus bonus... Her eyes turned into dollar signs.

She immediately turned to Sebastian with a serious expression. "Mr. Sterling, health is wealth! Skipping two days is unacceptable. I will sacrifice my weekend for your recovery!"

Sebastian looked at her greedy little face and scoffed. "You just want the money."

"And you want the legs," Harper beamed. "It's a win-win."

Ryan laughed and left.

---

[The Proposal]

Later that afternoon, Harper was dusting the living room shelves when she found a fallen photo frame. She picked it up. It was a photo of a younger Sebastian. He was riding a magnificent chestnut horse, looking powerful, arrogant, and free under the blue sky.

Harper looked at the man in the wheelchair, then back at the photo. He used to gallop in the wind. Now he couldn't even leave the house. Dr. Ryan said he needed to be happy.

Harper marched over to him and squatted down. "Boss, the weather is great today. Let's go to the Amusement Park!"

Sebastian flipped a page. "No."

"Why not? It's fun!"

"It's for children," Sebastian said coldly. "Why would a grown woman want to go there?"

"Because I never went as a kid," Harper lied smoothly. (Well, partially true. Her parents were deaf, and crowded places were dangerous for them, so they never took her. But she had gone with friends later.)

Sebastian paused. He looked at her. He remembered her saying she "never calls her parents." Right. Her parents must have neglected her, he thought. Just like mine.

He remembered his own childhood. His parents took Liam to Disney World every year. Sebastian was left home with tutors. He owned shares in three theme parks, but he had never actually been to one.

A strange feeling of empathy rose in his chest.

"Fine," Sebastian sighed, closing his book. "Go pack."

"Yes!" Harper jumped up.

---

[The VIP Lane]

They took the customized van. Harper packed a thermos, snacks, and her polaroid camera.

When they arrived at the park gates, Harper was shocked. "It's Monday! Why are there so many people?!"

The crowd was dense. And in the sea of standing people, a handsome man in a high-tech wheelchair was a magnet for eyes. Curious stares. Pitying glances. Whispers.

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. He gripped the armrests until his knuckles turned white. He hated this. He felt like a zoo animal on display.

"The line is two hours long," Harper groaned, looking at the queue.

Then she spotted it. The Accessibility Lane. It was completely empty.

"Boss! Look!" Harper’s eyes lit up. She pushed him toward the empty lane. "We can go in there!"

A staff member spotted them and immediately opened the rope. "Right this way, sir. Do you need assistance?"

"No, we're good!" Harper thanked him enthusiastically.

As they breezed past the hundreds of people sweating in the long line, Harper leaned down and whispered to Sebastian. "See? Being with you has perks! We just saved two hours and a $200 Fast Pass!"

Sebastian didn't smile. He felt the eyes of the people in the line burning into his back. Look at the cripple. He gets to cut the line.

"This isn't a perk," Sebastian hissed, his voice low and angry. "It's humiliating. I can afford the Fast Pass, Harper. I don't need charity."

"It's not charity, it's efficiency!" Harper argued, pushing him into the park. "We saved money! That's another $200 for your recovery fund!"

Inside the park, the atmosphere was festive, but Sebastian was miserable. Every time a staff member rushed over to ask "Are you okay?", he felt broken.

"Which way to the Carousel?" Harper asked a balloon seller.

"Oh, let me guide you!" The seller looked at Sebastian with sad, puppy-dog eyes.

Harper followed happily. "See? Everyone is so nice!"

Sebastian stopped. They were near the Carousel. Music was playing. Kids were laughing. But Sebastian felt like he couldn't breathe. The noise, the stares, the "niceness"—it was all suffocating.

He slammed his hand on the brake.

"Stop."

Harper paused. "Boss? We're almost there."

"I said stop," Sebastian’s voice cracked slightly. He didn't look at her. "Go play by yourself. I'll wait in the car."

Harper looked at him. She saw his fist clenching his pants. She saw the sweat on his forehead. He wasn't being grumpy. He was having a panic attack.

She realized her mistake instantly. She thought she was showing him the "bright side" of his disability (skipping lines). But to him, it was just a spotlight on his weakness.

Harper turned to the staff member. "Thank you, but we changed our minds. Please give us a minute."

The staff left. Harper pushed Sebastian into a quiet, shaded corner under a large oak tree, away from the prying eyes.

She squatted down in front of him, blocking the view of the crowd. She opened the thermos and poured him some water.

"Drink," she said softly.

Sebastian took the cup, his hand trembling. "Aren't you going to ride the horses?"

"No," Harper shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sebastian."

Sebastian looked at her, surprised. She rarely called him by his first name.

"I was too optimistic," Harper said, her voice full of regret. "I thought this place would make everyone happy. I ignored how you felt. I shouldn't have forced you to use that lane if you hated it."

Sebastian gripped the cup. "I... I'm just not used to it. The stares."

"It's okay," Harper smiled, and this time, her dimples were gentle. "If you are uncomfortable, tell me immediately. We can leave. We can go home. Or we can just sit here and watch the ducks."

"You don't want to play?"

"My job is to make you happy," Harper said seriously. "If you are miserable, then I failed. The Carousel isn't the only way to have fun."

Sebastian looked at her. For his whole life, people told him what he should do. You should be the CEO. You should marry her. You should be strong. Nobody ever stopped and said, If you hurt, we can stop.

"Do you really think..." Sebastian asked hesitantly, "that a place like this can make everyone happy?"

"Well," Harper pointed at the staff member who was now helping a lost child. "Look at them. Look at me. We are all trying."

Sebastian looked into her clear, honest eyes. He didn't see pity. He saw the blue sky. He saw the green trees. And he saw himself—not as a cripple, but as a man she cared about.

He took a deep breath. The suffocating feeling in his chest loosened.

"I don't want to go home yet," Sebastian said quietly. "But... can we stay in this corner for a bit?"

Harper grinned, taking out a chocolate bar. "Deal. I brought snacks."

(End of Chapter 11)