NICHOLAS HUDSON

NICHOLAS P.O.V.

A WEEK BEFORE

"Fuck those traffic lights!" I exclaimed and started hitting the steering wheel of my car. 

All vehicles were tightly jammed because of the traffic lights in front of us. I don't understand why they put too many sources of delays on the roads like this. I'm late for my meeting with the stockholders!

I was in the middle of my frustration when I saw my phone ringing. The caller's name was Frederick Park. I sighed as soon as I realized that Fred, my secretary, was calling me. For sure, he was going to tell me to be in a rush since I'm already 15 minutes late from our meeting. 

I plugged in my earphones and answered the call. 

"Sir, where are you? The stockholders are already here," He said in a panic. 

"Just do something to make them distracted from the time. I'm in the middle of a struggle in traffic here," I replied. Before he could say another word, I ended the call. Then, I pressed my car's horn to signal the others about my rush. 

After a few seconds, the traffic finally started moving. All cars were determined to move forward as soon as the lights turned in green. 

"Finally..." I sighed. 

I was in the middle of driving when I saw a ball rolling out on the road. 

"What the?" I whispered to myself after passing by. 

Suddenly, I heard a loud horn from behind me. So, I immediately looked at the side mirror to check what happened. Then, I saw a woman lying on the ground and a car was beside her. I instantly got curious about what happened, so I immediately parked my car on the side. I went out of the car and saw a huge crowd of people in the middle of the road. I started shaking my head. 

"Another cause of delay..." I whispered to myself while looking at them. 

People were crowding the accident zone. But, I saw that they were not helping the woman. Nobody tried to do it. Look at these people. They already knew someone needed help, but they chose to talk about what happened rather than help the person in need immediately. Such a loss of common sense!

I ran as fast as I could to check the woman on the road. I pushed the useless people away from the crowd since they are not helping. "Move!" I shouted. 

When I finally reached the woman, I started shaking my head again in disbelief. She has many bruises. I kneeled to check her pulse and consciousness. 

"Miss? Are you awake?" I asked while checking her pulse. Good thing she has it. But, she was not conscious. 

While scanning her body, I got shocked by what I realized something. 

She is pregnant? 

After a few minutes, I heard a siren coming from an ambulance. The rescue team came out in a rush as soon as the ambulance parked in front of the accident. There were police mobiles who came by to find out what just happened. 

"Look! That man is escaping!" One from the crowd shouted. 

As soon as I heard what he said, I immediately stood up and ran to catch the culprit. I grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back. 

"Where do you think you're going?" I said while holding his collar. 

He tried to fight back but I tightened my grip on his collar which made him difficult to move. "And, you have the confidence to fight back after what you did?" 

"Mr. Hudson?" 

I turned toward the guy who just called me. 

"It's you!" He exclaimed with a smile as soon as our eyes met. 

"Mr. Rodriguez, perfect timing!" I replied. 

"So, you're also here. But, why?" He asked while looking at me. 

I pulled and pushed the culprit in front of them. "Take care of that punk. He's the culprit." 

Mr. Rodriguez immediately brought out his handcuffs and arrested the guy with his men. "Since when did you get concerned with this kind of case?" He asked. 

I smirked while looking at him. "I have no time for interviews. I still have a meeting to attend to," I replied. 

Before he could say another word, I left them and entered my car. 

When I finally reached the company, I went inside the conference room while they were in the middle of the presentation. 

The stockholders looked at me in silence as I sat down in my seat. 

"Got some emergency. Don't look at me as if I am a criminal," I demanded. Then all of their eyes went back to the presentation being done by Fred. 

I was in the middle of listening to the presentation when what happened earlier flashed back to my mind. That woman's condition was such a pity. For sure, she will lose her baby because of the impact she had from the accident. 

After the meeting, all things went successful so far. As the boss of the company, I congratulated my team because of a job well done. 

"Fred, you did a great job out there. Now, I need you to do something for me," I said while looking at him. 

"What is it, Sir?" He asked. 

"Go to San Andres Hospital and check the pregnant woman who was rushed into the emergency room named Vanessa Lorenzo there. Give me some updates about her condition," I answered. 

"Who's Vanessa Lorenzo, Sir?" He suddenly asked. 

I looked at him and gave him a blank expression. "That's none of your business. Just do what I told you," I replied. 

He laughed awkwardly and immediately went on his way to the hospital. 

"Mr. Hudson..." 

I turned to the guy who just called my name. As soon as I realized that the guy called me was one of the stockholders of the company, I smiled and greeted him. 

"Honestly, we really thought that you are not coming," He added. 

"Sorry about that. But there was just an emergency on the road. I saw everything so I helped," I replied. 

"Wow. You really are a very responsible guy. Your team excellently presented the proposal. And because of that, many of us decided that we are going to double our shares in your company. We would gladly help you and your goals for the market. For sure, your company will be a threat to Mr. Mendoza's success," He said while smiling at me. 

I smiled back and we both had our handshake as a sign of agreement. Then, he told me that they need to go. I thanked them one last time for their trust. 

Surely, that was my ultimate goal. To snatch the attention away from Mendoza. He tried to bully my family just because he was wealthier than us. He tricked my father and throw our shares away after he gained the success of his company. And now, that my wheels are on top, I won't hesitate to pull him down because of what he did to us. Anything that will lead to his downfall will be my fine interest. I will make sure he will pay for what he did. 

I felt my phone suddenly start ringing. So, I brought it out of my pocket. Then, I saw Fred's number again. When I answered his call, I felt the sadness in his voice. 

"Sir... Ms. Lorenzo's baby didn't make it," He said. "The hospital already contacted her relatives about her condition. But, I think this woman is broke. Her mother arrived here at the hospital without any money on her hand to pay for all the bills." He said. 

"You did your homework very well, Fred," I replied while laughing. "Pay all the bills of that woman. I'll send the money to your account," I added. 

"But sir, while staying here... I saw something that will draw your interest," He added. 

I raised an eyebrow while listening to him. "What was it, then?" I asked. 

"I saw Mr. Mendoza come and the shocking thing was, he personally asked for Ms. Lorenzo's status," He said. 

"Have you heard the reason why he asked about her?" I asked. Fred's right, what he saw really draw my attention and curiosity. 

"No, Sir. But, it could be something interesting," He replied. 

"Continue watching over that woman. I need to have more details about her and the reason why Mendoza came there to check on her," I demanded. 

Before he could say another word, I ended the call. 

VANESSA'S P.O.V.

"No need to wait. I'm here." 

As soon as we heard those words, we immediately looked in the direction of the guy who was standing at the main entrance of the mansion. He was holding a helmet and walked to approach us. 

"Master..." The old woman suddenly bowed her head in respect for the guy. 

I stared at the guy innocently since this would be the first time I would meet him. 

He turned his focus to me while he was still walking approaching where we were. 

"Boss, this is Ms. Lorenzo. The woman you told me to bring here," The leader of the guards said. 

"I know..." He coldly replied while looking at me. 

He gave me a serious stare. When he finally stood in front of me, he coldly told the people to leave us alone. 

The people surrounding us earlier went on their separate ways. Right now, the two of us were left here in the living room. I felt the awkward silence surrounding us. He sat on the other seat near me and put the helmet down on the table. 

"Thank you for helping me," I said while looking at him. 

"What's your connection with William Mendoza?" He suddenly asked. 

My eyes got widened in shock because of that question. I didn't expect that he would ask me that. 

"Excuse me?" I asked. 

"I said, what's your connection with William Mendoza? I believe my words are clear already," He replied. 

My heart started pounding loud and I felt nervous because of his stares. Why did he even ask me about that jerk anyway? Does he have any idea about my personal life? But, that's impossible!

"I don't know what you're saying," I said and tried to avoid his stares. 

"Then, why did he ask for your condition at the hospital last week? That could be very impossible if that was just a coincidence," He added. 

"Is this the reason why you invited me here? To interrogate me about my past?" I asked while looking at him irritatingly. 

He raised an eyebrow while looking at me. "Past?" 

I stood up. "You know what? I'm very thankful for what you did for me. But, please, give me privacy. Helping me doesn't mean that you will invade my personal data. Again, thanks for the help."