Chapter 005

The long-awaited day had finally arrived for Eliana to leave the hospital. Her parents had handled all the necessities and arrangements for her departure. Tensions had eventually eased between Eliana and her parents, and she was no longer lashing out at them every single minute or being violent whenever they tried to help with her unhealthy lifestyle.

"Eliana, you are to sign these papers for your discharge, immediately," her mother, Elizabeth, whispered gently as she approached the hospital bed with light footsteps. She had in her hands a folder filled with important documents, which she carefully placed on Eliana's lap. With a side look, Eliana glanced at her mother. She arched the side of her brows further, about to make a complaint.

"Alright," she resisted, reaching for the file. Without bothering to read its contents, she reached for the pen resting on top and began to sign. Elizabeth's body trembled momentarily, her expression darkening with guilt. As she watched her daughter's long blonde hair cascade over her delicate features, she hesitated to tuck the strands behind her ears, ultimately deciding against it. It wouldn't make a difference anyway; it was for her safety.

"Finished," Eliana announced, closing the pen in haste. She stole a glance at her mother and inquired, "Anything else?"

Elizabeth smiled. "You've done well. I'm proud of you."

Eliana's eyes flickered with a mix of surprise and warmth as those words reached her ears. The brief exchange with her mother felt like an eternity before Eliana turned her face away, her heart pounding fiercely in her chest. She couldn't hide the astonishment at her mother's unexpected words.

"Your father will be arriving soon to pick us up. Why don't you try to get some more rest? You look pale." Elizabeth informed her, a warm smile spreading across her face as she gently reached out to run her fingers through her daughter's hair. Eliana's body tensed as she felt her mother's touch land on her flawless hair, but that didn't stop Elizabeth from continuing to pat it as if she had made a deliberate choice to do so.

Only a few hours passed for the quiet room to become lively once Mr. Queen entered. As everything had been prepared, they got ready to leave the hospital. Eliana soundlessly dragged her legs behind her parents while they thanked all the staff and gave them tips for their tremendous hospitality. Aware of her previous emotive behavior when they had been catering to her needs after the break-up with her ex-husband and while still coping with the loss of her baby, Eliana bowed her head down in shame. They must think she was a difficult, spoiled child. They must have gossiped about her…

“Miss Eliana, it’s so good to see you in a much better shape. You are as pretty as always,” said someone from the crowd. Eliana slightly lifted her head at the kindness in the masculine voice. An elderly doctor stood right in front of her, whom she instantly identified as one of the doctors who had come to check up on the state of her health. To say she wasn’t grateful would have been an understatement. She was thankful that they tolerated her crude attitude and healed her. 

One after the other, the nurses embraced her, wishing her a good future. She searched for Sarah, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Eliana, you should follow your mother to the car. I will be out in a minute.” She heard her father say to her and complied right away. However, just as she stepped out of the corridor, she overheard a conversation between two nurses.

“I envy her. To be shared a blood by none other than Ricardo Dickson? The handsome Italian man?”

“Right? She’s so damn lucky. How I wish I were the patient instead.”

“Hahaha. Let’s go before the head nurse comes barking at us for being unable to do our jobs.”

“Oh yes.”

“Eliana, darling, are you feeling all right? Do you need to…” Elizabeth was interrupted.

“No, I’m fine. Let’s go.” Eliana whispered. She walked out of the corridor as she tried to wrap her head from where she heard the name the nurse had mentioned.

Ricardo Dickson.

---

Back in Italy, Milan.

“Do you all want to be shot in the head? You are seeking death? If you know your life is precious, you will keep your little mouths shut! Do you hear me? It’s only been about a few months since the commander’s accident, and you want to destroy his mood further?” Edward bellowed. He was Ricardo’s right-hand man as well as his assistant and secretary.

A burglary took place right in their eyes, and they could do nothing about it. How foolish could they have been!

Edward was terrified and stressed.

“How did… Where did the explosion originate from? Did you all have your goddamn eyes removed or something? How the hell do I explain this to Mr. Dickson? There had recently been a commotion because of Alex, and here’s a new problem? Just great!” he hissed.

A new commercial product was sent from one of Mr. Dickson’s shareholders, which was secretly shipped from Spain to Italy. They had it masked for days in hopes of eventually launching the gadgets, when suddenly a huge explosion transpired in their faces. The goods worth a million dollars were burnt down to ashes, and they could fucking do anything about it!

“The commander will come to know about it anyway. Shouldn’t we share the news with him rather than hearing it from the broadcasting news? Are you trying to take us to an early grave? You damn well know of Mr. Dickson’s short temper.” A boy who goes by the name of Leander spoke up confidently, undeterred by the other man’s outburst. The boy had only recently joined the group of soldiers. In just his little time with the commander, he had realized how grave a sin it was to hide this sort of news from him.

The commander was never in a good mood. Ever. He was always displeased with everything and anything. Always allergic to happiness. Always grumpy. Ever since that accident, he has become someone entirely different. Never satisfied.

A loud grunt blared in the room. Edward was pacing around in frustration. He was against the idea of spilling the news, but he knew the consequences of doing that. Yet, if he didn’t and Ricardo found out later, they would all be dead.

Fuck!

“Why don’t we have Mr. Alex allocate the news instead? He’s the only one who can handle, Mr. Dickson. And he wouldn’t kill him, right? He is his brother.” Leander suggested with widened eyes.

Edward halted. He closed his eyes to breathe a sigh of relief.

“That’s right. Let the brothers face each other.”