CHAPTER 1: A Desperate Turn of Events

"Mummy, no! Don't leave me, please!“

A young girl cried shaking her mother's lifeless body on the hospital bed. Several nurses tried to pull her off but to no avail.

She then bit one of the nurse's arm, who screamed in terror.

"Let me go! I want my mummy! Give her back to meeeeee!"

A gasp elicited from Rosa's lips as her eyes blared open, feeling a bit agitated. She felt her heart bang in her ribcage as she stared at the ceiling. Her eyes darted around in confusion. Everywhere.... looked white and bright. The ceiling above her, the faint curtains and the light was almost blinding. Where was she?

She closed her eyes tightly trying to remember the past events, but she only invited a sharp pain in her head.

"Ouch,” she moaned.

She tried to sit up and a sharp pain shot through her ribs. God.

“Easy,” a soft voice said. “Don’t try to move yet.”

Rosa turned her head slightly. A woman in scrubs stood beside the bed, adjusting the IV line. Her name tag read Genevieve, RN. 

She smiled kindly. “You’re in St. Bernard's Hospital, Dear. You’ve been out for almost three days.“

“Three days?” Rosa’s voice was barely above a whisper. Her throat burned when she spoke and she gulped.

“W-what happened?”

“You were hit by a car,” Genevieve said gently. “Do you remember anything before that?”

Rosa tried to scramble through the fragments, but this time, calmly.

The bus. The traffic. Her résumé. Running across the road. Then, the blinding light, the screeching tires, the crash.

She closed her eyes as it rushed back.

“Oh God.” She felt her body shudder.

“You’re lucky,” Genevieve continued, her tone careful. “It could’ve been much worse. You have a mild concussion, a few bruises and scrapes. No fractures.”

Lucky. That word stung like a bee.

She'd missed her interview. She’d gotten hit by a car. And she was lucky?

Rosa bit her lips in apprehension.

“How… how long do I have to stay here?”

“The doctor says you’ll be monitored for another day or two, just to be safe. Or you can even be discharged today.” The nurse gave her a reassuring pat.

“You’re being well taken care of.”

“By who?” Rosa frowned weakly. Her…aunt?

Genevieve hesitated, then smiled again.

“Your… benefactor’s covering the expenses. He’s been here twice.”

Rosa blinked. “My what?”

Before the nurse could answer, the curtain

rustled. A tall figure stepped into view.

It was the man from the accident.

He was dressed sharply even in casual clothes: black trousers, a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a silver watch that caught the light. His presence seemed to draw the air around him, quieting the small room instantly.

Rosa noticed that the nurse's breath had hitched. Talk about aura.

Genevieve straightened. “I’ll give you two a moment,” she murmured and slipped out.

Rosa’s heart stumbled in her chest as he approached. He was even more intimidating now that she wasn’t lying in the middle of the road looking like a disaster. His face was striking. Clean lines, sharp jaw, dark hair slicked neatly back. His eyes were the kind that saw too much, cool and unreadable with an unfathomable expression.

“Miss Hamon,” he said gently, his voice low and smooth. “How are you feeling?”

She gulped, unsure if she was supposed to thank him or yell at him.

“Like I got hit by a car”.

Something flickered at the corner of his mouth, a hint of a smile or not. It was fleeting. Too fast for her eyes to catch it.

“I suppose that’s fair.”

There was a brief silence, the kind that made her too aware of the beeping machines. She sniffed her herself and noticed she reeked of medicine and disinfectants. Ew.

He pulled a chair closer and sat, his posture straight.

“The doctors said you’ll make a full recovery. That’s good”.

“Did you… bring me here?” she asked hesitantly. Where was her aunt?

“Yes.” His gaze didn’t waver.

“And I’ve taken care of the hospital bills. You don’t need to worry about that”.

Rosa blinked in disbelief. “You…what? No, I can’t let you-”

“-You can,” he cut in calmly, “and you will. It was my car that hit you.”

“That I ran in front of,” she corrected quietly, guilt edging her words.

“It wasn’t your fault.” She fiddled with her fingers as she looked down.

His eyes narrowed slightly. “Fault doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”

Her eyes went to him, unsure how to respond. There was something unsettling about his composure.

“Do you always pay for strangers’ hospital bills?” She said her thoughts out loud and the man's brows quirked.

“Only the ones I nearly kill”, he replied dryly.

Rosa blinked, unsure if that was supposed to be a joke. Dark humor, perhaps?

He stood, adjusting his collar. “You’ll be discharged soon. I’ve made arrangements to have you taken home.”

“Home?” Her brows creased. “I..uh..live with my aunt. Nardine Churchill. She must be worried sick.”

“She’s been informed.” He paused. “She’s waiting for you outside.”

Rosa let out a shaky breath of relief.

“Oh thank God…”. She had been wondering where she had been.

He gave a small nod, then turned toward the door.

“Wait,” she called softly. He paused.

“Um…” Her voice faltered.

What exactly did you say to a man who hit you with his car and then paid your hospital bills? Thank you? How ironic.

“Thank you, for… helping me.”

His jaw clenched, but his tone softened…a bit.

“Don’t thank me, Miss Hamon. I still need you for something “, he said the last words under his breath out of her hearing.

And with that, he was gone.

Rosa sank back against the pillows, watching the curtain sway where he’d left. The room suddenly felt emptier and shallow. She couldn't even remember his name. Walter?

Later that afternoon, after being cleared for discharge, Rosa sat in a wheelchair as Genevieve helped her sign papers. Her aunt’s anxious face appeared at the door, and Rosa’s chest tightened as she felt her emotions spiral.

“Rosa!” Nardine rushed in, hugging her gently. “Oh, my darling, you scared me half to death. I was so worried!”

“I’m okay, Auntie,” Rosa whispered, clinging to her. “I promise. Just… a little sore.”

Nardine cupped her cheeks, her eyes glistening with tears. “I told you those interviews were going to kill you someday.”

Rosa gave a weak laugh, though her heart wasn’t in it. “Guess you were right.”

At the corner, Rosa could see the man leaning on a counter. He hadn't still left? He was on a phone call and Rosa didn't know why she couldn't stop staring.

When his eyes met hers, he ended the call and walked over. Her heart skipped a beat.

He stopped a few steps away, hands in his pockets. “Miss Hamon,” he greeted with a curt nod. “Mrs. Churchill.”

“Mr. Wade”. Her aunt nodded subtly and Rosa's brows creased at the name.

Wade?

“Alexander Wade”, he offered a handshake and her aunt took it hesitantly.

The name sounded familiar. Too familiar. Rosa’s mind raced through half forgotten memories from her old office job.

 Alexander Wade, CEO of Wade Holdings. Ruthless. Brilliant. Dangerous.

Of course. Because fate didn’t just hit her with a car. It hit her with a billionaire.