Chapter 6

ALYSSA

The moment he stepped out and shut the door behind him, I almost followed behind him but I stopped at the door.

My body reacted before my brain did. I thought he brought me here so I could be around him all the time, but we barely spent ten minutes here, and he had to go.

He emphasized how important the meeting was, and I didn’t want to cause any problems for him, so it was better for me to remain here.

I walked back to the couch he asked me to sit on and remained calm. If I could remain calm, then nothing was probably going to happen.

For some minutes I felt okay, no dizziness or sudden exhaustion as always. I got confused but I was also excited that I didn’t have to go through that again.

Maybe staying closer to him earlier helped subdue it or something, that was the only explanation I could wrap my head around.

I didn’t care about what it was, as long as I wasn’t in any form of pain or discomfort.

I could barely remain excited when I felt my chest tighten. I remained still, hoping my mind was playing games with me but the sharp pain I felt was definitely real.

Then again, another sharp pain, this time around the pressure increased, leaving me gasping for air.

I fell to my knees, my lungs felt like they were shrinking, closing on themselves. I stared at the door and realized that there was no way I’d make it to help on time.

I panicked which only made things worse. I needed to get him fast.

But that seemed impossible at the moment.

“Not again,” I whispered under my breath.

I had to find a way to get help, I couldn’t just give up. I stared at his desk and realized that he had a telephone on it.

The distance from the couch to his desk was closer than the door. I couldn’t get myself on my feet so I crawled towards his desk.

I could feel my chest tighten as the gap closed. I wouldn’t make it.

I could feel my vision blur and my body couldn't take any more steps.

I looked up at the desk, wondering how I was supposed to reach the top to take the telephone. My body gave up before I could think of anything else to do.

Slowly, my eyes closed, and I lost consciousness.

My eyes remained shot but I could hear voices. They remained unclear, tempting me to open my eyes to understand what was going on.

“Medically, she’s okay…”

I forced my eyes open, the bright lights almost blinding me. The ceiling was white, the air was sterile, making me nauseous.

I turned and saw the life machine beep slowly and then noticed Duncan standing beside me with a worried expression on his face, alongside a man I guessed to be a doctor.

How did I get here?

I struggled to recollect what happened in Duncan’s office but the more I tried to remember, the more my head ached.

“The only explanation that can be given is overstimulation and that would probably explain why she passed out. Her vitals suggest a high caffeine overload, you have to help her understand that mixing caffeine with pre- workouts stimulants can trigger a lot of reactions, including losing consciousness.”

His expression turned cold immediately.

“What! Are you saying she caused all of this for herself?”

“It appears so.”

“What?” My voice trailed off and they both turned to me.

“Why do you sound shocked?” Duncan shot at me.

“Because I didn’t take anything. I don’t know what he’s talking about.” I immediately said in my defense.

From the look on his face, I could tell he didn’t believe what I said.

“So are you saying the doctor is lying or he doesn’t know what he’s saying?” He asked coldly but I stood my ground.

“That's not what I’m saying but maybe he made a mistake or something. I didn't mix anything, I don’t even use pre workouts!”

He let out a mocking laugh.

“I don’t know who you think you’re lying to but don’t you ever try something so stupid again. You could have killed yourself! What would have happened if I didn’t get there in time?”

“Stop yelling at me! I said I didn’t do it!” I yelled back, almost exhausting the remaining energy I had left.

“I am your father’s best friend, if anything were to happen to you, I’d be solely responsible. Do you understand that at all?”

His words stung more than they should.

He was always acting like I was some type of burden.

“Why won’t you believe me? I’m not a child, of course, I know what I’m saying.”

“Then start acting like an adult and stop expecting me to come to your rescue every single time!”

He turned angrily, ready to storm out of the room.

I felt the sharp pain in my chest again.

“Duncan..” I yelled, gasping for air.

He paused, turned back to look at me, and then took another step towards the door as though he was trying to confirm something.

The pain ripped through my chest once more, this time more tensed than the first.

The doctor stood there, confused.

Duncan turned back slowly, his eyes moving from me back to the doctor then back to me. Then he approached me slowly.

The pressure eased with each step he took towards me. When he was finally standing in front of me, the pain vanished, as though it had never been there.

I heaved a sigh of relief, catching my breath.

“You can leave.” He told the doctor plainly.

The doctor, although confused, walked out of the ward.

“Get dressed, we’re leaving.”

The drive home was quiet, almost too quiet till he finally spoke.

“Get yourself prepared.”

“For what?”

“You would resume as my assistant starting next week.”

His eyes remained glued to the wheel the entire time.