Chapter 38
“What! How….. how did it happen? Where is he now?” Mrs Smith asked in panic.
“He is at the hospital at the moment, but I don’t know the details”
Sandy sat, her face glued to nowhere in particular. She felt her blood drain. Was he going to die? She was going to become a widow at a young age? She was going to have the child without a father? Several wild thoughts ran in her mind in a matter of seconds. She could only sit down, looking dumbstruck.
“Let’s go. Jane, stay with Sandy” Mrs Smith said. Jane was dissatisfied, but she dared not show it and could only accept with a smile.
“No” Sandy quickly came to her senses. “I want to go with you, please” she pleaded.
“You can’t in this state” Jared replied.
“Will he be fine?” He nodded before leaving. Jane’s parents also left, including Old Smith, leaving only Jane and Sandy. She tried hard to suppress her tears but failed. She burst out crying, covering her mouth to muffle the sound. Jane was starting to get irritated and was about to lash out when Sandy’s phone rang.
It was Valerie calling. She quickly wiped her tears.
“Sandy! How long has it been? I should have called, but I’m really busy recently. How is he? Is he treating you well?”
“Yes, of course. He is” she tried to sound cheerful, but Valerie immediately sensed something amiss. She sounded like her nose was blocked. It was because she had been crying for a long time.
“Do you have a cold?”
“No”
“Then…. were you crying?” Sandy paused. “Really! You were crying? What happened? Did he hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t. Dylan just had an accident”
“Oh my goodness! How is he now?”
“I don’t know” she burst into tears again and Jane had a disgusted look on her face. “I really do not know. This state of oblivion is killing me, Valerie” she said between sobs.
“Where are you? We are coming over”
Sandy heard the rustling of keys.
“No. Don’t come. I’m at his grandfather’s house and I have someone here with me. You don’t have to” There was a possibility they were not going to be let in, especially not after what happened. And if they were, they were going to be subjected to a thorough search, which was humiliating. It was better if they didn’t come.
“Are you sure you will be fine alone?”
“I told you I have someone here with me?”
“Who? Your mother-in-law?”
“No. It’s…. Mr Smith’s fiancée” she said, turning her head to Jane who was busy with her phone. There was silence on the other end. Valerie decided it was better not to come.
“Oh. I see. Okay then. But if you need us, Layla is here and will come anytime”
“Okay. Thank you”
Jane said, “You should not go around telling people what happened to him. He is not just your husband. He is a politician. A public figure”
“They are my best friends, so there is no problem”
Jane smiled forcefully.
“What happened?” Layla asked when Valerie got off the phone.
“Dylan Smith had an accident?”
“What! How serious was it?”
“She does not know?”
“Then is she okay?”Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
“She doesn’t sound so. I wish I could be with her, but… Jane is there”
“Where is she?”
“She said at his Grandfather’s house”
“The old mansion” she murmured.
“What did you say?”
“Oh! Nothing. I’m sure she will be fine, so don’t worry”
When Sandy could not take it anymore, she called her mother-in-law, but Jared picked up instead.
“How is he now?”
“Luckily, his condition is not so bad. He had a mild concussion, but he will be fine” Sandy breathed a loud sigh of relief as the line went dead.
Jared turned to Sebastian. “I want you to lock out any information that might arise. Make sure he is safely guarded. Do not let anyone in without my permission. Can you do that?”
“Yes sir” He had not gone with the Dylan that day because he insisted on leaving alone. So he had no idea what happened and what caused the accident.
“If something happens, you will bear the responsibility”
“Yes sir”
Jared went in.
“How do you feel?”
“I can take it” he said hoarsely. His head was bandaged. “How is Sandy?”
“She is worried sick. You should get well soon” he sat beside the bed. “As far as I know, you are not a reckless driver, so how did it happen?”
“I was driving, and I suddenly lost control of the wheels until I hit a building. That’s it ”
“Brake failure….”
“Yes”
“Did you check…. was there anything wrong with your car?”
“No. I’m sure of it”
“Then is it the same person from five years ago?”
“It is very likely”
“I’ll be on my way”
He met Sebastian outside.”Did you check the CCTV footage?
“We did, but it seems to me like a part of it was deleted”
“Are you saying someone tampered with the footage?”
“Yes sir”
“Alright. Make sure to have them keep watch twenty-four seven”
He opened his laptop immediately he got into his penthouse and began to tap on the keypads until what he wanted appeared. He watched a hooded man walk towards his brother’s car. He looked left and right before getting under the car. He came out about forty-five seconds later and looked around again, then straight at the camera. Jared quickly paused it and zoomed in on his face. Unfortunately, he had a full mask on. Even his eyes were invisible. Jared’s jaw ticked, and he hit his fist against the table in utter frustration.
************
“How did it go?” Damon asked his minion.
“I sneakily followed them to the hospital and heard he only had a mild concussion.
“Mild concussion, huh?” A small smile played on his lips as he fiddled with the ring on his index finger. “Mild concussion… can you tell me how he had a mild concussion after that accident?” He stood up slowly. “That meant you did not do a good job” the man was sweating already.
“Did you?” No response. “Answer me!” Before the man could speak, a gun was pointed at him.
“Please boss. S…. spare me. I will make it right” he knew just how merciless his boss was.
Bang!
The man screamed as the pain shot through his whole body. He went on his knees immediately. Blood was gushing from his legs.
“Lay low for now. Now, get out” the man limped out.
Damon sat back elegantly on his seat. After thinking for a while, he finally dialed a number.
“Can we meet tonight? Just the two of us?”
In an hour, Valerie came out of the house and entered Damon’s car.
“Why did you call me out at such an ungodly hour?”
“But you answered” she turned away from him, looking at houses as they zoomed by.
“Is something troubling you?”
“Not really, but… yes”
He raised a brow. “Which of them should I believe?”
“I’m just worried about my friend, she- why am I even telling you this?”
They arrived at a bar and sat on the stools opposite the bartender.
“You evaded my questions earlier” Valerie gulped down a glass of beer. Her tongue stole out to wipe off the foam, on the top of her lips. Damon felt something and quickly looked away, downing his own glass.
“I asked why you called me out”
He shrugged. “I just want to have some company. It has been a long time I did this with someone”
“Don’t you have friends?”
He chuckled lightly. “Friends? I don’t”
“Then what about siblings?”
The bar was quite loud, and the lights were not very bright, but she saw his expression change. She just couldn’t fathom what it was.
“I guess you don’t want to talk about it ” she filled her glass.
“I don’t have one. A family” he said and ordered a stronger drink. He froze completely when he felt something soft touch his head. He slowly turned and realized Valerie’s hand was patting his head.
“What are you doing?”
“It is the same with me too. The pain of not having a parent. I understand it too, so do not worry. We are in the same boat” she patted it a bit more before withdrawing. For some odd reason, he wished she never did. He was surprised at his own thoughts. He hated it when someone touched his head.
“Valerie” the voice had a hint of surprise in them. Valerie turned to the caller. Ivan was standing just two feet away, with a look of astonishment on his face.