"Stop!", I cough out
Aiden freezes a few steps ahead, he turns around sharply facing me, "Genny?"
"I'll do something, I promise, gods I'll fix this, I swear", I plead
"Genny, who are you talking too?", he comes rushing to my side, "Are you okay? Why do you look so pale"
"No", I choke out, I barely manage to stand slightly straighter, "Not me, I need to fix this"
"Fix what?"
"Lily's mother, she'll die if I don't do anything"
"Genny, you make a lot of mistakes okay, a lot of stupid really crazy ones, but this is not your fault"
"No, no, no", I choke out, "We need to do something!"
He gently holds me guiding me to a nearby seat, "You wait here...I'll get some water, okay? Just don't panic, please sissy breathe—for me?"
"But—"
"Because panic makes you lose focus and when you lose focus you're good as dead", he says already rushing off
How did he?
But he is right, I need to calm down, so I take in a few deep breaths, the chest pain reduces by a ton but the sting is still unchanging, reminding me of the ticking time clock on my head.
Gods, how do I solve this problem now? I think back to everything I've from the time I've landed in this twisted joke of a novel.
The encounter. The plot change. The accident. The blood mirror.
The blood mirror.
'Leverage what you already have and you will not be disappointed'
That's it..That's got to be a hint right?
I think back to parable I saw in the reflection. The boy worked hard to survive, he found all the answers within what he already had.
What do I already have? She can be saved if the surgery begins immediately right?
Could she have any insurance? Or Maybe an emergency fund?
No....if she did, we wouldn't be here sulking.
Then what's the answer? Is there even a right answer? Shit, what—
"Here, have this", Aiden rushes back toward me with a glass of water, "This will help"
I reluctantly take the glass and take a few sips
.....
"Got it!", I squeal jumping upright in an instant. "Thankyou, thankyou so so much Aiden"
He smiles, curiosity gleaming with those eyes, "Got what?"
"A way to save her"
"Wait...really?"
What if I—No, I can't , can I?
I have to try....I must
Please gods—let this work....Its worth a try
"Give me your phone Aiden", I mutter
He turns his gaze towards his pocket pants, fumbling for his phone, he manages to pull it out
"Here", he quickly unlocks the phone handing it over to me, "Wait...where is yours?"
I snatch the phone immediately, searching a particular number online, "I don't have my phone, I lost it"
Confusion flicks his face, "Lost it? Why didn't you tell me earlier"
"I tried to, you know", I say without looking up
"Oh. That....shit, sorry sissy, I was slightly agitated.....", he rubs his palm behind his neck, "I promise I'll make it up to you. I know its mostly you who acts like a zoo animal most of the time but I—"
My intense glare cuts him off
"Sorry", he says grinning like an idiot.
An involuntary smile tugs my lips.
For a moment, I felt like I saw my little idiot in him
I walk off toward the corner of the exit door
The line rings....
ring, ring, ring
Its connects...
"Hello?", a soft female voice speaks on the other end
"Hello, Is this the head office"
"Yes ma'am. This is the head office of Nexacore Pharmaceuticals. How may I help you?"
"Please connect me to Mr. Lucien Ashford immediately"
A pause
"I'm sorry ma'am. Who?", she speaks again voice low and cautious
"Lucien Ashford, heir to the CEO Dracon Ashford"
"I'm afraid there is no one named Lucien Ashford"
"Oh please, save me and yourself the time and connect him to me now"
"But ma'am—"
I cut her off, "Unless....you want me to make a call to the media instead....I swear that will make more than just a few headlines...."
"Who are you?", she mutters with as much conviction as possible
"Maybe I should just call the media, say goodbye to your job darling", I smirk mustering up all the fake courage in my voice
Another long pause
"Wait. wait, wait, I'll connect him to you now"
"That's more like it"
"Give me one second"
I smile, "Sure"
A computer voice speaks, "....The person you're speaking has put your call on hold, please—"
Click
"Laurent"
My breath hitches when that familiar, raw masculine voice seeps through the phone speaker.
"How did you know it was me?", I ask, my voice breaking just slightly
I can practically hear the sly smile he has now
"No one I know has the guts to threaten me with my own name.....until now"
I take a sharp breath straightening up, "Save me the small talk, and let's get down to business. I need a favour"
"Wow, don't you know it's rude to ask someone so many favours in a day without returning them Ms. Laurent?"
"Why should I return them when I don't have to. Unless you want your face first on tomorrow's headlines Ashford, I suggest you comply", I say without missing a beat
"Ooh snarky, I see....", he giggles darkly
I huff, rolling my eyes.
"I need 90k ", I say dead serious
A pause
"As in cash?—"
"No, as in cupcakes Ashford", I breathe out frustrated, "Of course in cash! How dumb are you?"
"Hey, the only one who is playing dumb here is you. How were I to ever anticipate, the girl who broke my tire would be blackmailing me that same night."
"I am not blackmailing alright—"
"Yeah, of course", he croaks out a short laugh, "Why do you need it?"
"You don't need to know that"
"So I should just give you the cash and not expect anything in return"
"...Yes?"
"This is the literal definition of blackmail, Laurent"
I hate to admit that he does have a point. I tilt my head slightly contemplating whether I should tell him or not
A few moments later I open my mouth to answer...