Who would have thought?

GEORGE

I stared at the wall for so long that I had even lost count of the minutes I had been staring. It might have even been hours.

My world is crumbling and there isn't a single pillar in sight to hold it up.

I tugged at the handcuffs holding my hand in place on the bed and couldn't help but laugh. A bitter sound that I would never love to hear again, but I couldn't stop it. I just couldn't help but laugh at my predicament.

Who would have thought?

George. The billionaire with much more money and influence than he knew what to do with. A man who is envied by both the young and old alike. A man who got anything he wanted with the flick of a finger. A symbol of wealth and opulence.

Who would have thought he would be confined to his hospital room in handcuffs, under the suspicion of having killed his parents in a brutally deranged manner?

Who would have thought I would be subjected to such humiliation in my lifetime?

Definitely not me.

Unfortunately, nothing I did could stop my make believe world from crumbling as the decay started from its very foundation. The world I knew and lived in was a terrible lie and it fell like dominos.

Now, it's ended with me in more trouble than I could ever bargain for.

The door opened and my secretary walked in with her usual professional poise.

"Good day, sir," she greeted. "How have you been?"

"What do you think?" I asked with a shrug. "I'm handcuffed in a hospital bed and suspected of murdering my parents. Great, I guess."

"I am in search of a criminal lawyer, sir," she said. "I promise I would get the best of the best to represent you."

"I understand," I nodded. "But I want a specific lawyer. I can't remember his name now that my memory is all fuzzy but I heard he has never lost a case. Get me that lawyer as well as a record of his cases. Do a background check and investigate his performance in court as well."

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"How is the company?" I asked with a sigh.

"Nothing much is going on since the murder," he said. "Your mother is pulling through but she is still unconscious. The doctors say there isn't much hope that she would be awake anytime soon. Even if she does wake up, they're saying they highly doubt she would have retained her memories."

I close my eyes at the sound of that.

"I guess there's not much hope of her being na witness to prove my innocence," I sighed as I laid back on the bed. "What about the Investors? Are they pulling back?"

"No, sir. The investors are unaffected by the status of your personal life as long as we guarantee that it doesn't affect their profits," she replied calmly. "I brought a few papers with me but I guess you're in no condition to attend to them right now. I'll handle them on my own."

"The press?" I asked. "What are they saying?"

"Not much either," she replied. "The police are being tight-lipped about the details of the case and has only released information on the passing of your father. Unfortunately, news has also slipped that you might be suspected of your father's mother. It hasn't been confirmed yet though."

"That's enough, ma'am," a nurse walked in with a stern look on her face. "The patient isn't in the best place mentally. Placing so much information on him would only make him unstable."

"I'm perfectly fine, nurse," I replied but she shook her head in refutal.

"You're terribly hurt and you need rest and a peaceful ambiance," she retorted. "You shouldn't be burdened by the things happening outside of here."

"But they're a part of my life," I replied coldly. "I am a man with so much to lose outside of here that I can't even think of ignoring it."

She stared at me for a while and then at my secretary.

"You have the key to my cuffs, don't you?" I asked before she could say a word. "They would let my nurse have a key in the case of an emergency, right?"

"Yes, why?" she asked cautiously.

"Then uncuff me," I said. "I'm not the one who should be restrained."

"Unfortunately, I can't do that," she replied, shaking her head as well.

"I have a family to see and I haven't even seen my father's corpse or my comatose mom. You can at least spare me a few minutes. I am not a man to betray my word."

She hesitated for a little bit, before walking towards me.

"You promise that you wouldn't run away?" she asked. "I would lose everything if you do."

"I promise," I replied calmly. "I will also compensate you properly for this."

As she is about to unlock my cuffs, the door opened and she immediately hid the key, causing me to curse under my breath.

"What's going on here?" the gruff voice of a police officer asked.

"I am running a check-up on my patient," the nurse replied confidently. "Got a problem with that?"

"Be fast about it," he replied nonchalantly. "I have something to discuss with the prime suspect."

I don't miss the disgust in his voice as he referred to me.

The nurse gives me a helpless look as she checked my pulse and then turned away, writing on her tablet. My secretary bowed to me as well as she also followed the nurse out.

"You must be the happiest man now that your father is gone, aren't you?" the officer said once the ladies had left. "I heard you'll still be getting the inheritance since your father unfortunately couldn't change it before his brutal murder."

I said nothing in return. I had already made it clear that I wouldn't be saying anything without my lawyer present.

He dropped a file in front of in annoyance.

"This is the case file we have built on you. I must tell you, we have a good fucking case. You would be addressing the court soon, my friend. Jail next."

I nodded my agreement.

"By the way," he said with a sigh. "Zubiar says he has something you need to know. He wants to talk to you."

"That is none of my business," I replied calmly.

"Oh, you can talk, huh?" he stared at me mockingly. "I thought you had gone dumb."

I held my tongue against him as I didn't want to give him a reason to complicate things. He already seems convinced that I committed the crime.

"By the way," he continues. "Zubiar said you would say the same thing. He said to tell you that you had a right to know all that actually happened. His case is coming soon. He advises that you see him before that if you want to shed more light on the truth."

"Well, I can't go see him in cuffs," I replied as I showed him the cuffs.

The officer took out the key and released the cuffs.

"Just so you know, this isn't my decision," he glared at me. "If I was given an opinion, I'd wanna see you behind bars or in a psychiatric hospital where you belong. This was a decision from the higher-ups who say there isn't enough substantial proof to rid you of your freedom."

"Noted," I said as I stood up.

"You have the whole of today to be back here," he replied coldly. "You're still under serveillance."

"Noted," I said as I left for the bathroom where I freshened up and got dressed as I made my way out of the hospital.

As I made my way towards the jailhouse where Zubiar was held, a sudden thought came to mind.

I haven't seen or called Eleanor since I was brought to the hospital. She might have been restricted from seeing me.

Checking the time which says 9:30 am right now, I steeled my mind as I hurried onwards.

I needed to see Eleanor.

"I would hurry there and be back as fast as possible."