Chapter 2: Indecent Meeting

"Does the hospital look like a dating place?" He looked at her sharply before Dr. Tim who just smirked. 

Nimueh frowned at the rudeness visible in his tone. She stood up straight and put her hands on either side of her waist. She wasn’t fond of him treating her with an unpleasant attitude especially when she was a patient.

After clicking her tongue, she smirked. “This doesn’t look like a hospital nor a dating place. See the color of the walls, it looks like patients will get sicker if they confine here,” she said and pointed to the walls.

“Why did I come here in the first place? I could be sicker in this hospital!” She admonished as she stared at the man who was now looking at her—like he was ready to throw her outside. But who cares, she sometimes couldn't help but be a tactless woman when she got annoyed. There was a time that she got into trouble for answering back to one of her customers and hit his nose.

"You little ..." He didn't get a chance to continue his word when she stuck out her tongue, annoying him more.

Not long enough, her eyes widened as Dr. Tim put an arm over her shoulders and gently leaned down. “Okay, I find you amusing and hot now but don't you know who you are talking to?” He whispered.

"Should I know his name? This man doesn’t know the words ``be nice to the patients`` So why should I?" She said calmly but deep inside she was fuming with fire. She pushed Dr. Tim and pointed her forefinger to the man who was now arching his eyebrow.

Dr. Tim pulled her again, and once more he hissed. “He is the son's owner of this hospital."

Feeling all her blood rose to her cheeks, she coughed continuously as the words linked in her mind. The sudden news made her sweat even though the hospital was surrounded by aircon. 

"S-Son? Oh my gosh! What am I going to do?" She whispered, quickly storming behind Dr. Tim. Her heart was pounding extremely fast as she felt nauseous.

“I’ll talk with you later, Dr. Tim,” the man said after a while. 

She didn’t even have the nerves to turn around as for sure she would collapse at any minute.

But before the man could walk away, he turned around, pulling off his eyeglass, and stared at her for a moment before saying, “And you, little tactless, am gonna make sure you’ll know who I am.”

She bit her lower lips roughly, following her gaze to the man who was walking away, flashing his power through his walk. 

Based on Dr. Tim, the new hospital CEO was known for having a bad temper. She wasn't afraid for herself but Dr. Tim. She even answered the man with a lack of politeness and criticized his hospital which might have made him interrogate Dr. Tim and find out that they shared some things although it was all for the doctor. Dr. Tim would be in the bottom line instead. Feeling depressed, she sat on the floor—scratching her forehead.

"Stand there. I'll take care of it if he calls me to the office. You need to go home. Don't worry, I can handle this." She shook her head at what Dr. Tim had said.

***

Aiden stretched his arms. He was in a trance because he had been entangled in signing documents for some time. Aiden looked at the time; It was almost ten o'clock in the evening–he did not realize as he was occupied by many stuff. 

The sound of the cell phone tore the silence in his office. It was his father. "Hello, Dad?" he answered the call. Praying that he wouldn't force him again for staying long there.

“Aiden, son. How are you? I heard about what happened,” he said. His father sounded unhappy yet concerned.

“We handled it earlier. We're just waiting for the result. Don't worry about it,” he answered, assuring his father. 

“Thank God. I just called you because of that. And come to our house, sleep here just for tonight, okay?”

“Dad, I can't. I still have a lot of stuff to do. You left them unattended.” He just said as he couldn't talk more as he was feeling tired and sleepy. 

“But son, you barely came here. Your nanny is missing you so much.”

“Dad, I'll be there after I'm done here. Okay?” His Dad agreed before ending the call.

He had his own house in New York so he hardly visited his father's house anymore. His father was already upset with him so maybe that was the reason why he forced him to go home and made his condition an excuse so that he would not leave the country again.

He could not blame his father because since his mother died, he barely came home. Until he worked in Australia and his father was left alone.

He stood in front of the window and looked out. He looked up at the sky and saw a few stars. When he turned his back, the color of his office met his eyes. It's painted black and white. He frowned when he remembered the woman who had laughed at the hospital’s choice of color. It was the first time someone answered him that way that made him smile for a while. The corner of his lip rose when he saw in his mind the woman's angry face earlier. She surely didn’t know who he was and tried to act bravely in front of him.

Shaking his head to wipe out the woman in his mind, he focused on reviewing some patient's records. There were many reports that his father left undone. 

***

Nimueh stomped her feet with annoyance. She left the hospital and headed to a convenience store to buy some groceries, went to an ATM to withdraw some cash, and until now she was still on the road–waiting for a taxi. Her phone stated that it was already 9:47 in the evening. Taxis were passing by but they were always on board. She thought of just walking around so she walked at the sideway hoping that a taxi would come in a minute. When there was still no taxi, she decided to take the alleyway.

"Miss turn around, don’t do anything if you do not want me to slice your side." 

She stopped breathing and froze when she felt a cold thing on her side. She was scared to move even a single thing. This was her first time experiencing it. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do. Her heart was beating rapidly.

“Don't hurt me. I don't have enough fare to come home so don't take my money please,” she said, trembling. The coldness was spreading fast around her body.

"Give me your bag!" 

She couldn’t help but move and hugged her bag tightly. The man behind her violently tried to steal her bag. When she still refused, the man put his arm around her neck and put a cold metal on her throat. Her tears began to fall, she didn’t have any choice but to give out her bag. He also did not miss to get the jewelry she was wearing.

She did nothing, she just let the man take everything she had. When he got away, that was the time courage came into her mind. 

“Hey! Give back my fare to the taxi!”

Her muscles trembled as she backed away when the man who she finally saw–wearing a black overall mask, turned to her and made a dirty sign. With tears in her eyes, she just looked at the man walking away with her belongings.

"Lord, why did this happen to me?" Her lips were trembling, even her body was shaking in fear.

She did not know how to get home. She went to take the side of the road again in case she could ask someone for help. Her tears continued to flow when she noticed that she had already walked too far and there were almost no people or vehicles in the area. The houses were in a row but neither one seemed to have people inside.

She froze when she heard the sound she hated the most. Turning around slowly, she nearly left out of breath as behind her was a dog–barking and ready to grab her at any time. She closed her eyes firmly and counted to three. With her heart scorching in fear, she ran away. But the dog was faster than she could imagine, she let out a scream as the dog chased her after. It was too late when she noticed that there was a stone so she stumbled and fell on the ground

She cried out again as the dog bit the hem of her dress. Her dress was torn into pieces. She saw a rock next to her and that was what she threw at the dog to make it go away. It ran far at her. She felt helpless as no one noticed her situation. Tears streamed in her cheeks.

"That naughty dog! Was that a rapist dog that wants to undress me?” She muttered. She cried, even more, when she caught a glimpse of her look. The hem of her dress was torn. She could do nothing but tore it apart for good. Half of her thigh was seen because of the lack of dress.

Even though it looked embarrassing, she still walked and ended up in a gas station. She took it as a cue and rapidly went there to ask for help. There were two men there who looked like gasoline boys but they weren't the ones who grabbed her attention.

'The man in the hospital!'

He was in the gas station's mini-store. She wanted to ask him for help but the man was busy talking on his cellphone. “Maybe later when it's over,” she whispered, too desperate for the call to end.

She encouraged herself to talk to him when the man was done with his call. She followed him as he went to a car parked beside the store. She continued walking and stopped when the man also halted. 

'What was his problem and abruptly stopped?'

When the man walked again she walked too to follow. But she did not expect it when the man stopped and turned to her. He sighed and blew some air in his brown curly locks almost covering his eyes. She cringed when his green orbs under his eyeglass stared at her like he was looking straight in her soul.

"Why are you following me? I don’t need a call girl,” he said, reflecting an annoyed tone.

She wanted to correct him but he continued talking. “Here, take this instead of doing this job.” The man picked his wallet in his jeans and took some cash then held them to her.

She gasped, crimson red color trailed on her cheeks. She felt her body become numb due to embarrassment. She then recalled what happened to her clothes when the man looked up and down at her body.

Her tears began to fall again. She didn’t expect herself to be mistaken for a call girl. It wasn’t her fault that she encountered a bad situation. She choked on her cry and didn’t bother to wipe her tears away.

“You jerk! I'm not a call girl trying to get in your pants!”