Chapter 8

Lauren's POV

“What do you want?” I asked him again. His confidence was starting to irk me and I really wanted to smack the self-satisfied smirk off his face if I could.

“Is that all you've got? That weak, pathetic show you put up, thinking you look irresistible, that's everything you've got?” He answered, throwing his head back in scornful laughter.

Chills of shame ran down my spine and I wished I could go back in time to stop myself from putting up the stupid show. I should have just wrapped myself in my towel when he barged into my room. But I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me accept defeat.

“If you won't tell me why you're in my room, you should get out!” I seethed between my teeth.

“Well, what I came here to tell you, before your…show, was that your mother has been moved.”

My heart lurched at his flippant statement. Fear and panic fought for dominance over my mind.

“What do you mean moved? Moved where? Did something happen?” I let out in a rush.

He maintained his eerily cool demeanor. “She was moved to another hospital. Seeing as you're now a…member of the family, she'll henceforth be receiving her treatment in the family hospital.”

“Why wasn't I informed before you moved her?” I asked, indignation flushing my face red. How dare he?

“Would you have said no?” He simply replied.

He knew how to always catch me off guard with his subtle insults masked as simple statements or questions.

“I–”

“I thought as much,” he smirked triumphantly.

“What- what I meant was that I was supposed to be there. For her.”

I couldn't imagine the thoughts that would have been running through my mother's head when complete strangers suddenly showed up telling her they were moving her to a different hospital. She must have been so scared.

He gave a lopsided smile. “Oh, you wanted to be there for emotional support. Well, now that she's been moved successfully, it looks like she didn't need you there after all.”

He was just looking to rile me. I refused to rise to his bait. I had more pressing concerns at the moment. Concerns like finding out where the hell my mother was.

“This hospital where you say she was moved to, where is it located? How soon can I go see her?” I demanded.

“I have made arrangements for you to be taken there this morning. Get dressed, they're waiting for you in the garage.”

“They?” I asked thin air as he had already left the room, leaving me utterly alone with my thoughts.

So, he had come into my room bearing such news and he had gleefully watched me make a fool of myself while my mother was lying in a strange hospital. I felt tears sting at the back of my eyes and I quickly blinked it away.

The worst thing I could show Kelvin was not my stark nakedness. It was my weakness.

I rummaged through the closet and found strained jeans with a simple shirt.

I got dressed in a haze and rushed downstairs. The guard at the door swung it open to let me out and I stepped out onto the front porch, overlooking an escort of cars that could only be for the president of a nation or someone of equal status.

The guards cum drivers all bowed as I stepped out of the house and my fears were confirmed. What the hell was going on?

I rushed back into the house, and marched towards Kelvin's private study, blinded by anger. But I knew anger could get me nowhere with him. I stopped before I took the last bend that led to his study and took a deep breath, willing myself to be calm.

After a bit of clarity had returned to me, I walked on towards the study. The magnificent towers that were mounted at the entrance were even more terrifying than the guards and I was tempted to turn back and just go with whatever he had planned downstairs, no matter how ridiculous I felt it was. But I wasn't about to show up at my mother's sick bed with an envoy.

“What is it?” He asked as soon as I got into the room, not bothering to raise his attention from the papers he was perusing.

“Are you going to the hospital with me?” I asked. If he wasn't going to spare me the courtesy of looking at me while I spoke to him, I might as well get it over with.

“Of course not,” he answered, throwing me a bewildered look like I was crazy to even suggest it.

“Then why is there a full entourage for me in the garage?”

He let out a breath and looked at me in disgust. “Because you're my wife and you're required to move around with them. For protection.”

“I don't think I need that much protection. I'd like to go with just one of the cars. You can tell the other cars to back off. I'm good.” I maintained defiantly.

“Look, this is your life now, Lauren. This is what you signed up for. So you can either go downstairs and go with them quietly or you go back to your room. It's your call.” He answered and waved me out dismissively.

Even though I didn't want any undue attention from the paparazzi, I still had to see my mother. So, there was really no choice. I headed downstairs, smoothening my shirt over my pants.

I sat behind tinted windows as the driver manoeuvred the car onto the highway and car after car of the entourage followed closely behind us.

I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering as I looked out the window. If only my father was responsible. All these wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have to obey the whims of Kelvin. I wouldn’t have to rely on the mercy of a ruthless mafia lord before my mother could get the best treatment for her illness.

If he had been responsible, my mother wouldn't have gotten poisoned by his mistress in the first place.

“We're here, ma'am.” The driver's voice cut through my thoughts and I noticed for the first time that the car had indeed stopped.

“Thank you.” I muttered to him and stepped out. Taking it all in, it was almost unbelievable that I was standing in the car park of a hospital. It was by far the biggest hospital I had ever seen and that was saying something, as my mother's illness had made me a frequent visitor to different hospitals.

But this? This was different. It had all the signs that only the creme dé la creme of the society ever used the hospital.

I slipped on the sunglasses that I had taken from my dressing table. To protect myself from people's view rather than the sun.

But a pair of sunglasses could only protect one so much. Before I stepped away from the car, I heard several clicks of cameras and I could count almost half of a dozen of them clicking furiously away. So much for dressing low-key.

“I'd like to go in alone.” I said as I felt the guard step in line behind me. There was no way in hell I was going to show up to my mom's beeside with a scary looking man.

He nodded sharply and I walked down to the revolving doors, pushing my hair behind my hair.

I stepped into the reception and it felt like I was standing in the reception of a five star hotel.

“Hello, miss. How may I help you?” The perfectly made up receptionist beamed at me.

“Hi-” I croaked and cleared my throat. Why on earth was I nervous?

“I belong here now.” I reminded myself and I felt a new wave of confidence wash over me.

“Hello. I'm here for Mrs Carter. Mrs Gabrielle Carter.”

She looked me up and down, and I thought I knew what was going through her head. It was not every time they got patients or their families dressed as simple as I was.

“Give me a minute, ma'am.” She said, her smile never faltering. She was a perfect receptionist, hiding her misgivings about me behind a smile.

After a whole minute of looking through the screen of her computer, her brows furrowed as she looked up at me.

“I'm sorry, miss. But I couldn't find any person admitted here under the name Carter.”

“My mother was transferred here yesterday. Maybe you should look harder through your entries.” I said, a little sharper than I intended. But I really was last caring about the time of my voice.

“I assure you I have gone through every entry, ma'am. You know what? Why don’t I ring up a nurse for you?” She said through her smile and I wondered if it was plastered permanently on her face. She was starting to get on my nerves.

“What's going on, Marissa? Who is…this?” A shrill voice rang out from behind me. She sashayed down the hall, a stethoscope dangling from her neck as she stared me up and down.

Unlike Marissa, she didn't bother hiding her disgust.

“I was about to call you, ma'am. This is–” she turned to me and I realised I hadn't told her my name.

“Lauren. Lauren Carter.”

“Right, Miss Lauren here said her mother was transferred here last night and I have gone through the entries from last night. No one named Carter was admitted to the hospital yesterday.” She explained to the mean looking brunette.

“So what is she still doing here?” She said, looking at her, even though I knew the question was directed at me.

“Excuse me, Miss. I was just telling her to go through yesterday's entries once more. My mother was transferred here yesterday.” I insisted. No one, not even this snobby looking nurse was going to stop me from seeing my mom right now.

“Well, you heard her, didn't you?” She snapped at me. I was taken aback by how condescending people treated others that they perceived were below their standing in the society.

“Your mother isn't here. Your type is not our target clientele.” She added, staring at me down her nose. “I'm afraid you'd have to leave. We wouldn't want our patients or their families walking in on you here. We don't want anyone thinking we lowered our standards. So leave now or I'll have security throw you out.”

I looked behind me as I heard footsteps. I sent mental thanks to the guards that chose that exact time to show up .

“Is everything okay, ma'am?” The one who drove me down to the hospital asked.

“Yeah, I'm sorry. We are just trying to remove this filthy person from the premises. We'll attend to you shortly.” the nurse chipped in.

“Ma'am?” He asked again, staring pointedly at me.

It then dawned on Marissa and the snobby bitch that I was someone they didn't want to mess with.

“They said no one under the name Carter was transferred here.” I answered him.

“Check Aldoracco.” He said simply and Marissa mechanically punched the name into her computer, shaking visibly.

“Oh my God. I'm so sorry, madam. I apologize for this inconvenience. We-”

“I didn't know–” they both stumbled over their words as they tried to apologize.

“Didn't know what? That I was someone important? What if I wasn't? What if I had come in here sick and in need of immediate medical attention. Would you have been this rude and dismissive?”

“I'm so sorry, ma'am. I–”

“Just show me to my mother's room, please. I really do not want to deal with whatever it is you want to say right now.”

Marissa scampered out from behind her space, leading me down the hallway.

“I'd pack up my things if I were you.” I heard one of the guards say to the nurse before we turned a corner.

“She’s right through this door, ma'am.” Marissa said, indicating the section where the sign ‘VVIP ROOM’ was posted.

“Thank you.” I said simply and turned the knob.

“Mom!” I screamed, happy tears running down my cheeks as I looked at her sitting upright in bed, being attended to by a nurse.

“My baby.” She smiled up at me and I ran across the room into her arms, tears flowing freely from my face.