CHAPTER 114
Seeing Nicholas' worrying condition, Alan took the initiative to help them both on the way. Nicholas' father drove the car, while Alicia and Nicholas sat in the passenger seat.
Brittany had sent an address, right where she and Kevin had gotten into a bad accident. He looked in bad shape and that worried Alicia.
They arrived at the location after a fifteen-minute drive. They drove at high speed to get to Brittany's place and once they arrived, Alicia and Nicholas immediately got off to check on her.
Alicia looked around, and the paramedics that Brittany had mentioned were nowhere to be seen. There was only a damaged car that had hit a tree on the side of the road. It was a single accident!
As Alicia rushed towards the wreckage of the car, her heart raced. The car was eerily silent, the crumpled metal a clear testament to the impact. She called out to Brittany, her voice trembling with fear. Nicholas, despite his weakened state, rushed after her.
"Brittany! Brittany!"
"Over here!" Nicholas pointed, and Alicia's eyes followed his trembling finger. Brittany lay slumped against the steering wheel, blood dripping down her forehead. Without thinking, Alicia rushed to her side, checking her pulse. Relief washed over her as she felt a faint but steady beat on Brittany's wrist.
"Brittany, are you okay?" Alicia tried to wake Brittany up, she was still conscious but too weak to fight back.
Brittany's head was covered in blood. She was badly injured.
"Call an ambulance!" Alicia shouted, her urgency breaking the tense silence. She held Brittany's head gently, murmuring reassurances while Nicholas fumbled with his cell phone, dialing emergency services.
"Britt, hang on. The paramedics are coming."
Brittany's hand suddenly lifted, she held Alicia's hand and looked at Alicia's face straight on. There was something she wanted to say.
Meanwhile, Alan approached cautiously, surveying the scene with furrowed brows. His years of military training came into play as he scanned for signs of danger or further trouble. Suddenly, he saw a flash in the nearby bushes, something shiny like metal catching the fading light.
"Wait," Alan called out, his voice low but firm. He approached the bushes and, with a quick movement, revealed a hidden figure cradling a sprained ankle. It was Kevin, Brittany's fiancé. He had been thrown from the car during the collision and dragged himself to safety, away from the accident.
"There's someone else here!" Alan shouted and made Nicholas rush over to check.
As the ambulance sirens grew louder in the distance, Alan signaled for help, and together they carefully carried Kevin out of the bushes. With a sense of relief and urgency, they tried to stabilize Kevin until the paramedics arrived.
Judging from his condition, Kevin looked much better when compared to Brittany who had almost lost consciousness. Alicia observed Kevin, the man Brittany called 'boyfriend', who didn't seem to care about the dying Brittany. And Alicia felt suspicious. Kevin must be covering something up here.
As the paramedics arrived and treated Brittany, Nicholas couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. The scene made no sense. Kevin's composure seemed too calm, too detached from the chaos around him.
Alicia's suspicions grew as she observed Kevin's seemingly calm demeanor, a stark contrast to Brittany's desperate plight.
Nicholas hovered nearby, his eyes glancing at the trio, sensing the tension. "Something's not right," he muttered to Alicia, who nodded in agreement.
Amidst the frantic activity, Alicia decided to investigate further. She approached Kevin, feigning concern. "Are you okay? You look very calm after what just happened."
Before Kevin could answer, the wailing of an ambulance siren interrupted their conversation.
Nicholas then shouted, "Save the girl in the car first!"
But suddenly Kevin held Nicholas' hand, making NIcholas turn his head quickly. He looked at Kevin with a curious expression. And it seemed that Kevin couldn't help but let out the words that were stuck in his chest. "Allow me to enter first, sir!"
Nicholas' eyebrows knitted together. "What? What are you-"
"Let the ambulance take me in first."
Kevin's voice was heard by Alicia, who was still trying to secure Brittany in the car. Alicia couldn't understand. How could Kevin let Brittany, who was already dying, go last and Kevin wanted to take first place? Alicia was furious and approached Kevin. She stared at Kevin who was now holding Nicholas' hand, looking at him expectantly and half forcefully.
"You didn't see Brittany's condition, hm?" Alicia raised her voice as the paramedics got out of the ambulance and watched the two of them. "She's dying in there and you can still concern yourself with her! You're so selfish. She could have died because of your attitude, you asshole!"
The tension mounted as Alicia confronted Kevin, her words sharp and full of anger and despair. Nicholas watched, torn between the unfolding drama and the urgency of the situation.
"Selfish?" Kevin's voice was very calm, his eyes fixed on Alicia's, trying to convey something she couldn't understand. "There's more to it than you know."
Alicia's frustration peaked. "Enough with the riddles! Brittany needs help, now!"
Nicholas intervened, his tone authoritative yet tinged with curiosity. "Kevin, explain yourself."
Kevin hesitated, glancing toward the ambulance where Brittany lay unconscious. "There's a reason, I can help her better if I get there first. Trust me."
Alicia's disbelief turned into confusion and doubt. "What are you talking about? You're not making any sense!"
The paramedics, who were now on the scene, became agitated, listening to the tense conversation while preparing their equipment.
Nicholas, ever perceptive, glanced from Kevin to Alicia, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "Is there something you're not telling us, Kevin?"
Kevin's gaze softened, his resolve unwavering. "I have medical training. I can stabilize him until we get to the hospital. But I need to get there first."
Alicia's anger faltered, replaced by shock and a glimmer of understanding. The seriousness of Kevin's revelation hung in the air.
"No, save the girl in the car first!" commanded Alicia, to which Nicholas agreed.
Kevin's face was genuinely angry at Alicia, and in that moment Alicia finally knew that Kevin was hiding something from her.
CHAPTER 115Everyone went to the hospital to check on Brittany. Nicholas also called Noel so that he could catch up.Brittany and Kevin were treated in the emergency room as soon as they arrived at the hospital. Brittany's bleeding meant that she had to be admitted to the ICU as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Kevin only suffered a slight injury and a sprained leg.Kevin didn't talk even though Nicholas pressed him. Kevin was covering something up and this frustrated Nicholas."Sorry I'm late," Noel said, once he arrived at the hospital. He looked around. The atmosphere looked bad. Their faces didn't look happy at all. So Noel chimed in again, "Is Brittany okay? I was thinking of calling Paul, but I think it would be better to check on her first.""She's in the ICU, she's bleeding on her head."Noel nodded in agreement. "Then who is this guy?"The question was addressed to NIcholas after Noel saw Kevin. The three of them exchanged glances, until Alicia opened her mouth. "He's Brittany's
CHAPTER 116After a few hours, Kevin's parents finally arrived. Their arrival, Hailey and Louis, made Nicholas, Noel and Alicia who were sitting in the waiting chairs gasp. From where they were, they could see how Hailey immediately hugged Kevin and made sure that her son was okay, while Louis just patted Kevin's shoulder lightly while muttering words of support that they could guess.After a while, Nicholas and Noel went over. Nicholas cleared his throat while introducing himself. "Excuse me, are you Kevin's parents?"Hailey and Louis immediately turned to the source of the voice. They were quite surprised after Nicholas showed his ID card as a Chief in the NYPD."You're... a cop?" asked Hailey hesitantly."Yes, you're right." Nicholas nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry if we're interrupting the three of you, but we need to question your son about this accident. Kevin's close friend Brittany is still unconscious and we need to find out why."Hailey's facial expression changed quickly. S
CHAPTER 117As the argument between them didn't end, Kevin was allowed to go home on the condition that he would return after receiving a police summons. And to that end, during the investigation process, Kevin's passport and visa would be held to prevent him from traveling abroad or running away.Nicholas returned with Kevin's important documents in his hand. He sighed in front of Alicia and Noel, it sounded heavy."Today was really hard," he complained.Nicholas immediately sat down next to Alicia and straightened his leg which was still throbbing with pain from the gunshot wound in his right leg. While looking at the two people in front of him, Nicholas explained, "The important documents he has are in my hands, he won't be able to escape until he receives a warrant.""That's good," Noel said, then extended a hand. "Let me make the summons and report at the office."A nod of the head from Nicholas signaled his approval for Noel's actions. He said, "Thank you for all your help, Noel
CHAPTER 118In the dim forest, the sun could only sneak through the narrow gaps in the trees. The sun's rays that began to rise into the sky illuminated a large man in the middle of the forest. He crawled into the car he was driving. Struggling, he continued to crawl and reach for his cell phone that had fallen there.With one hand, he grabbed the phone, and with the last of his strength, he called someone using his cell phone."Hello, Mrs. Vashylchenko! It's me, M-Mike."[...]"A-Ace... he managed to escape. M-I'm sorry."****"Arg!!!!"Angela threw her cell phone against the wall while screaming hysterically. The two waiters who were preparing breakfast hurriedly covered their mouths and looked down in fear. Their boss was very angry. She had just received news about Ace running away. The only pawn she was expecting had just slipped out of the cage. The rope she had hooked to Ace's body had just been cut."Asshole! Asshole! Asshole!" The two maids could only back up until they hit t
CHAPTER 119Alicia pulled up a chair, coming closer. She looked at Brittany's face, which looked like it was in pain with a Band-Aid covering her head. Now and then Brittany blinked her eyes, so she could see further than the view she was now seeing."Kevin and I... fought."Brittany's soft voice drew Alicia's attention. Alicia grasped her best friend's hand, she looked at her intensely and her ears listened carefully."But that incident... I saw Kevin having an affair, Alicia," Brittany continued. The girl swallowed, struggling to form the words to tell her story. "I wanted to take his cell phone, but he wouldn't let me do it. And all of a sudden, Kevin slammed the steering wheel to the side of the road.""I saw that you were badly hurt, Britt. But Kevin...""Is he okay?"Alicia nodded her head, then continued to explain. "Did Kevin drive the car into the tree?" Brittany nodded her head in agreement. "Kevin... accidentally hit the tree and aimed it at your seat, didn't he?"Again, Br
CHAPTER 120Kevin sits with Hailey and Louis at the dining table. A variety of food was available there, including salads, sandwiches, steaks and fresh fruits that had just been served by the maid in the house.The food looked good, although the atmosphere between them suddenly turned uncomfortable. The usual small talk that Louis used to make to Kevin, asking how he was doing in college or how his experiments were progressing, was nowhere to be heard.Everything was hidden behind an awkward silence. They were all silent, staring at each other, letting the aroma of food waft into their nostrils without them eating at all.It wasn't until five minutes later that Louis cleared his throat and opened the conversation. "Kevin, let's talk."Kevin's face lifted. He looked up at his father who was sitting at the dining table dressed all in brown, with a relaxed gaze. His face showed no remorse or guilt."Is it true that you caused the accident that night?" Louis was to the point.And the youn
CHAPTER 121Dr. Benneth entered the room and began to examine Brittany. Alicia, who had just finished cleaning herself, entered the room and greeted Dr. Benneth with a nurse named Christine. Alicia put her hands in her pockets when she came face to face with Dr. Benneth and after Dr. Benneth finished with the notes in his hand, he greeted Alicia."Did you just finish your breakfast, Ms. Alicia?"Dr. Benneth accepted Alicia's identity as Brittany's guardian because Brittany's parents were out of the country and would be returning to New York later that evening. Alicia was fine with the paperwork and everything, as long as she could confirm for herself that Brittany was okay.Alicia nodded, agreeing with the doctor's question. "Yes, Doc. How is Brittany doing, by the way?"The man in the white coat muttered under his breath. He looked at Brittany who was also looking at him curiously.Dr. Benneth glanced at Alicia before turning his attention back to Brittany. He adjusted his glasses an
CHAPTER 122As Alicia prepared to leave, Brittany's weak voice stopped her. "One more thing, Alicia. Be careful who you trust. Not everyone is who they seem.""What do you mean, is this about Kevin?"And Brittany nodded in agreement.Alicia's small smile was there. "You don't have to worry. I'll keep you safe from him."Alicia's mind was filled with questions, but before she could answer, the door creaked open, and Kevin stepped inside, a mix of concern and determination etched on his face.Alicia and Brittany were equally surprised there. They hadn't expected Kevin to come to see Brittany at all. See, he didn't even seem to feel guilty at all after the accident. Kevin stood in the center of the room in a short gray shirt and fancy black pants. He's clutching a fresh bunch of red roses that seem to match his formal style. And a smile, etched on Kevin's lips."Hello, Britt. Haven't seen you in a while.""What are you doing here?!" Brittany held back her anger, while Alicia was still sc