Chapter 4: let's talk

Danica waited for her brother to calm down, she didn't leave until he stopped to cry. Now all she had to do was figure out how to talk to Shun again, to give her a second chance to meet Jiro.

If she has to swallow the pride that is now stuck in her throat she will, her family will not survive if she prioritized pride over accept what is in front of her that can help immediately to clear her name.

“Where are you going sister? You just arrived." His brother asked with a frown when he saw her stand and went to the door.

She wanted to go out to call Shun, she won't let her brother hear what she and the CEO of the entertainment company will talk about.

"I'll just buy some drinks and snacks at the canteen on the first floor, just watch our mom and she might wake up or if something suddenly happens to her." She instructed his brother and put on the facemask again to hide her face from the people in the hospital corridor.

As soon as she came out of the door of the room she could feel the weakness of her legs, all she could do was look up to stop the tears that were dripped from her eyes.

She did not know what sin she had committed before to punish her like this now, she felt that the trial that came to her every day was severe to endure it longer.

She pulled out the cellphone from her pocket and called Shun hesitantly, she was embarrassed and felt like a fool who just left in front of the CEO, yet here she would ask for a second chance to meet them again.

She walked around until she reached the garden of the hospital. Maybe, Shun, is busy because he could not answer her call.

All Danica could do was sigh and sit on the side where she could see the tall billboard with people slowly remove her big picture that was placed there. It seems like recently, people were very happy with her achievement and their respective pictures it to post on social media and congratulate her, but now they are very happy that it is being remove like a garbage.

"That's all right, they should remove her picture because she is a bad influence on children who want to achieve their dreams in the right way." One of those who also in the garden said so.

“For me, you are right there. That woman should leave the entertainment industry, I will not let my children buy anything that she endorses.”

"As if she still has endorsements left after the issue, if I were the owner of the product I wouldn't take her as a model."

Fortunately, she was the one who heard the hurtful words and not her brother, for sure that would not be silent in the corner and defend her name from them. People can gossip as they want, it as if they know the whole story and events.

Danica turned her attention back to the cellphone she on her hand and went to a website where she could find information about the ex-boyfriend, why did she just now find out that he was the CEO of a big company?

Only the contact information of Jiro's secretary was there, and it would certainly not allow her to be immediately scheduled to talk to Jiro again. Another had told her that even if she knelt down in front of it, she would not be helped.

The only way for the girl is to go in front of the man to ask for help, she has the courage to do everything what the man wants just for the mother who is in the hospital bed and there is no certainty if she will survive in the next hours or days.

She quickly got up from her seat and grabbed a coin from her pocket to buy juice in a can for her brother and walked back to her mother's room, her decision to go to that man tomorrow morning was already planned in her brain.

She walk down the hallway of the hospital when she saw the anxiousness of her brother while looked at the door where their mother’s room was, the nurses and the doctor assigned for their mother were making a fuss.

She quickly ran to her brother and grabbed him by both shoulders, "what happened, Nico!"

"I don't know sister, all of a sudden mama was shaking and then I called the doctor." The young man's whole body was shaken, she could also feel how cold her hands were.

Danica was just stunned by the nurses who were constantly pumping the mother's breast, their sweaty faces were noticeably tired but nothing changed the mother's heartbeat.

“Doc! There is really no respond and patient!”

"Defibrillator paddles!"

"200!"

"Inject the Epinephrine!" Doctor's order the nurse beside him.

Danica could hardly understand what happened, as if the things in her surrounding become fast and slow and the only thing she could do was be stunned while watch her mother in the middle of the nurses who were make a fuss.

The doctor came out and approached them with a sad emotion visible in his eyes.

“Your mother needs the operation and taken to the ICU, but as I told your brother earlier, you need to pay immediately. If I were to be asked, I would do my job as a doctor but we all have to follow the hospital policy. Another is that every day in the ICU room is more than fifty thousand so please be mind.”

“Please do everything you can to save my mother. and if you can give me some time, I will pay no matter how much, I will find a way to pay for everything my mother’s needs.” She almost knelt down in front of the doctor.

She focused all her attention on reached her dream and her mother supported her in it, it couldn’t be just died like that easily. She had not yet fully paid from all the sacrifices her mother had made for her, reason for her to hope for her mother life.

The doctor nodded and quickly returned to the room and ordered the nurse to transferred her mother to the ICU.

Danica turned to her brother and looked at him seriously. “Nico, I will make a way for us to have money and provide for her needs. The money from my bank account, that's what you will use to pay for the operation.”

"But… Where else can you find such a large amount of money, Danica? Especially now that there is a spreading issue about you." Her brother looked at her with so much concern.

"Don't worry about that, for now you'll have to worry about our mother first."

Danica didn't wait for her brother to answer and she quickly walked out of the hospital, she called Shun's number again and again, she was very grateful that finally, he answered.

“What’s the matter Danica? How did you talk to the sponsor goes?” He sounded so tired.

“Shun, I know this is too sudden but… Can I know his home address?” Although the woman was embarrassed, she had the courage to ask that while looked for a ride.

“Home address? Why are you asking his home address?” Shun, on the other line asked her in confusion. "Even if I give you his home address, the security of the villa will not let you in."

She bit her lip because of what she heard, "but I need to talk to him right now."

Shun on the other line was silent for a moment, make Danica become nervous for a second.

“Okay, fine. Tell the guard that I ask you to meet him, I will text his home address to you.”

"Thank you, Shun!" She exclaimed.

As soon as she turned off the call, she immediately received Jiro's home address, she quickly hailed a taxi.

"Mister, please take me to this place." She shows the address written in the text message. The driver just nodded and it started to drive, still not lose the tightness in the chest that Danica felt because of what was happen. She still carried the juice in a can she had bought that she was unable to give to his brother due to shock.

For minutes, she just looked at the streetlights on the road, she could hardly remember when was the last time she looked closely at the roads that had been changed so much. She thought of how fascinating the different lights that make the surrounding so colorful.

"Here we are." The driver only grabbed her attention when he said the words that brought Danica back to reality.

She handed over the charge and quickly got out of the taxi, Danica looked at the high gate where a guard house could be seen on the side.

"Good evening.” She greeted the guard politely.

"Yes ma'am? Can I ask what can I help?” The guard smiled at her. Maybe, she did a great job to cover her face.

“I would like to talk to Jiro… I mean, Mr. Dan Jiro.” She said reason to the guard look at her suspiciously.

“But no one is scheduled to visit Mr. Jiro.” Hesitantly the guard said as he looked at a notepad on the table.

“All of a sudden, shun sent me here; Shun Reyes.” Her persistence.

"But ma'am, it's not really possible, besides, Mr. Jiro is not here yet.” The guard said again and looked behind her, "oh, guess you are lucky ma’am, there he is." H said at once pointed at the car just arrived.

It was as if Danica's heart wanted to jump out of her ribs with the speed of her heartbeat as the man's car got closer and closer to where she was.

Just as expected it stopped in front of her and opened the window. The guard quickly approached it. "I'm sorry Sir, but ma'am insists that you suddenly have a schedule to talk about today."

Danica wear a facemask and a hoodie but Jiro knew the scent so well, he couldn’t help but grin, “schedule? All I know is that my schedule is over today.”

“Is that so Sir? All right, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.” He opened the gate large with the remote on his hand and looked at the woman. "I'm sorry ma'am but he doesn't seem to know about the schedule you're talking about."

Danica didn't listen to it and she quickly blocked the road which startled Jiro caused him to step on the break and get out of the car.

“What the fuck, woman?! What if I didn't step on the car break right away, do you want to die or are you really that desperate to talk to me?” His whole face is red while gritted his teeth.

Danica took a deep breath before answered, "yes." Weak but with emphasis she said.

“S-sir. Don't be angry with her, I'm the one—” The guard couldn't continue what he was going to say again, when the man spoke.

“Yes? What is that answer for, do you want to die or are you desperate to talk to me?”

"I'm so desperate to talk to you that even if I die, I will make a way." Danica replied and stared into Jiro's eyes.

The guard did not know what to react to the visible scene in front of him now. It was like, he was watching some street drama.

"Fuck!" The man cursed again and pulled Danica into the car, "let's talk later." Jiro said and drove into the villa where his house was.