Filed to story: Bring It On My Mafia Life Novel (Rhea & Lukas)
“She’s getting weak.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing,” Daniel said, continuing with his reading. Or he tried to because he snapped the paper shut in no time.
He stood up and Haz looked at him questioningly.
“Where do we go, boss?”
“This one’s on me,” Daniel said, heading into his room to dress up and go see an old friend.
Meanwhile….
Carmine was the first person to arrive at the hospital before everyone else. The woman had almost lost her mind when they told her her son nearly died. Out of all of her children, Victor was her favorite and only son out of all her children. No, everyone liked Victor, he had that effect on people since the day he was born.
She knew what getting into the family’s business entailed and tried to stop him from participating by all means, but the boy was stubborn, not to mention his tight relationship with Lukas. Hence, she lived with her heart in her throat, waiting on the day she would get the bad news. And it seems it finally happened.
Thankfully, Victor was a fighter and did not fall into a coma. He woke up before his mother arrived and it was he and Rhea talking before she came inside.
“Victor!” The woman shouted when she saw her son looking so fragile on the bed with an IV attached to his body, and she was filled with anger.
“Mother,” Victor said, surprised to see his mother. Well, he shouldn’t be since it was normal for his mother to come to check up on her son, but Mimi had been the one he was expecting.
Unfortunately, his mother saw the disappointed look on his face and she connected the dots.
“Wait a minute, you don’t want to see me?”
“Mam, it’s not like that?” He tried to explain. What was he going to explain?
“You thought that I was someone else? Is it Mimi?”
Victor swallowed, that was the truth but then, why does it feel like admitting it would be the end of his life?
“You know I love you, mam,”
“Love, my butt! You unfilial son!” The woman took out the banana from the fruit basket she came with and hurled it at him, and Rhea caught it on time, thankfully.
He Was Jealous Of Her Happiness
The family looked pretty normal at face value, Natalie peered at the drama going on in Victor’s room. She simply shook her head and moved on, intending to check on her other patients. But then, the instant she took a step, there was Daniel standing in front of her.
Stepping back from him in fear was a reflex gained over the years, but Natalie caught herself at the last minute. Why should she fear Daniel? Gone are the days when he could kidnap her and assault her. It is impossible now. Why? Because she had power. The strongest ruled the world and right now, Natalie proudly says she was at the pinnacle.
Natalie didn’t want to conclude that he was here to see her, after all, Victor was still his family member and he must be here for him. So she changed her trajectory and continued with her journey. However, the instant she was about to walk past him without a word, Daniel called her name.
“Natalie….”
She halted in her tracks and turned to look at him. Daniel turned to face her as well and the both of them took in each other’s appearance. Daniel cleaned up well to be this good-looking even at this age, but Natalie had zero point zero interest in him. She has seen enough of his character in the past to know that she would never develop even the slightest spark for him.
Good looks didn’t equal good character and she was done with him. Moreover, she was married now and had a husband much more handsome and younger than he is. Eric loved her and their sex life was great, so what more could she ask for?
She shone brighter now than in the past, Daniel noticed. The Natalie he knew then was different than this present one who looked intimidating. Even though they had once been together, Daniel couldn’t help but feel like he was staring at a stranger. To think that his world had once resolved around her made him feel a little ashamed, to be honest. Right now, he was looking at reality, not a dream – he didn’t like this reality.
“What do you want?” Natalie asked with a frown, dipping her hand in the pocket of her white medical gown.
“Can we talk?” He told her.
…..
“What for?” Natalie asked with her head proudly lifted high.
“You can rest assured that I mean you no harm.”
But she snorted, finding his comment utterly ridiculous. Natalie told him,
“Are you even in a position to harm me? As reckless as you are Daniel, even you know that you can’t take on the Draven family.”
Daniel put up his hand innocently, saying, “I’m not here to argue who would win in a war between both families. I only want to chat with an old friend and for the future of our children who are in love with each other.”
Natalie wanted to say no to the meeting, he already ruined her mood with his presence, but she changed her mind at this last sentence.
“Come, there’s the hospital dining upstairs and also….” She came closer to warn him, “I am not your friend.”
“Sure,” Daniel shrugged, “In-law then.”
Natalie wanted to glare at him and dispute the claims, but what was the use when their children were so close enough, marriage was a doorstep away.
The both of them got into the elevator that took them upstairs and though Natalie was sure that Daniel would not lay a hand on her, she still was anxious. After all, the both of them were in a tight space and he could reach out and strangle her to death – although she was going to give him one hell of a fight.
Reaching into the pocket of her gown and feeling no weapon made her feel kind of vulnerable. Natalie would feel more at ease if she had something to defend herself with. She would never have believed that in years to come that she would be in the same space with Daniel without him having ulterior motives.
No, who was she kidding? Daniel always had ulterior motives. She bet he must have a plan for coming to see her. The instant the elevator door opened, Natalie was the first to step out and was able to breathe normally.
Thankfully she didn’t make a fool of herself in there by panicking and giving Daniel a reason to believe that he still had control over her life. It has been a long battle but she would surely get over this trauma one day. Perhaps, meeting him face-to-face was good therapy, it would prove to her that she had no reason to fear him anymore. It was all in the past.
At this point, Natalie was grateful that she had not accepted that offer from Ruth. Sure, Daniel hurt her deeply and that was a scar that would never heal, but revenge would only birth bigger revenge and the circles of destruction would never end. She wanted peace for the sake of Rhea.
“Have a seat,” Natalie gestured to him and took a seat too just as a staff member came over to take her order. One could say Natalie had special treatment as the head of the hospital.
“What do you want?” She asked him, hands on the table and awaiting his order.
Daniel looked around the stations and asked, “Why aren’t there fast foods?”
“This is a hospital, Daniel, and we are centering around fresh, modern, innovative, and healthy choices. So I’m sorry, there’s no space for your junk food.”
“It’s amazing,” He said out of nowhere and Natalie looked at him in confusion. What was he talking about?
“I don’t get you.”