Lelitia could even hear the sound of the liquid dripping down the IV tube.
Feeling dead inside, totally listless-that pretty much summed up her current vibe.
Elgin was parked on the couch, laptop perched on his knees, getting down to business.
This was his first time didnât go to work at the Ramirez Group office since he took it over
All because of Letitia What a shame⦠she didnât give a damn though
Elgin was glued to his screen but antsy as hell, couldnât focus on work. After shooting off a reply to
Ranen and dishing out a few orders, his fingers just froze on the keyboard.
Until a message from Samson popped up
âGin, whatâs the deal?â
âMind your businessâ
âLetitia awake yet?â
âYeah.â
Samson started bombarding him with texts, probing for the scoop, what went down, the current
situation. But Elgin wasnât biting, didnât answer a single one
He slammed the laptop shut, tossed it aside, and rubbed his temple
Glancing over, there was Letitia, out like a light
She closed her eyes, peaceful and quiet
The drip had something to help her sleep, plus sheâd been so wired earlier, burned through a ton of
energy.
Elgin went over, tucked her in.
Only when she was snoozing did they have this kind of chill, harmonious vibe between them.
The second she woke up, it was another round of yelling.
âWhen the heck will you chill out, even just a smidge?â Elgin muttered, checking out her sleeping face,
âJust a little would do.â
He turned tail, stepped out of the hospital room.
The moment the door clicked shut, Letitiaâs eyes snapped open. She stared at the ceiling, unblinking,
for a long time.
Finally, her eyes were screaming for mercy, and she closed them. Her heart ached, breathless.
Elginâs voice seeped in from outside, hushed and fuzzy, footsteps fading.
Letitia got up, cracked the door open.
âMrs. Ramirez, the bodyguard startled, âYouâ¦
She strode past him, poker-faced.
*Mr. Ramirez said you canât leave,â the bodyguard blocked her path, âMrs. Ramirez, youâre weak,
please rest up back in your room
Letitia asked, âWhat if I really want to leave?â
âMrs. Ramirez. donât make this tough on us.â
Letitia went quiet. She could be headstrong, go toe-to-toe with Elgin, but not at these guysâ expense.
They were just following orders
âOh, Letitia nodded, âI wanted some fruit, nothing major.â
The bodyguard perked up, âIll get some pronto, what do you fancy?â
âApples.â
âGot it. Hang tight, Mrs Ramirez.
Letitia returned to her room, and soon enough, a hefty basket of fresh fruit was heaped on the cabinet.
âI want a peeled apple, Letitia said, âWhereâs the fruit knife?â
âRight here.â
Perched on the sofa, Letitia slowly peeled the apple, âWhereâs Elgin?â
The bodyguard shook his hetid, âWe donât pry into Mr. Ramirezâs whereabouts.â
Uliapter 130
âLend me your phone, Ðl call him.â
âSure, Mrs.
Ramirez.â
When connected, Elginâs icy voice came through, âWhat is it?â
Itâs me,â Letitia said.
A few seconds of silence, then, âWhat is it?â
Same question, but his tone had softened up a bit.
âYou leave me cooped up in here, canât step out-howâs that different from the jail?â Letitia asked, âDonât
I get any freedom?â
âYou need to rest night nowâ
âThe one who messed me up is you.â
Elgin said flatly. âJust stay put for nowâ
âIâm bored out of my mind.â Letitia said, âSend Vidonia to accompany me.â
âNo way
Then you can come, she arched an eyebrow, âIf you canât, let Vidonia come.â
Silence for a few ticks, and Elgin just hung up.
Letitia kept on with the apple peeling Her skills were top-notch, not a single break in the peel.
The bodyguard didnât dare interrupt, tiptoed out, stood guard at the door.
Letitia eyed the apple but didnât take a bite, instead fixated on the fruit knife in her hand.
Slim, sharp, and shiny new. She admired it non-stop, then stood up, slipped the knife under her pillow,
and stashed it away quick
Half an hour later, rapid footsteps outside.
âLetitialâ In stormed Vidonia, all hustle and bustle.
She clung to Letitia in a flash, âYou scared the life outta me⦠how are you? Are you okay?â
Vidonia gave her the once-over, making sure she wasnât hurt.
Seeing her best friend, Letitiaâs expression softened.
âVidonia⦠the babyâs gone, she murmured. âI didnât protect him, sorry, you wonât be a godmother,
Vidonia. Iâm so useless, so powerless
Tears welled up in Vidonia instantly. She wrapped Letitia up, âI know, I get your pain⦠itâs not your fault,
no need to feel sorry. Letitia, the bad guy ainât you, itâs Elgin!â
âRight, he took my child, wheeled me into the OR. I clung to him so hard, I begged him, yet he pried my
fingers off, one by oneâ¦
Those wounds, just a graze, and the pain was heart-wrenching.
âWhyâs Elgin doing this, youâre pregnant, whatâs it to him? He doesnât love you anyway, wants a
divorce, to be with Shelaâ¦â
Letitia replied. âBecause Elgin said, he loves me.â
Vidonia was gobsmacked, âWhat?â
âRidiculous, right. He says he loves me, how absurd and laughable. Letitia still didnât buy it, that Elgin
could fall for her. He loved tormenting her, thatâs what felt real
âLetâs drop it, drop it. Letitia shook her head, âVidonia, things have gone this far, no telling whatâs next. I
hope you can stay out of it look after yourself.â
Vidonia was adamant, âWeâre friends, Iâm not leaving you high and dry!â
âThatâs why, because weâre friends, that you gotta stay safe. When Iâm trapped by Elgin, unable to do
certain things, you could help me
out.â
âYou. what do you need me to do?â
Leaning on her shoulder, Letitia whispered softly, almost inaudible. âWe donât know yet. But..â
She spilled the beans about Waldenâs plan to go abroad.
Videoiaâs face was a picture of shock. âSo, Waldenâs trip abroad is actually a covert op to get close to
the Ramirez familyâs younger son, to dig up the truth and evidence for you?â
âYep, Letitia nodded, âYou have to keep this to yourself, okay? Canât tell a sou!â
Got
âSo. Vidonia, donât stick your neck out for me, donât go burning bridges with Elgin on my account. Itâs
pointless and it could drag you
down too.â