Misha's sudden arrival took everyone aback, including Gabriel and Angela, who froze upon seeing the child. His timing couldn't be any worse, and they couldn't help but silently pray he hadn't overheard their conversation just now. Otherwise, they had the feeling that it wouldn't be long before the situation got out of control.
That boy's temper wasn't something to mess with, and they feared the room would be turned upside down.
Time halted until Angela snapped out of her stupor. She had the urge to kick Misha out of the room but couldn't, lest she wanted Gabriel to realize something was off. Thus, all she could do was tighten her grip around the teenager's arm, making it seem like she had difficulty restraining her anger in the boy's presence. Considering what she had previously told Gabriel, this kind of reaction wasn't odd—on the contrary. It fitted the caring mother's act well.
Who wouldn't be furious when the one who had tried to kill their so-called son showed up in his hospital room, happily roaming about without a care in the world? No one.
Of course, Angela wasn't merely putting on an act; she was genuinely annoyed by the boy's presence and inwardly cursed everything that could be cursed. However, that only was because Misha was disturbing her plans. It had nothing to do with Gabriel's wounds and emotional state.
'What the hell is that brat doing here?!' Angela inwardly cried out, frustration welling up in her chest.
From her investigation, Angela knew the boy's family tended to visit Gabriel before noon and always left before the clock's hands hit 2 PM. That was why Angela had come at this hour, even making sure there were no other visitors before entering the room. In the presence of outsiders, she couldn't freely talk and had to watch her tongue, even more so when said outsiders were the ones she was bad-mouthing and scheming against.
Angela didn't care about the nurse standing in the corner of the room because she knew from previous experience that the hospital staff wouldn't dare do anything that risked angering her. They would keep their mouths shut even if they were outraged to death, fearing she'd talk her husband into stopping providing money and medical equipment to the hospital.
Naturally, there were some exceptions, but most abided by the unspoken rule: "Never interfere with the Laflamme family's business. Turn a deaf ear to everything you hear and a blind eye to everything you see."
Such a controversial rule was birthed due to the hospital being owned by a family, not a not-for-profit foundation or a charity—in other words, it was a private hospital. As a result, it didn't receive government financial help and had to rely on sponsors to support its operation. It wasn't something common in Canada, and Gabriel's father's financial support was necessary for the hospital's proper functioning.
On the one hand, that hospital specialized in medical fields that were very specific, mostly about neurological problems. It thus needed peculiar equipment worth a fortune, and the owners knew patients couldn't entirely pay for the real cost of their services. Overly expensive admission and consultation fees would only drive people away; no one would seek their help to treat their disease if they couldn't afford it.
On the other hand, they also researched rare diseases, which weren't very popular with donors, yet those studies cost an arm and a leg.
Long story short, the hospital was pretty much a bottomless financial pit, and Gabriel's father was their most important donor, whether it was for money or medical equipment. They couldn't afford to offend his wife, much less the man. This harsh reality was known to everyone in the hospital, even Yuki. Gabriel had also figured out the situation a long time ago, and he knew he couldn't count on the medical staff.
Ultimately, one person wasn't worth thousands of patients. Gabriel wasn't selfish enough not to understand this. The hospital had simply decided to prioritize the overall well-being of their patients, turning a deaf ear to the teenager's pleas four years ago.
Now wouldn't be any different, and Gabriel knew he couldn't confide in anyone—lest he wanted his words to reach his father's ears. Only Yuki was brave enough to stand up for him, resulting in her being ostracized by the rest of the medical staff, even though deep down, they were all displeased with his family's way of doing things. They condemned it yet pretended not to see it.
A bunch of hypocrites who tried to ease their consciences by answering Misha's questions or bad-mouthing Gabriel's father when he wasn't around; the medical staff was composed of such people.
With this in mind, it was surprising Yuki had been put in charge of Gabriel's rehabilitation. The teenager couldn't help but wonder what tricks she had used to get her way. The question was burning his lips, but Gabriel reined in his curiosity. Now wasn't the time to ask.
Angela was unrestrained in the hospital, treating it like her playground. The medical staff, who were two-faced, weren't worth her time, so the nurse wasn't someone she needed to be concerned with. However, things were different in the presence of an outsider.
At the moment, Angela's brain was working at full speed, evaluating her options.
When she learned that Gabriel had lost his memory, Angela saw a chance to control him. But to do this, she first had to isolate him from his entourage, starting with that annoying girlfriend of his. Masha was strong-willed, and she could easily influence the teenager to stand up for himself. It made her dangerous.
Angela knew the story she had told was rather far-fetched, but it didn't matter as she only needed to instill doubt inside the teenager's heart. She would then constantly whisper unpleasant information about the girl while keeping the couple apart as much as possible. Meanwhile, she'd emphasize how much they loved him and how worried they were. Her stepson had a soft heart, and that should do the trick.
While Angela was busy thinking about such things, Misha entered the room, and she now had to change her plans. If the little boy was here, it meant that his sister was also in the vicinity.
While everyone was lost in thought, Misha leisurely entered the room. He didn't seem to notice the tense and awkward atmosphere, walking up to Gabriel with an excited face. If there had been no one else in the room, it felt like he'd have jumped onto Gabriel's bed to hug him to death.
Once the boy stood beside Gabriel, Angela asked with a soothing voice, even if she already knew the answer, "And who may you be, little fella?"
"…" The boy's mouth twitched. Still, he answered, "I'm Misha!"
"And you're alone? Where are your parents?"
"Coming up. They were too slow, so I went up first."
"You couldn't wait to see Gabriel?"
"What do you think? I waited for so many days for M. Sleeping Beauty to consent to open his eyes! Now that he is finally awake, of course I can't wait to see him!" the child puffed out his cheeks like a squirrel's. "I've got many things to tell him, you know?"
Angela chuckled a little in response, saying, "I can see that. But I'm sorry, I need to talk to him in private. Can you leave us alone for a moment, please?"
"And who are you?" Misha asked, suspiciously sizing up the trio.
"I'm Angela, his mother. And this is Jake, and this is Tristan, his two brothers."
"Mother? Brothers?" Misha repeated, innocently tilting his head. "Then how come I haven't seen you at all these past two weeks?"
Angela's mouth twitched a little, but her smile didn't fade. "I'm very sorry. We were outside the country and just came back. Since it's the high season, I couldn't find any plane with three places left to come back sooner."
"Oh? Really?" Misha snorted, contempt and mockery flashing across his bright blue eyes. "And strangely enough, you just so happen to return from your vacation now, the day after Gabriel woke up?"
"You!" Jake growled, leaping to his feet. "What are you implying?!"
"Nothing much," Misha shrugged before cooly adding, "Just that you're lying through your teeth. Frankly, you look nothing like a family. You're not even better than strangers. Before today, I had never heard about him having brothers. Gabriel never talked about you, guys. And I spend most of my summer vacation with him. Isn't that weird?"
"Little brat!" Jake scolded as he strode to the child, gripping his collar and looking down on him with scornful eyes. "How dare you say that! You're the stranger–"
The sentence ended with a low cry, and Jake bent over with a pale face. His fingers became weak, and Misha easily escaped from his grip. A devilish grin bloomed on his angelic face as he stepped back. Because Jake was too tall, he couldn't slap him, so he simply hit him where he could: in the nuts.
Goodness, who told Jake to resort to violence while they were having a peaceful, friendly discussion?
____________
Chapter revised on 2022-05-11
Edited by Clozed! ♥
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