Alice's pov:
After we ate the food and talked a little, I left for work.
"HEY...you're early today. Are you not supposed to come after an hour?" Nathan approaches me, smiling big.
I think its a good timing for me. I'm going to walk around to see everything in this building.
"Do you want me to give you a little tour?"
How can you do that when you are busy working?
"Well, I have nothing to do right now, and it is calm today because it's raining. Do you want to get lost in this building?" He gives me a glimpse and then looks around as if he's nervous.
No need for it. I will find my way back. See you later. I wave at him and walk off.
That was uncomfortable...he is acting strange today.
I go to the changing room to change into my work clothes. Then Samantha enters the room.
"It looks like your enjoying this work so much to come this early." She lit a cigarette and starts to smoke.
Working here is the only thing I can rely on, and I have already made amazing friends.
Why do you even care if I come early or not? I continued to put on my clothes.
"I heard that you came early today because you want to look around. Come, I will show you around. Let's go. I will wait outside for you" Samantha gives me a big smile and walks off.
I just have that feeling that no good will come if I go with her.
There's something fishy about her. I don't know if I should listen to her.
After some minutes, I walked out of the changing room and got startled by Samantha stinging behind the door.
"That took you long enough." She pointed at me and told me to follow her, and I don't why, but I followed her for some reason.
She brought me to a nice place with a lot of lights.
"This is the one place I like in this building. It's a lounge...only the people who can afford this area can come here." She crossed her arms in disappointment.
"Hi, ladies, good to see you here" a man in his late thirties comes to us with a beautiful lady.
"I heard that you dropped art school, Alice." He looked at me, and he gives me a creepy smile. I have no idea who these people are.
I don't know who you are. How do you know about my personal life? I replied defensively.
"I own this place. If I have people working for me, I should at least know about what and who they are, right?" He places his arm on the shoulder of the lady next to him.
She looks a bit uncomfortable and looks all the time down at the ground as if she's scared for her life.
You could ask me instead of doing a background check on me without my permission, sir! I turn a bit red.
"It's a shame for a talented young girl like you to leave her whole life behind."
I have my reasons, sir! I replied, not knowing why this junk is asking me questions where people are listening. Is he interrogating me about my personal life at work right now? I saw that Samantha was sneaking away from us.
"You look tougher than what I imagined, young girl. I have an offer for you. You can work in another company where you can chase your dreams and do your art things there. My friend owns an art and business company, and he pays you more decent and honest than this place."
I just started work. Do I really have to go to the other company? I was furious. He doesn't even make sense.
"It's up to you if you want to go there or stay here. You have a chance to go after your dreams, so why not?" he shrugs his shoulders.
"If you want you can go there today with my secretary. She is going to meet someone there, right?" He holds her tighter and close to his body.
She nodded her head like her life was on it. I don't know what their relationship is, but I don't think this is right at all.
"Come with me. I will drive you there." She talks very innocently and releases herself from him.
Alice goes to work, where she meets Rose (Nathan's sister)
after that, she goes to Mia to talk and catch up in the night to a cafe. Then she gets a phone call from the hospital about her dad and that she has to come to the hospital as fast as possible.
She runs to the hospital without realising that she was holding her breath, afraid of what was coming.
She knew where she was going because she visited many times before. Anxiety and stress overtook her. She was begging that her dad was doing good, telling herself he will be fine it's just an error, just like last time.
But will he be, though?
When she was about to enter the room, the nurses held her back because her dad was in a poor situation.
He got taken to the ER for surgery.
Alice collapsed on the ground from the shock, wondering why her dad was in the surgery.
"Poor her, no one is on her side."
"Isn't her mom supposed to be here with her?"
"I pity her!"
The nurses were talking behind her back like she couldn't hear them.
They pitied her and didn't know what to do.
Alice stands up and goes to one of the nurses in anger.
She grabs her collar and starts to scream at her.
Why is my dad in there?!
What happened to him?!
Is it not your duty to care for him and to make sure nothing happens to him?!!!
Alice knew she knew it wasn't their fault, but she didn't know what to do in this situation.
She knew that her father wasn't in a good state from the beginning. She knew that he could die any second at the moment, but she just wanted to blame someone. She wanted answers.
And most importantly, she wanted someone to be by her side.
" You know better than anyone that it isn't our fault that your father is in there. Now get your act together." Answers the nurse.
Alice lets go of her and looks down on the ground from guilt.
She apologises and stands far away from them because she didn't want to hear them gossiping about her situation.
After a while, the doctors come out and tell her that she can see her father now.
"We are sorry to inform you that your father is in his last state right now. You are allowed to go and see him and say your last words." says the doctor in a pathetic tone.
Alice couldn't believe what she just heard.
She runs to her father, hoping this was all a nightmare.
She opens the door with trilling hands and walks to him slowly, afraid of the truth.
Everything was so silent. The only thing Alice could hear was the beeping machines and her father's uneven breathing.
She sits next to him and grabs his hands while her's were shaking from the fear.
She begins to cry, begging him not to leave her side.
Dad..... Please wake up! You promised me that you would stay by my side.
I can't live without you. Alice breaks down while saying that.
Jonathan opens his eyes slowly in pain.
He looks at his daughter and the state she is in now.
He tries to move his hands to wipe her tears, but he couldn't move.
It made him angry that he was useless. That even in his last state, he couldn't do anything for her.
Alice looks up and sees that his eyes are open, but she could see that he was in pain too. He was crying.
Dad, Please don't cry. I promise that I won't either if you stop crying.
She tries to wipe his and her tears, but then they both end up crying together.
Alice goes closer to her father and hugs him.
" You know that there was never a moment that I regretted having you in my life? right?"
Dad, please don't say that. Of course, I know that.
"Promise me one thing, that you won't blame your mother for what happened and that you will take care of yourself. Promise me you won't blame yourself either."
Don't say that!, You are scaring me.
"Promise me, Alice!" Jonathan says while coughing.
Oke, dad, I promise you, but please stop saying this.
"That is my girl" He smiles, looking at her eyes for a moment.
Then he slowly closes his eyes, breathing his last breath.
Dad?! Dad, you are scaring me.! Dad, please open your eyes!
Alice tries to shake her father's body but no reaction.
Then she hears the machines peeping.
PEEP! PEEEP! PEEEEEEEEEP!.