Chapter 3
Janet quickly followed the woman that looked like she was in her late twenties and was wearing a bleached white apron. Her white glasses rested snuggly on her nose and her light red hair was tied into a tight bun. From her demeanor alone; Janet could feel the anxiety exuding from Emma as she made her way to the hospital entrance. Emma Reynolds, the eldest daughter of Reynolds family, had appeared on television a few times and was fairly popular among the socialites.
Unable to let go of this opportunity, Janet ignored the scornful eyes of the sour faced receptionist as she rushed back by the desk to catch up to Miss Reynolds. Emma and Mr. Russell were both startled for a moment when she had called out to them. No doubt thinking that she was a nagging patient who was waiting for her doctor's arrival. The red-head glared down at Janet and coldly dismissed her without second thought.
"Please, miss. Not today. I can't attend any patients today. I am quite distracted," Emma stated rudely as she started to walk away.
Not caring if the whole damned hospital heard, Janet quickly shouted, "Miss Reynolds, listen! Listen to me…your brother… he is with me!" Emma froze, turned around, and Janet continued in a lowered voice, "He hasn't been admitted yet. I found him…in the river. Please, check on his health fast o-or… he might—"
Emma didn't wait around to let her finish. She rushed towards Janet and desperately asked, "W-what did you say? Where is he? Tell me!"
Janet pointed towards the eastern corner in the triage area.
"There. He is over there."
Emma couldn't find the words to thank Janet before she took off in a run. As soon as she drew back the thick white curtain, she gasped upon finding that it was really her brother.
Emma's horrified shout echoed in the hallway. "Someone, take him into the OR! Now!"
Janet saw a flurry of staff running around to follow Emma's every word. She sighed in relief and reaffirmed her belief that to truly live in this world, a person needs power. Just one command from Emma was enough to bring staff from every corner of the hospital. Secretly, Janet wished to become just like Emma one day. To be a movie queen and powerful—is that what it would take to change her destiny and ease her pain?
By the time Janet came out of her reverie, Victor had been taken inside the operating room with Emma and some other doctors that followed soon afterwards. Unsure about what to do, Janet decided to go back to her apartment without saying anything. Since Emma was his biological sister, there was nothing to worry about anymore. She turned to walk away but that damned receptionist from the front desk stopped her.
"Miss, you can't leave. You still have other procedures to follow."
Janet felt muddled. She had signed her name as a family member so that she could stay until someone came for him. She groaned in irritation and went to sit in the waiting room. It didn't bother her too much to wait, since she considered it bad manners to leave without even meeting the man that she had saved.
An hour later…
The operating light switched off and Emma, who just finished a minor surgery on her brother's injured head, pushed open the door. Janet was sitting patiently in a corner, waiting for news regarding Victor. With a smile of gratitude, Emma proceeded towards her.
"I am so sorry, miss. I should have thanked you first. My brother has just now returned to a conscious state. He told me everything and I can't express my gratitude with mere words. If you have any request, just state it. We would be glad to fulfill your wish."
Janet waved her hand dismissively with a smile and accepted her gratitude with a warm smile.
"Miss Reynolds, it was nothing really. Saving a life is a human's sole duty. I don't have any requests. Please… just… Oh! Uh, I am so sorry that I had to pose as his girlfriend! The hospital wouldn't admit him unless he had a family member here. I hope you don't mind."
Emma paused for a quick second and then burst into laughter. Shaking her head lightly, she flashed Janet a wide smile. "Not at all! If you hadn't brought him here in time, he probably would have been in even greater danger."
Emma took a moment, lifted her hand up to rub on Janet's arms, and thanked her again with an wide smile.
"You seriously are really an angel sent to our family. I-if you hadn't found him, perhaps he would have been dead. Please, please come and look for me if there is ever anything you need."
Janet was stupefied for a moment. She hadn't expected Emma to cry and act so emotionally towards a stranger. "Sure! I am glad that I was around to find him. He is a treasure to our country."
Emma nodded while wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Oh, I completely forgot! My brother would like to meet you. I guess he wants to personally thank his savior. You can go ahead and meet him in VIP room. I still have to notify our other family members."
Janet smiled at her one more time and walked towards the room that Emma had pointed out. She grabbed the door knob and hesitated for a minute as she was unsure if she should go in or not. Victor had personally asked for her to visit, so he wouldn't mind, would he? With a lot of courage, Janet pushed open the door with a light creak and stepped into the room. Looking around, her eyes fell on the man that was leaning against the bed with his eyes closed. A white bandage was wrapped around his head and she could see that some blood had seeped from the wound.
He must have been more injured than I thought…
Janet lightly cleared her throat to gain his attention and then politely called, "M-Mr. Reynolds? You asked for me?"
Victor's eyes snapped opened at the sweet and shaky voice that roused him from his sleepy state. His deep blue eyes scanned the woman that stood in front of him from head to toe. He narrowed his gaze dangerously as he saw that half of her face was still covered by a mask.
Since she didn't leave, the woman must be waiting for a reward, Victor thought.
Janet blinked and observed the man's charismatic appearance. Though he was wearing a hospital gown, his cold and calm demeanor was like that of an old emperor. Two of the buttons of his hospital gown were open at the collarbone, exposing his fair skin. His body seemed fit and muscled. His dark blue eyes looked at her as if he was trying to pierce through each part of her soul. The dark aura that surrounded him made her knees weak and she had this sudden sensation that she should be running away in fear. Before she could speak any further, the man's icy tone filled the room.
"Sit!"
Janet plopped down onto the wooden chair beside the bed and Victor noted how uncomfortable she looked. She would have been very much surprised if she knew that each of her body movements were being carefully examined by the person on the bed. Janet was uneasy about being alone with the most powerful tycoon in the country. Victor observed her for an unknown amount of time and suddenly pointed at her.
"Your face…Why are you hiding yourself?"
Janet was momentarily stunned by the change of his tone. He sounded like he was suspicious of her identity.
What the actual hell?! I just saved your sorry ass, okay?
He was acting like she owed him thousand dollars and wasn't going to pay up. Unwilling to get into more trouble, Janet pulled down the mask from her face and met his domineering gaze. As her hazel eyes lifted to meet his blue ones, surprise flashed across his face. His pale face slightly formed a bitter expression after he looked at her face one more time. Janet blinked abruptly under his watchful eyes and coughed to remind him that they were still conversing about something. Janet didn't have on any heavy makeup on. With her butter like skin and almond shaped eyes like that of a deer, her natural beauty was giving off the same vibe of a teenage girl. Victor quickly averted his eyes from her.
In the next moment, his voice came out just as cold as before. "I remember that I asked you to save me. You can state your request."
Janet felt her head throb with an oncoming headache. These rich people always talked about money. Even outside Emma Reynolds was talking about same thing. Janet raked her fingers through her hair in frustration. From her position inside the entertainment industry, it was obvious that Victor had never heard of her. After all, she was merely a D listed actress who was battling to secure the third female lead role in a low budget film. While she could definitely use the help in regards to her career and life circumstance, she wasn't so heartless as to ask a favor for having saved someone's life.
Mustering her courage, she held his gaze and very politely stated, "Mr. Reynolds, meeting you was an accident. Indeed, I did save your life but your sister did the rest of the work. I was just lucky enough to bring you here as fast as I could. I honestly don't need any reward for this little task. I don't think that a little sum of money is worthy of saving someone's life."
In the middle of her conversation her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, distracting her from the words that she had intended to spill out. Excusing herself, she glanced down at the cell phone. Her face paled again when she saw the caller ID. It was Envy.
What happened now?
Janet muttered a curse and then cleared her throat so she could resume their conversation. But her cell phone kept ringing. Putting on an awkward smile, she hauled up from her seat and began to spew out the next few words in rush.
"Mr. Reynolds, since you are fine now, I should get going. Take care!"
As Janet turned to leave, Victor's next words froze her in place.
"I haven't permitted you to leave yet."
Janet felt her knees going numb at the sheer force of dominance behind his tone.
Wow, seriously?
She had already had enough troubles to deal with and she was as sure as anything that she didn't want to get involved in any more. Forcing her to stay back struck a raw nerve as Janet turned back around to face him again and smiled. The sight of her reluctant face made him even more annoyed. Just why was this woman so unwilling to stay with him? The entire female population of Silk City wanted to get into his bed. Victor rested his eyes on her and carefully considered his next words.
"Since you aren't finding it fair to reward you, I have a decent way to settle this business with you. Above all, Victor Reynolds never owes anyone."
Janet was a little more than curious at the words of "decent way". Curiosity getting the better of her, she casually asked, "What is it?"
Victor exhaled a soft sigh and eased his head back against his pillows.
"Marry me."