"What happened to you, Sam? Why do you look so petrified?" he asked, unable to understand the change in her behaviour.
"Oh, it's nothing. But are you sure that you purchased this for me?" It was too unlikely to be believed. Her status in society was like a rug, to clean the dirt from all the feet passing through it, not to be the dazzling crown of someone's head.
"There are still many things to manage here, so it will take a month to finish. And you know what? I am applying for the biggest tender of my life at the end of this month. If I succeed, there will be no match for me." With a chirping voice, he excitedly told all his plans. His eyes twinkled in happiness.
He took her hand in his.
She trembled a little.
He looked at her intensely.
"Why are you so worried?" the tender, husky voice melted her deep down.
"Nothing. It is just like a dream." She ignored the eye contact and surpassed the answer with a plastered smile. It was overbearing to her heart that she would be the reason to shatter all his dreams.
"Samantha, are you OK?" Alvin asked in confusion.
She has always looked in a daze for the past few days as if something was bothering her. He has asked her many times indirectly, but she kept mum.
His caring voice broke her trance, and she returned to reality.
"Yes, I am fine." She murmured, glancing here and there.
She wanted to say everything that Derek told her to do, but she couldn't. They might endanger many lives, and she won't forgive herself for this.
"Alvin," she uttered slowly. Her voice was shaking.
"Yes, Babe," Alvin tried to coax her.
"Nothing, leave it. I will tell you later. It's not the correct time to talk about such nonsense. Tell me why you purchased this house out of the blue. You never told me before." Samantha changed the topic.
"It was just my love for you. And I was also worried for your safety." he dragged her closer and murmured in her ears.
Hearing the last words, her eyes dilated.
"Safety," She looked at him in shock.
"Remember last night, when we met at your hostel entrance when you left the porch, I heard some footsteps running away. I followed them, but, in the end, I lost track. But whatever it is, it confirms that someone is following you. So, we will stay here with guards. And yes, I am assigning two guards for you as well. They will stay by your side in my absence like a second skin of your body." He stood up and said that she, too, followed the suit. It baffled her.
'Bodyguards, New house, twenty-four hours protection, what if they found me secretly meeting with Derek? ' Her mind was about to explode. Everything was overwhelming her. She felt dizzy and was about to collapse when Alvin held her in his muscular arms.
"Samantha, what happened?" His face turned pale after seeing her condition.
"Here, sit here. Have some water. You are not looking good. Shall we go to the doctor? Come on, I take you there." He was so worried. His heartbeat was palpitating, and his forehead was drenched in sweat beads. He bent down and tried to cup her in his arms so that they could go to the hospital.
"I am all good. There is nothing to worry about." She held her arm and stopped him from taking him to the hospital.
"No, we are going to the hospital." He scooped her quickly and ran outside.
"Stop, Alvin, please. I am all ok." She was pleading but to deaf ears.
"Guards, open the get. We are going to the hospital," he screamed to the trail of guards there. They quickly came into action, and a chauffeur appeared in a car. He promptly laid her down on the back seat and hopped in.
"You are crazy, Alvin. It was just a little stress—nothing much—but you overreact." She seated properly, correcting her posture. Sometimes, Alvin behaved like a kid and became impulsive. She loved it about him, but a pang of guilt arose.
Soon, they reached the hospital. When she stepped down, she froze in her way; It was the same hospital where her mother was admitted. What if he found out about her secret there?
She turned around to return to the car, but Alvin grabbed her wrist and walked towards the entrance.
"We should go back, Alvin. I don't want to go in." she tried to release her hand from his clutches, but he didn't buzz and continued to walk.
"No, no, no, Alvin. Please don't go in." She was pleading, shaking like a lamb that was about to be crucified.
"Is something hidden there? You don't want to get revealed," she whispered in her ears.
It chilled down to her spine.
"Why so? I came here for the first time. It was just, I'm afraid of injections, so I don't want to go in." She hid her anxiety of being revealed. It was already too late, and they had reached the reception area already.
A trail of guards was there, too. All the patients and on-duty doctors and nurses looked at them in awe. The couple was like heavenly bodies. Their charisma was breathtaking.
"Is he Alvin Scott? I saw him on TV." One nurse squeaked in excitement.
"Yes, he is. He is so handsome." Another said.
"My heartbeat is pondering. Is he seeing me." one female doctor intern said, correcting her touch-up.
"Don't be excited. Look at the girl standing next to him." another slapped softly on her hand.
Alvin just smiled at their antiques, which gave him a godly feeling. Here, Samantha wanted to bury six feet under the ground simultaneously.
They approached the nurse on duty at the reception.
It was the same nurse who was on duty last night.
She smiled when she saw the couple.
"Hey, you, how are you? How is your cousin?" She started blabbering. She was playing with her silver while winking at Alvin.
"Cousin, which cousin is she talking about, Sam? Do you know each other already?" Alvin looked at her in confusion. She was in an embarrassing situation now. She could no longer hide her lies and could not tell the truth.
"Ah, Alvin. I think she misunderstood me with someone else. You know already I came here for the first time." She tried to neutralise the conversation with her false chuckles.
"Look, Miss, you should pay more attention to your work instead of playing around," Alvin said flat-faced.
She took a deep breath when Alvin didn't believe that nurse.
"But you only said that he is here to care for your mother." that nurse now took it as an insult and tried to reveal the truth. This remark was enough to choke her breath. Her throat dried up, and she gulped a big lump of saliva. The sweat beads formed on her forehead. It looked like she would faint again at any moment.
"Alvin, I think we should go to some other hospital. The staff here is confusing, too. I don't know how they work." She tried to drag him out forcefully.
"Wait, we are already here. Then let's visit the doctor here. They have a top-class physician. And he is my friend, too." Alvin was adamant about staying there; every moment was a matter of life and death for her.
"Just Check, Doctor Campbell here. Tell him Alvin Scott is here." He ordered the nurse.
The nurse checked the OPD list and found his availability.
"Yes, he is here. This way." The nurse escorted them to the lift.
"Thanks." He said that, pressed the elevator button, and waited a few moments.
Soon, the lift arrived. The door opened with a ding sound, and they entered. The guards remained outside the lift.
"Is it all necessary, Alvin? Why are you not hearing me?" It was a doom day for her. Yesterday, she came here with Martin and met with the doctor treating her mother. Her mother was there too, and so was Martin.
She was praying that now, no more encounters with anyone. Her eyes were closed and partially hidden behind Alvin's Back.
Suddenly, the elevator stopped, and the door opened again with a ding sound.
"Are we there already?" She asked restlessly.
"Hey, Samantha. You are here." She opened it to look at the voice owner as it sounded different from Alvin.
It was the end of her life. He had to be there as well.