"Congratulations on your triumphant victory, three times in a row. How remarkable you are, madam," the chatty secretary exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
As she gracefully exited the prestigious businessmen's awards ceremony, the resounding click-clack of her boss's high heels reverberated down the opulent corridor like a triumphant march, leaving an indelible echo of success.
"Erika, the iron lady, it's been a while," a charismatic man uttered, his manly voice capturing her heart. His black, glowing eyes met hers as he confidently approached. She raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"What on earth is he planning?" Erika wondered, glancing over her shoulders, catching a glimpse of his devilish smile.
"I'm planning to have you," he declared, a sly smile playing on his lips. Erika blinked twice but didn't let her jaw drop. The peculiar charm on his face urged her to run away.
"I don't have time for your nonsense, Mr. Raphael. I have to go," she retorted, glancing at her secretary and striding towards the exit gate. She heard him shout, "You will have your whole life for me," but Erika didn't give him a second thought, driving her Scarlett Ferrari. She hit her head hard on the steering wheel when the traffic light turned red.
"Wasn't all the trouble our company faced because of him?" Erika stated, biting her lower cherry lip. She straightened her hair and applied more lipstick. Taking a deep breath, she mumbled, "Whatever! Let me pay a visit to Mr. John Milne."
The vibrant lights of the towering buildings in AL, the energetic city, and the thumping beats of music were what she loved the most.
A colossal palace, its golden-plated doors and a garden brimming with various types of roses, greeted her. She stood for a few minutes, taking in the regality of the scene before entering.
"Wow! I was about to ask for you, Erika," the seventy-eight-year-old white-bearded man spoke, his back curling up as he leaned on his walking stick.
He coughed five times before gesturing for her to sit. She elegantly crossed one leg over the other, her snow-shaped horse hairstyle resembling supermodels.
"What's with this surprising change in your way of talking to me, Mr. John? Is there a specific occasion, or have you implicated the company in another issue?" she inquired as their eyes met, the fear of losing the company she dedicated her life to silently burning within.
"You're still as stingy as your mother; anyway, I wanted to talk to you about an important matter," he said, making Erika's nerves stand out, and she began to sweat. She didn't appreciate when he talked badly about her mother.
"Would not you mind me accepting you and your mother, Lara? Well, you have to pay a little for the company's future," the old man remarked, pouring his beer. She closed her eyes, recalling her mother's situation, and nodded in agreement.
"I'm fine with everything; just fix what you did to us," she whispered. Mr. John anticipated her response, but before he could speak his mind, her phone rang.
"I'm coming right away," she answered and left his house without explanation.
Mr. John lit his tobacco, sitting in his wheelchair to gaze at the night sky and its full moon. "I'm sorry, Lara; you have to suffer more until I get what I want," Mr. John muttered, watching Erika's driving like nuts.
As Erika left Mr. John's house, the weight of his cryptic words lingered in the air, adding to the burden already weighing heavily on her shoulders. Stepping out into the cool night air, she found herself engulfed in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions, contrasting with the bustling city streets outside.
"I can't lose her she's my only home" Erika repeated those words in her head, with a heavy heart, she navigated through the labyrinth of her emotions.
Erika had arrived at the hospital, the stark white corridors seemed to stretch endlessly before her, echoing with the hurried footsteps of medical staff.
With each step closer to her mother's room, Erika's heartbeat quickened, a sense of foreboding tightening its grip around her chest.
As she stood outside the operating room, her breath caught in her throat, her hand trembling slightly as she reached for the door handle.
Erika was watching through the glassly window how her mother had undergone electric shock treatment. Slipping by the door, the doctor approached with an unpleasant face.
"Why is she the one who suffer?" Erika said letting out whispering cry, the weight of her responsibilities seemed to grow heavier with each passing moment. The hospital corridors echoed with the urgency of medical staff, while Erika wrestled with the daunting reality of her mother's condition.
With bated breath, she waited, her hands clenched in silent prayer, as the steady rhythm of the operating room equipment filled the air. A doctor came out of her mother's room.
"I am Akraman, the doctor responsible for the patient's condition. I apologize, you are," the doctor said.
Erika spoke in a terrifying voice. "I'm Erika, her daughter. How is she? Is she alright?" she asked, then followed the doctor to his office, where he sat on his chair and explained, "Mrs. Lara needed urgent surgery; we have only twenty-four hours left."
Stepping inside, the sight of her mother lying on the hospital bed, surrounded by medical equipment, struck Erika like a thunderbolt.
"I had to do whatever to save her"
Erika whispered, she left the room and proceeded to complete the procedure at the reception, learning the details of her mother's critical condition, only to be surprised by the exaggerated cost.
"Fifty million dollars is overrated; where is the manager? I want to change the hospital right now," Erika yelled, and a crowd gathered around her.
"Madam, calm down; this is the hospital's rule; you're making a fuss for nothing," the receptionist responded. Erika boiled after hearing the receptionist's response.
"What's going on here?" A well-dressed man in black said. Erika eyed him suspiciously; he looked familiar, possibly their headmaster.
"If you don't stop this, I will file a fraud case against your hospital," Erika shouted, and the manager scrutinized her from head to toe. He approached her and whispered, "This is the best hospital in the city; it's too late to move the patient abroad, so you have to take charge."
The manager of the hospital hissed. "It's not that I don't want to pay for my mother's treatment, but..." she said, closing her eyes, trying not to cry as people started filming.
"I only own my skin, the house, my clothes, and everything else belongs to Mr. John; he won't spend a penny on my mother. It doesn't matter how many times I try with him," she whispered and ascended the stairs to where her mother lay, resembling a lifeless body.
"What should I do now?" she asked herself, hitting the glassy window, letting her tears fall. All her hard work to provide a decent life for her mother seemed to be fading away.
In the midst of uncertainty, a glimmer of hope emerged as Mr. John stepped forward with an unexpected offer of assistance.
"I can help you, but under one condition," she heard Mr. John's statement.
Wiping her eyes, trying to appear strong, she gathered her resolve and said, "Just make her better; I will do anything to see her smile again."
Mr. John observed Lara's condition, rubbed his eyeglasses, then instructed his assistant to oversee the critical surgery. Standing next to Erika, he, too, harbored regret for what he was about to say.