"What was that?" Nathan wondered in shock as he stood up instantly, staring at the restaurant's entrance, his heart pounding.
"Don't follow me!" Her words echoed in his mind and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and worry.
Before his brain could catch up, his feet were already carrying him outside, in search of Scarlett.
"Scarlett!" Nathan called out as he rushed through the restaurant doors. The valet looked at him curiously.
"Did you see which way the lady in the blue dress went?" Nathan asked urgently.
"She just got into a taxi." The valet informed him.
Nathan pulled out his phone, dialing Scarlett's number. It rang repeatedly before going to voicemail.
"Come on, pick up..." He tried again.
"Scarlett, please call me back. I'm worried about you."
Then, he got into his car and gripped the steering wheel in anger. His phone rang and his heart leapt, but it was just his father.
"Not now!" He muttered, declining the call.
"Damn it!" He exclaimed in exasperation, running his fingers through his hair.
"Where would she go?" He wondered aloud.
Then it hit him - she had mentioned her dad. The hospital.
"But which one?"
~~~~~~~~~
Scarlett arrived at the hospital and burst through the emergency room doors, her heart pounding.
"Excuse me, please. I'm looking for Henry Madison." She said breathlessly.
"Are you family?" The nurse looked up from her computer and questioned.
"Yes, his only family." Scarlett replied sharply.
"Alright. Third curtain on the right." The nurse pointed her towards a curtain.
Scarlett rushed over, her hands trembling as she pulled back the curtain. The sight that greeted her made her gasp.
"Dad!"
Henry lay on the bed. His face was badly bruised, and one of his eyes was swollen shut.
"Hey, princess." He tried to smile but winced instead.
"Who did this to you?" Scarlett asked, her voice breaking slightly.
"Scarlett, don't worry about it. It is-" Henry was trying to be evasive but Scarlett cut him off with a knowing look.
"Was it Tony's men?" She demanded.
Henry's silence was answer enough.
"I thought you were making the payments!" She snapped but not at her father and grabbed his hand.
"The interest keeps growing. Every month, no matter how much I pay..." Henry admitted weakly.
"Why didn't you tell me it was getting worse?" Scarlett asked.
"You work so hard for your money, princess. I couldn't-"
"Stop it! I'm not a child anymore, Dad. We are supposed to be in this together!" Scarlett interrupted him smoothly.
"Your mother-" Henry was saying but got interrupted again.
"Mom would have wanted us to face this together too!" Scarlett said through gritted teeth and tears streamed down her face.
At that moment, a nurse arrived, interrupting them.
"Mr. Madison? We need to discuss payment for the CT scan and other treatments." The nurse informed Henry.
Scarlett straightened up at that, quickly wiping off her tears.
"How much?" She asked.
The nurse quoted a figure that made Scarlett's stomach churn and her lips parted slightly in shock.
However, she swallowed hard and pretended to not be affected by the amount
"I... I will handle the paperwork." She said, following the nurse out.
As she walked out, she nearly collided with Nathan in the waiting room. Her eyes widened slightly in shock.
"What are you doing here?" She hissed.
"I was worried about you." He said, reaching for her hand but she pulled away.
"I told you not to follow me!" She snapped at him.
"Scarlett, please. Let me help."
"No. I need to handle this." She maintained, shaking her head firmly.
Then she tried to walk past him, but he gently caught her arm.
"I overheard about the payment, I can..." He was saying softly but she cut him short.
"Don't. Don't you dare offer to pay." She said sharply.
"Why not? I have the means to help!" Nathan said.
"Because this isn't your problem!" She stated.
"You are my girlfriend, your problems are my problems." He replied.
Scarlett laughed bitterly.
"Are they?"
"Of course they are." Nathan responded, looking at her as if she had suddenly grown two heads.
"This is exactly why I didn't want to date someone from your world! Everything isn't solved by throwing money at it!" Scarlett exploded, tears streaming down her face.
"That isn't fair, Scarlett. You know this isn't about throwing money around. This is about helping someone I love who is in pain!" Nathan argued.
"You don't understand..." Scarlett's voice broke.
"Then help me understand!" He maintained.
"My mother died because we couldn't afford proper treatment in time. We took a loan from a shark, and now my father is paying the price. Do you know what it feels like? To watch someone you love suffer because of money?" She asked, almost in a whisper.
Nathan stepped closer.
"No, I don't. But I know what it feels like to watch someone I love suffer right now, when I could do something about it." He told her.
Scarlett looked up at him, her eyes filled with pain and pride fighting with each other.
"Some things... Money can't fix." She said slowly.
"But some things it can. Pride won't pay for your father's treatment, Scarlett." Nathan countered.
She flinched at that as if he had slapped her.
"You think this is about pride? You really don't get it, do you? This is about dignity. This is about standing on our own feet. This is about..."
She stopped, staring at him with sudden realization.
"This is about the fact that you and I live in completely different worlds, Nathan. And maybe..."
She stopped suddenly, staring at the emergency room entrance where Richard West had just walked in, followed by two reporters.
Nathan followed her gaze and his face paled.
"Dad?"
Richard approached them, his expression unreadable.
"This is the newest family my son is helping as one of his underprivileged cases. He actually wanted this to be lowkey... But I told him he needs to show the world just how pure hearted he is ..." Richard was saying into the camera.
Scarlett's eyes widened in horror.
"Your what?" She whispered, turning to Nathan. The betrayal in her eyes cut him like a knife.
"Scarlett, I can explain-" Nathan tried to talk but was cut short.
"Was any of this real? Or was I just another PR story for the West family to fix?" Scarlett yelled at him.