' What!'
The exclamation wasn't said, but it hung visibily and boldly in the air, Shocking, ridiculous and highly annoying. The boys stared at the speaker of the virused words like he had grown an extra head and was stripping nacked in public. He had lost it! And Raymond was the first to make sure he knew it;
" Have you lost your damn mind!" He snapped, moving closer angrily but was held back by Mi-chael. " You're absolutely crazy to even think of what you are saying!"
" She's just turned sixteen today! She's an orphan without a guardian or a simple stable home!Bare-ly able to look after herself, and you're here claim-ing she's betrothed to....Who? You?!" Michael grit-red out, his anger hands clenched tightly at his sides and his eyes darkening in great anger. He was just a thin self-control line away from punch-wing the man in the face.
" Not me. She's too young for me, but my son." Mr. Ridge answered, his mood improving and a small smile appearing on his face as he spoke. " She will be perfect for my son. She's a good girl."
" So....let me get this straight." Raymond began, leaning against their car." You want to give Stella to your son, because she's a good girl?"
" Yes, absolutely." Mr. Ridge confirmed with a broad smile.
" What if she refuses? " Michael asked, trying his best to stay calm.
" Oh...that's expected. It's normal for a girl like her to reject. She'll just grow to like him if not love him. It's only a matter of time.Mr. Ridge answer-ed more calmly this time. Waving a hand to a guard behind, the guard came closer and he whi-sphered in his ear. Nodding in understanding, the guard walked quickly to the car they came in and brought a shaky Claudia towards them.
" Stella doesn't know about this, right?" Philip asked observantly as he looked at Claudia with squinted eyes as she came closer.
" No." Mr. Ridge answered straight forwardly. " I was going to tell her today."
" How did your....' betrothal ' work with no family members from Stella present? You crazy old man." Raymond asked sarcastically.
" Hey kid!" A guard warmed, growling at him." Watch your tongue!"
"Who's a kid?" Raymond retorted, moving towards the guard angrily but Richmond called him back as Mr. Ridge signaled to his guard to back off.
" I met Stella at Claudia's. Mr. Ridge explained, gesturing to Claudia who was now standing un- comfortably by his side. " Later, I explained my intention with Claudia. Since she was Stella's guardian back then, it was only right for her to agree on her behalf. It will benefit the girl a lot. She needs the help."
" Oh really?" Philip asked calmly with a hint of amusement." If that's the case then your help is no longer needed. And your contract with Miss Claudia isn't valid. It's illegal."
" You can't threaten me kid! " Mr. Ridge snapped, turning hostile once again." I have no bad inten - tion and Stella trusts me!
" Really?" Michael asked with a humourless chu- ckle."I don't see it that way, old man.You are abu- sing Stella's right to make decisions for herself even if she isn't eighteen yet. She just turned six-teen today. She's still a minor and you and Miss Claudia are trying to force her into an unwanted engagement."
" No! " Claudia suddenly cried in fright." I didn't mean to....I really like Stella. And Mr. Ridge said he would help her to complete her education and find a great career before she and his son would get married!"
" And did you ask her? " Richmond asked doubtfully.
" No, I couldn't." Claudia answered, her eyes wide and misty" By the time Mr. Ridge told me about it, Stella had...had left my place because she didn't.... "
" Didn't like your shaddy business. " Richmond added, cutting her off with a mocking knowing look." Because you're a prostitute."
At the end of his statement, every single pair of eyes there turned to him in surprise. But he chu - ckled.
" Don't be surprised I know. " He specifically addressed Claudia, Mr. Ridge and his guards. " It's not a threat, but think about it. Do you think you people can win a lawsuit on this case.?
" Are you threatening me kid?! " Mr. Ridge snaled.
" No, I'm not." Richmond stated very calmly. " But you must know my brothers and me here can help Stella file for a case against you people. No matter how good your intentions are, she's still a minor. If you really value her as you're saying, then wait till she's of age to talk about her joining your family."
A moment of silence passed before Mr. Ridge spoke up after scrutinising the young boys befo-re him." With you kids of this generation being so impatient, my son has already accepted her. I can just speak to her after she's well and allow the two of them to meet."
" Are you even listening?!" Michael gritted out, feeling his anger and jealousy raising their co-lourful heads.
" Of course I am. " Mr. Ridge answered with a laugh. His eyes gleeming as looked at Michael with deep observing eyes." I'm just telling you boys l've heard you. And I'll follow your advice, but in return, I hope you boys won't stop Stella from meeting my son. Trust this old man's intuition, they will be great together. Very happy."
With that, he turned towards his car and began walking forward. Signalling his guards and Clau-dia, they began to follow him.
" Let's leave. They make sense. Now that we've reached a compromise, there wouldn't be any more problems. We'll visit Stella with my son later." His words were indirect finality to everything, while paving the way for his son to freely visit Stella in the future without any inter-ferance and also warning Michael his Son and Stella belonged together.
Not long after, the car sped past the silent but inwardly annoyed and grieving boys. As they watched the car disappear, Raymond couldn't help but snarl;
" What kind of Crazy Compromise is that!"
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Twenty minutes later, Philip drove them up to the parking space at the hospital. Immediately, they spotted Raymond's car and quickly packed besi- de it. Getting out of the car, they immediately made their way into the hospital
" Chris." Michael called out the moment he spot-ted him with Leo and Leonard in the waiting area talking undertone.
" Hi guys." Chris answered with a small smile, getting on his feet.
" How's she?" Philip asked straightforwardly.
" She's been stabilised." Chris answered in a low sad tone, looking past them to the entrance, Cau - tiously.
" Don't worry, they won't come bothering her here." Michael assured him when he noticed his cautious looks at the entrance. " At the very least, not today. "
" Great, that's a relief." Chris replied with a deep audible sigh.
" What was the observation?" Philip asked.
" The doctor said she is a bit malnourished in addition to the allergy, and is suffering from low blood pressure. It seems she barely rests. " Chris answered, the sadness in his voice not hidden a tiny bit.
At that, the boys sighed in both frustration and re-lief but otherwise, didn't seem too surprised.
" All that together seem very serious?" Rich - mond observed.
" It is. " Philip simply confirmed, a deep grimace on his handsome face, his gaze distant. " so.... what was the final result with the crazy old man?" Chris asked with a grin, eager to hear how things developed.
" Yes, how did it go?!" Having suddenly sprung from his seat, Leo asked, his sister following with the action. Their eyes sparkling with excitement and eagerness.
" Wow! " Chris laughed as he looked at the previ- ously down and sad twins now looking so lively." You kids are strange creatures, aren't you?"
" We're not kids, we're fifteen already." Leona co-rrected defensively.
" Alright, fifteen....but everyone here is older, whi-ch makes you two the babies here you know?" Raymond said teasingly, looking at his brother - indirectly asking for support.He wasn't disappoin-ted. Just got more than he expected ;
" Yeah....the only babies here....after you Ray. " Richmond said, trying so hard not to laugh at his brother's irritated and surprised expression but found it difficult.
" What do you mean by that?" Raymond asked unnecessarily, glaring at his brother who had taken a seat with Philip and Michael.
" Hey no offence but....you're two years older than Leo and Leona at seventeen. So you're not specifically one. So chill!" Richmond explained while still fighting a strong urge to burst into laughter.
" Oh....so....Ray, you're also two years younger than all four of your friends. " Leona asked slow- ly, her lips twitching in amusement with her han- ds clasped together behind her, and an eye - brow raised. " So....you're also a baby."
" Baby Ray....." Leo said and burst into uncon-trollable laughter with his sister. Barely keeping the noise level controlled.
"Ba...baby Ray....it sounds good....no...no far worse than 'Lion' and 'Lioness' or...or...Tigress...!" Leona just couldn't control herself, she slumped into the seat she was in - holding her stomach with her legs stretched out and her tears stream-ing down her face.
The sight was so comical and entertaining that the rest of the boys couldn't sit still and unbo-thered. Raymond 's reddening face from anger and Chris and Richmond's reddened ones from desperately holding in their laughter behind their white neatly ironed handkerchief were evidence enough.
"Hey you....stop laughing!" Raymond said angrily, but the laughter just intensified.
" Hey....Ray.....just let go. Let them laugh. Their just finding some amusement to help with the sadness of Stella's situation." Michael advised after fighting his amusement, leaving only small smiles playing on his lips.
" Let them have some fun." Philip added, then pressed his lips into tight thin lines. But the bo-ttled up laughter still found an outlet through his dimples. Making them appear shallowly.
" At my expense? You must be joking!" Raymond snapped. Turning to Leo who had managed to find his seat beside his sister, he commanded; "Shut up Lion!"
" Hello young men." The male Doctor from ear-lier called out calmly as he approached them, forgetting about Leona eventhough he could clearly see her and knew without a doubt that she was a girl. And a pretty one too at that. But a second later, he added ; " And young lady."
" Doctor."
Philip was on his feet a second before Michael, but they spoke together.
With a tight smile n his face, the doctor revealed, his gaze shifting through the still laughing Leo and Leona now trying to control themselves and he shook his head in amusement before looking away and and stating ;
" The patient has woken up."