Chapter 33 - Chapter 33. Adriana's Birthday

Adriana's Birthday"When Mom and Dad find out you own a place like this, they'll definitely change their opinion of you," Lily exclaimed as she she hugged Kevin tightly and gave him a kiss."I think we should wait a while, Lily," Kevin replied. He thought for a moment and said, "You just had a knock-down-drag-out with your parents. If you tell them now, they'll just think that I borrowed it from my friends."Lily got a sad look in her eyes when he said this. "I guess that makes sense," she said. "I just don't know why they hate you so much."It doesn't matter right now. As long as I'm willing to work hard, one day your parents will come around and accept me," Kevin said as he reached out and ran his fingers through Lily's hair.Just then, Kevin's phone vibrated in his pocket.He took a look at the caller ID and saw that it was Cook.While Lily explored the condo, Kevin sat down and answered the call, "Mitch, what's going on?"Kevin, do you have any free time this evening?" Cook asked him."Sure. What's up?" Kevin asked curiously."It's Adriana's birthday tonight. She's having a party at my hotel and she asked me to invite you," Cook explained."Okay, no problem," Kevin thought for a second and then added, "And you don't need to send anyone to pick me up."After he hung up, Kevin looked over at Lily, who was standing on the stairs and gazing up at the top floor. The apartment was like something you only saw in an architecture magazine.Kevin decided not to take Lily with him to the party. He didn't want to risk having her find out the rest of his secret, not right now."Lily, I've got something to do and need to head out. I might be back pretty late," Kevin told her."No problem, you go ahead and do your work," she replied.Lily felt that Kevin's boss was really going to help him on his meteoric rise to the top, and she didn't want to get in the way. With his boss's help, he could finally be accepted by the Jones family."Great. If you need anything, just use the intercom over there. The concierge in the lobby can get you whatever you need. I'll give you a tour when I get back," he explained. Then he got in the elevator to head down to the valet to pick up his car.*Kevin stopped at an upscale mall along the way to buy Adriana a sparkling diamond necklace.Of course, it wasn't expensive for Adriana, but he wanted to give her a little something as a token of his appreciation.Then he headed to the Witsler Hotel. When he got out of his car, Drake held the door and gave him a warm greeting, "Mr. Williams, what a pleasant surprise. Mr. Cook asked me to wait for you here."This was quite a contrast from the nasty threats that Drake had made when they first met. But Mitch had straightened him out and now he treated Kevin with far more respect.Kevin smiled and said, "It's good to see you, Drake. I hope you've been staying out of trouble."I'm at your service, Mr. Williams," he replied. "The party is just getting started, Mr. Cook will join you soon." Drake stepped aside and gestured for Kevin to head inside."Where's Adriana?" Kevin inquired."President Wright is getting ready upstairs. She wants to be presentable when she greets all the VIPs," Drake said with a smile.When Kevin entered the banquet hall, he saw that, even though it was still pretty early, a lot of guests had already arrived. That made sense. The West Chicago International Group was one of the leading corporations in the Midwest.There was a table in the corner, covered with neatly arranged gifts. Kevin reached out to put the necklace on the pile and he was interrupted by one of the hotel staff."Hello, sir. Please follow me after you finish. We're asking all the bodyguards to move to a private room," the employee said politely.Before Kevin could say anything, Drake got a furious look on his face and asked him, "Who said this gentleman was a bodyguard?"Sir, I didn't know!" he said to Drake in an apologetic tone.Mitchell Cook was the most respected person in the Witsler Hotel, but Drake was close behind. Still, even though Drake had the same last name, the only "Mr. Cook' at the hotel was Mitchell Cook.But Drake didn't know anything about managing a hotel. His specialty was dealing with anyone who dared to commit a crime on the property. And he was known for his cruel methods."Why are you apologizing to me? You should be apologizing to Mr. Williams," Drake berated him.The young man had noticed Kevin earlier, but saw how simply he was dressed and assumed he was some big shot's bodyguard dropping off a birthday present.He'd worked at the Witsler Hotel for two years, but had never made a blunder like this."Well, what are you waiting for?" Drake scolded him again."I'm sorry, Mr. Williams! Please accept my apologies," he stammered."No problem. I get that a lot," Kevin said casually."Isn't it time for you to return to your station?" Drake said with a glare.Just then, they heard someone call out for help."Please call a doctor. President Archer just fainted!"The guests formed a circle around the woman and began to discuss what they should do. Drake squeezed through the crowd and saw her lying on the floor. He furrowed his brow and said, "President Archer?"Do you know her?" Kevin asked hesitantly as his eyes were scanning the surroundings. It seemed as if he was looking for something."Mr. Williams, you might not know this, but her name is Gwen Archer. She's the CEO of Gwendom Real Estate, the biggest agency in Chicago!" Drake explained quickly as he tried to see how he could help. "Her brother, Dominic Archer, is the head of one of the largest crime syndicates in the city."Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised their voice, "Is there a doctor here? Please come and take a look at President Archer."I'm a doctor. Please let me in," said a tall woman as she made her way through the crowd."Dr. Willow?" Drake's face lit up as he said, "Sorry to trouble you. Please have a look at President Archer."Gwen Archer had been personally invited by Adriana. If anything happened to her, the hotel and West Chicago Group would have a lot to explain to Gwendom Real Estate.Everyone was surprised to see Dr. Seraphina Willow rendering aid. She was famous, not just in Chicago, as the medical director of Downtown General. She probably had the best medical reputation in the entire city. Dr. Willow didn't pay any attention to what the guests were saying. Her focus right now was Gwen Archer. She asked one of her companions to get her medical bag and then knelt down to start taking the poor woman's vitals so she could assess the situation.A few minutes later, Adriana arrived with a few of her bodyguards."Dr. Willow, how is she doing?" Adriana asked with concern."The lack of ventilation isn't helping. Please ask everyone to step back and give her some space," she replied with a solemn expression.When Adriana heard this she immediately motioned for everyone to give them some room.Kevin, who was standing next to Drake, watched this intently.It reminded him of something he'd just read in one of the books on natural medicineGwen still wasn't responding and everyone began to whisper to each other. Was it food poisoning? Did she have some kind of medical condition? They didn't want to say anything out loud because they were afraid of her brother, Dominic.Drake walked up and asked her, "Dr. Willow, has there been any improvement?"The doctor seemed a bit embarrassed. She said, "I think we should transport her to the hospital for testing. All I can do is stabilize her."Adriana nodded and asked Drake to send for a car. It would be faster than an ambulance and the doctor could ride with her.Suddenly, Kevin walked up and put his arm on Drake's shoulder, saying, "There's no need to run any tests on her."Some of the onlookers recognized Kevin as the deadbeat who had married his way into the Jones family. They figured he was just trying to get attention and look important.As they were making the usual nasty comments inspired by the lies that Jason had been spreading about Kevin, their chatter immediately stopped when they saw Adriana walk up to Kevin and say, "Mr. Williams!"The entire hall immediately fell silent."Happy Birthday, Adriana!" Kevin exclaimed as he smiled and handed her the present that he hadn't gotten a chance to put on the table."Thank you, Mr. Williams," Adriana answered as she smiled and accepted the gift.Drake interrupted politely to ask him, "Mr. Williams, why didn't you let me send President Archer to the hospital?"Are you a doctor?" Adriana asked in confusion.Kevin shook his head and simply replied, "No."So, if you've never studied medicine, why are you questioning my decision?" Dr. Willow asked abruptly. She was a little irked by this.Actually, Dr. Willow wasn't sure herself that Gwen needed to go to the hospital. She couldn't find any reason for her to not be waking up yet, so she assumed that some tests might help to solve the mystery."I'm not questioning your medical skills. It seems to me that her condition is unique and the hospital won't be able to do any more than we can right here," Kevin said politely.The doctor ignored Kevin and turned to look at Adriana, "President Wright, are you going to put up with this young man's nonsense?"Some of the onlookers started to mumble again. They were curious to see how this would turn out."Dr. Willow, I would trust this man with my very life," Adriana said firmly.The doctor wasn't sure how to respond. She just looked at Adriana in disbelief. But she probably wouldn't leave the party. She had pressed for an invitation just so that she could make friends with Adriana."So, Mr. Williams, what do you think we should do?" Adriana asked Kevin.Kevin, looked around the room and then pointed to the scented candles that were burning on all the tables in the centerpieces. "Drake, please carry President Archer to the table by the window over there and open it wide. Then have your assistants put out all those candles and take them into the kitchen."Drake hesitated a little at this odd request, but after seeing Adriana nod her head, he ordered everyone to do exactly as Kevin had said."Mr. Williams, can you please explain why you want to do this?" Adriana asked with a puzzled look on her face."Of course!" Kevin smiled and said, "I noticed the candles when I walked in. They give a nice atmosphere, but I'm certain that President Archer is sensitive to some of the ingredients that are used to produce the strong fragrance. I recognize one of the smells as something that is used in herbal medicine to lower blood pressure. She doesn't need any expensive tests, just some fresh air!"They all watched to see if Gwen was showing any improvement.