Simmy hasn’t shown herself to me since I insulted her to get hold of her phone. In fact, her phone is still under my pillow and I’ve already managed to contact Robert. I couldn’t reach Japen’s number or Anya’s. Robert mentioned that after dropping them off at the hospital, he spent a night before returning home. Since then, he hasn’t heard anything from Anya or Japen.
That made me anxious. Dad said he wouldn’t pursue them, but I couldn’t rest until I saw with my own eyes that they were okay. I sighed and ran my fingers over the pages of the novel I’d asked Dad to bring yesterday when he visited me. He hasn’t returned since.
Luckily, there was a digital clock on the bedside table, another special request along with the phones. The doctor said it was okay for me to have these in my room since I was out of the critical stage. The only thing left was the IV drip.
I had also been moved to a regular room, so I had more freedom to move around. As usual, there were no maids in that room. Dad hadn’t allowed anyone from the mansion except Simmy to set foot inside my hospital room.
But Simmy had been missing for days, and only the nurses came in to deliver my meals. I wasn’t sure if she waited outside whenever my food was brought in. It seemed impossible for the nurses to serve me food without Simmy supervising them.
Staying in that room wasn’t enjoyable. I was always bored and had no one to talk to. I didn’t even try to go out because I knew Dad’s staff was watching outside. Well, I caught one of them peeking into the room when a nurse brought my food.
I sighed. More security, I guess… Then, I heard the door open, as usual.
My eyes turned towards the door. A tall man entered, wearing a coat and a serious expression. He didn’t smile when he saw me, so I raised an eyebrow. Must be something urgent? No one from outside had entered the room since I was transferred here.
“Miss,” he greeted and bowed slightly. “There’s a man who wants to come in. He’ll cause a scene if we don’t let him in, and it might disturb other patients.”
I blinked. “Why don’t you just drag him out?”
The man stared at me, surprise in his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what I had just said. He cleared his throat. “We’ll be kicked out of the hospital if we cause a scene.”
I narrowed my eyes at his words. “Really?” Then I furrowed my brow. “Don’t they know who your employer is?”
He looked down. “They do, Miss. But Mr. Briones doesn’t control the hospital management.”
I closed the book I was holding and placed it on the bedside table. I looked at him with interest, amazed by what he had just said. “Where am I?”
He hesitated at first, but my stare made him swallow. He clasped his hands behind his back. “You’re at De Lapaz Private Hospital, Miss.”
“De Lapaz,” I whispered. Then my eyes lit up with recognition. “De Lapaz? The prestigious hospital in Mandaue City?”
He nodded. I clicked my tongue.
The De Lapaz family was originally from France and had been in the country since the late 17th century. They had amassed immense wealth over the centuries and currently owned some of the most successful brands and businesses in and out of Cebu. They were indeed the epitome of ‘old money’ in the country.
But what interested me more was that I was in one of the most expensive hospitals in the entire country. I should have been proud that Dad had connections with De Lapaz, but I was more concerned about how serious the poisoning incident had been.
If I was admitted to this hospital, I must have been close to death when the maids found me. I had heard that only VIPs were allowed access to this hospital, and they had the most advanced medical technology, with a ninety-five percent recovery rate for severe illnesses.
If Dad spent millions to have me treated… I clenched my jaw and gritted my teeth in anger. That sly woman! I had to get rid of her as soon as possible, or she would continue to cause more trouble in the future.
“Miss?” the man called.
That brought me back to reality. I looked at him and forced a smile. After finding out where I was, I suddenly felt the urge to leave the room.
Maybe the guards would let me?
I cleared my throat. “Did you get that man’s name?”
He nodded. “He said his name is Robert, Miss.”
Suddenly, I remembered my conversation with Robert. I had instructed him to visit me at a hospital, but I hadn’t told him which one. Curiosity got the better of me.
“Please let him in.” The man lifted his gaze to mine. His lips were pressed tightly together, as if he wanted to say something, to protest. I smirked at him. “I know that man. Don’t worry about Dad. I’ll ask him to let you off the hook.”
The man stared at me for a moment, weighing if I was telling the truth. So I smiled at him. He sighed and left the room.
Soon after, the door opened again, and Robert walked in. I squinted at him and smirked. “How did you find out where I’m confined?”
He sighed. “News. The local radio reported the poisoning incident, so it was easy to track you down.”
“Really.” I smirked. “You’re quite quick. I didn’t tell you to visit me today.”
He glanced around the well-ventilated hospital room. Then he looked at me. “I figured out how to sneak in here.”
That made me laugh at what he said. I even covered my mouth to stop myself from laughing more. I cleared my throat again. “I only found out where I was confined now. How did you manage to enter the building?”
A smile played at the corner of Robert’s mouth. “I have my ways, Miss Azora.”
I shrugged at his remarks. “Let me explore this hospital first. For now, get ready to get me out of here. We’ll execute our plan next week.” Then I lowered my voice. “You know Simmy, right? Don’t let her catch you in the act, or she’ll suspect something and move me from here.”
“You can count on me, Miss.”
“Also…” I tilted my head to the right and looked away. “Did you really lose track of Japen and Anya?”
He stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. “But the local news reported the incident that happened to you, Miss. Japen will find a way to get close to you.”
That put a small smile on my face.