But before she could make a move, the door to the hall swung open and a group of private security personnel entered. I stood there, bewildered. Why were there so many private security guards inside the hospital?
However, the newcomers didn’t approach me. I watched as they walked towards the female nurse. Then, surprisingly, they bowed down in front of her.
“Miss,” they greeted the nurse.
I blinked at what they did. Was there something I didn’t know?
The nurse glanced at me and smiled faintly. “Let’s go, Miss Azora.”
I blinked again and approached her in confusion. I noticed that the two men who had been fighting earlier had stopped, their lips pursed. I scoffed silently. They probably deserved the dressing-down earlier for behaving like children.
When I reached the nurse, she smiled warmly at me and guided me out of that hall. I followed her quickly, worried about what those burly men might do if I didn’t leave that place soon. The two security guards, with their bruised faces, followed closely behind me. I shook my head discreetly at their condition.
It was only when we were far away that I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I stopped walking and called out to the nurse. She halted and turned to me, a few steps ahead.
I cleared my throat. “What happened earlier…” I trailed off. The nurse remained silent, so I continued, “Why did those men treat you with such respect? I mean, no offense, but you seem… ordinary.”
The nurse looked at me for a few seconds before chuckling softly. She gave me a wide grin. “You don’t need to know, Miss. Come on, I’ll take you back to your room.”
I shrugged and followed her quietly. I was curious about the reason but didn’t want her to think I was prying.
A few minutes later, I saw my room door ahead. There were a few men standing outside, dressed in the same uniforms as my security guards. I sighed. Of course, by now they must have realized I wasn’t in my room. And knowing Dad, he was probably giving my security guards an earful.
And I wasn’t wrong. As I stood in front of the closed door, I heard Dad’s muffled voice from inside. He was definitely yelling; the hospital room was designed to suppress loud noises.
I turned to the nurse, who looked surprised at hearing Dad’s voice. I cleared my throat. “I’ll go inside. Thanks for showing me around. If your head nurse gives you trouble about this, just let me know and I’ll support you,” I said with a smile.
She returned the smile and bid me goodbye. I nodded and watched as she walked back the way we had come. I sighed and rubbed my forehead with my left hand. I thought she didn’t need backup or any explanation because I saw how those men treated her with utmost respect. She might hold a high position in the hospital, although it was odd that she was working as a regular nurse.
I glanced at the men standing to the side. They avoided eye contact and kept their heads down. My lips twitched. The two security guards who had accompanied me earlier were taken to another hospital room for treatment. I left them in a hospital room when we were heading this way. I knew Dad would hit them when he saw those men, so I just saved their awful faces from consecutive hard hits.
I opened the door and almost fell against the hard surface when I heard Dad’s angry shout.
“Useless!” he shouted.
I looked at him and saw his red face. He was talking to a man and another man in a white coat. I thought the latter was my doctor.
“Dad,” I called out.
He turned his face toward me, and it took him a few seconds before he strode toward me and hugged me tightly. My breath hitched. “D-Dad, l-let go. I can’t breathe!” I gasped.
He finally let me go and stared at my face. I bit my lip and avoided his gaze, closing my eyes tightly. I was expecting him to yell loudly at me.
But several seconds passed, and he didn’t say anything. I opened my eyes slightly and peeked at his face. He looked at me sternly, lips pressed into a thin line, deep wrinkles on his forehead.
“Dad?” I asked, confused by his silence.
He took a deep breath and looked away. “Feed my daughter. Check if she’s hurt. I won’t let you go if something happened to her,” he said before walking past me and leaving the room.
I blinked several times as I stood a few meters from the door, puzzled. Then I looked at the two men who were frozen in place, staring at me. I smiled softly at them, and they snapped out of their reverie.
They quickly approached me and helped me onto the bed. The man in the black leather jacket asked where I had been, and the man in the white coat checked my vital signs.
Minutes later, they all left the room, leaving me alone. The man in the black jacket told me not to leave without permission again, and the man in the white coat advised me to rest. He said I was a little dehydrated, probably from walking around the hospital for hours.
So I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I was surprised when the door opened again, and I saw Simmy. She had a serious expression on her face, and my forehead creased as I watched her approach the bed.
“Azora,” she snapped. “Don’t leave without asking!”
I was taken aback by her sudden outburst. I took a deep breath and studied her carefully. “What happened?”
She didn’t tell me, but I concluded that Dad had scolded her for not being attentive. My lips twitched again, holding back a grin. I looked away from Simmy. “You can’t keep me here like you did at the mansion,” I said, watching her out of the corner of my eye. “This isn’t your territory, so… behave,” I added softly.
Simmy’s face flushed with anger. She grabbed my hair and yanked it, making me squeak in pain. “You’re useless!” she spat and pushed me back onto the bed.
I fell onto the bed, my hair a mess. I chuckled. I reached up and smoothed down my hair. “You know,” I said, amusement in my voice. I looked up at Simmy, whose face was red with anger. “You can’t beat me, so you might as well give up.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, then she smirked mischievously at me. “Don’t celebrate yet because I haven’t played my trump card, Azora.”
She glared at me and turned away. Suddenly, though, she whipped back around and slapped me hard across the cheek. I gasped in surprise, my mind going blank as I focused on the sharp pain where her hand had struck my cheek.