“He proposed to her one last time. And this time, she didn’t deny him. Their parents got happy for their kids and got them married. This is how Dave and Eve got a happy ending,” Dominic smiled before closing the storybook and placing it in his bag.
“Did you like the story, Aaliyah? I know you are a tough girl, but I also know you are into romantic things like these. Anyway, your mystery week starts tomorrow. Do you have any special requests for the books? Any favorite authors? No?” Dominic hummed.
“You are so docile. It doesn’t suit you, you know. You used to look good fighting and ordering me around,” Dominic smiled before taking Aaliyah’s favorite chocolate shake out from his bag and placing it on the nightstand beside her bed.
“It’s your favorite,” Dominic sat there.
Seeing the sunlight falling on her face that might irritate her, he hurriedly got up to pull the curtains.
Dimitri, who observed all this from outside the door, hid behind the door to control the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
This thing has been going on for two months now. Dominic would come here daily, read Aaliyah’s stories to keep her company, and bring her a chocolate shake in hopes that one day she would wake up and drink it.
At the end of the day, he drinks the milkshake, saying the shake has gotten Aaliyah’s essence by being near her, and he can’t waste it.
It’s been exactly two months since Dominic had a proper conversation with anyone and smiled, even if it was fake like before. Dimitri could see Aaliyah’s absence was breaking people around her.
Laura has been unstable since then. Though she still performs her duty as the senior surgeon, she has stopped talking to anyone. She doesn’t show anyone, but everyone has realized that in her heart, she has declared Katherine as the culprit for Aaliyah’s condition.
Laura doesn’t mistreat Katherine, but it’s like she doesn’t exist for Laura anymore.
The python gang is being temporarily run by Benjamin, Nathan, and Sandra. They are barely holding it together like Dominic used to because they are hurt seeing him like this.
Though he has stopped interacting with everyone, Dominic still goes to the torture cell to torture Sage, and honestly, it would be better if Sage dies at this point.
Dominic treats Sage’s wounds messily so that he can torture him again. Sage’s wounds have gotten infected, and they are eating him every second. The sounds of his cries, even when Dominic isn’t torturing him because of his wounds, keep echoing in the cell, horrifying everyone. Dominic has also ensured he doesn’t commit suicide or get killed, so his life has been real hell since Aaliyah was declared in a coma.
“How is he?” Bryce gave Dimitri the coffee cup, and Dimitri shrugged.
“What do you think?” Dimitri scoffed before sitting on the outside bench.
“I don’t know till when this will continue. It should stop now. This is taking a toll on him. I know he is in love with her, but is he really going to come here every day? What if she doesn’t wake up for years?” Bryce shook his head before he felt a cold stare at him.
He looked up before widening his eyes when his gaze met with Matthews, who didn’t say anything and just walked inside the room.
“I can’t believe you would say something this insensitive. Then again, your girlfriend is not the one on that bed,” Dimitri looked at Bryce in disgust.
Though he knows Bryce was only thinking about Dominic, the way he portrayed it was utterly wrong. He can’t even imagine what kind of battle Dominic and her family fight every day, knowing Aaliyah might not wake up anytime soon.
“If you can’t come without security, don’t come. I don’t want your men to say anything about my sister. One more time, I heard someone say she might not wake up in years, I will tear him apart without caring whose friend he is and won’t hesitate to ban you from setting your foot in here,” Matthew looked at Dominic, who immediately looked towards the gate where Bryce and Dimitri were standing.
“Hmm,” Dominic said before sitting in his usual place.
Matthew noticed Aaliyah’s favorite chocolate shake on the table and sighed as he looked at the man who sat there, looking at his sister like she was some queen, sleeping peacefully.
“Aren’t you tired of coming here daily?” Matthew sat beside him.
“You come here daily too,”
“Well, that’s because she is my sister, and I love her so much. I can’t -” Matthew stopped when he understood what Dominic was trying to say.
“Right,” He murmured before holding Aaliyah’s warm hands, which were an indication she was still alive, even if she wasn’t responding.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Matthew noticed Dominic moving, and he turned to him, only to see him bringing out some flowers from his bag.
“The flowers have wilted,” Dominic pointed out before standing and changing them.
“Have you grown tired of coming here? Or is it that you have become forgetful? Do you not know Aaliyah hates these flowers?” Matthew narrowed his eyes when he saw the flowers in his hand.
“Hmm, I know. Maybe, Aaliyah will wake up to express her hate for these flowers,” Dominic placed the flowers right beside Aaliyah, and Matthew’s gaze immediately softened.
Everyone was dealing with their sorrows in different ways. But his parents and this man here were having it the hardest. He visits Aaliyah occasionally because of his work schedule and to handle the gang too that has been going in a panic because of Harry’s absence, but there hasn’t been a day when this man wasn’t here.
“I will take my leave now,” Matthew nodded before kissing Aaliyah’s forehead.
“My beautiful sister,” Matthew murmured.
Her wounds were mostly healed. She was as healthy as any normal person. The only problem was her coma stage.
“Wake up soon, dumbo. Nothing is the same without you. Don’t punish us like this,” Matthew whispered into her ears, praying she would hear them and open her eyes before he cleared his throat to suppress his emotions and left.
“So, let me give you the gossip that you like,” Dominic took out his notebook, where he wrote down everything he saw and heard today while coming here.
“Your school is organizing a play. All classes are forced to take part in that. You know, for a change, the female parts of the plays would be performed by boys and the male parts by girls. Isn’t it funny? Imagine your friends Ashton and David wearing long skirts and corsets with long hair,” Dominic asked Aaliyah before nodding.
“Maria has left the school herself. I heard Alex threaten he would reveal everything about what she did if she bad-mouthed you and she was angry. Alex is changing for the better. Ashton and Sandra have started dating furiously and passionately. I feel like I can’t even return to the house when they are around. Your friend has some great zest,” Dominic said.
He smiled when he remembered how Aaliyah used to walk around his apartment, making it feel like home. The way she used to act mischievous and a boss at home, making him cook, seducing him, everything felt so normal at that time that it has turned into a luxury he can’t even afford now.
Dominic was busy in his thoughts and sweet memories of him and Aaliyah together when the door of the room was slammed open, making it hit the wall, and Dominic turned to look at the intruder with a murderous look.
“How dare you!” Dominic looked at Colton, his gaze turning darker.
“Boss, something is wrong with the gang. The place where your father and brother have gone has been suddenly surrounded by our rivals. Their lives are in danger,” Colton said, and Dominic’s pupils dilated.
“How far is that place?” Dominic asked.
“It will take 40-45 minutes,”
“You stay here with her. No matter what happens or who comes, don’t leave her side for a second,” Dominic ordered Colton before he rushed out of the room, afraid for his father and brother.
He had almost lost Aaliyah because of his incompetence. He won’t repeat the same mistake. This time, he will deal with everything with a conscious mind and kill those enemies without letting Vulcan out.
Dominic promised himself before ordering the supporting teams to rush the place.
After 35 minutes of driving his car at maximum speed, Dominic reached the place Colton had mentioned before getting out of his car, taking heavy guns in both hands with pistols in both his pockets so he wouldn’t go short on bullets.
The sounds of gunshots and people screaming were reverberating in the empty construction site, and Dominic looked up towards the fourth floor, where he heard Sandra screaming.
It would be better if he didn’t let them know he was here. Attacking the gang using the element of surprise would be a much better option. Dominic turned towards the staircase before rushing upstairs. He kept looking around him to make sure he didn’t miss anyone or anything that might become a problem later.
He paused on the third floor when a couple of men came out of a room to go to the fourth floor. Shooting those men dead, Dominic rushed to the fourth floor.
“Drop the gun, Harold. You will forever regret it,” Dominic heard Benjamin shouting, and he hid behind the pillar before looking at the man who had Sandra hostage.
He looked around at all the men pointing the guns at the python gang. From what Colton told him, they handled the situation pretty well.
After judging the situation, he raised his gun and pointed straight at the person holding Sandra.
Bang!
A shot echoed in the hall, and everyone looked at the man with Sandra falling.
The python gang didn’t waste a second in reacting, and Sandra ran to Benjamin before taking out her gun and shooting people again.
Dominic started shooting the people from behind the pillar. His marksmanship was the best in the gang, and everyone was confused about the opposite members falling one by one.
“Dominic is here,” Sandra said to Benjamin.
“He is not, Sandra. Don’t we know what his situation is? He must be with that girl,” Benjamin said, and Dominic kept shooting the men until there were none left.
Seeing more men coming up from downstairs, he kicked one of them down before hitting his chest and then shooting him.
Benjamin and others heard the shooting still going on, and they rushed to the stairs, widening their eyes when they saw Dominic killing people endlessly, almost maniacally.
“I told you he was here. There’s no one else in the gang who is as good as him,” Sandra said, and she was about to rush to him when Benjamin held her hand.
“Don’t be a fool,” Benjamin said, and they saw how his eyes looked emotionless. It was as if he was repenting for not being able to save Aaliyah right in time.
“Dominic, nothing is wrong. We all are safe!” Nathan shouted to bring him out of his daze, and it was as if someone slapped him, Dominic shook out of his dark thoughts before looking at his hands and clothes.
The other members of the Python gang started fighting the remaining rival gang members, and Nathan pulled Dominic away from the area.
“They are dirty,” Dominic said to no one in particular.
“How will I go to the hospital like this?” Dominic gritted his teeth, and Nathan’s heart softened at his child.
The most stable man in the gang was acting like this, and it broke everyone to see him like this.
“You can go home, get changed, and then go,” Nathan placed his hand on Dominic’s shoulders, and he nodded.
“Thank you for coming and handling the situation, son,” Nathan said to Dominic, and Dominic was about to hum again when his phone rang.
“I have handled the situation, Colton. Stay there till I -”
“There is a problem, sir,” Colton said, and Dominic’s heart skipped a beat at his scared tone.
“What happened to her?” He asked, getting straight to the point and stopping beside his car.
“It-its -”
“Speak clearly!” Dominic growled into the phone, and Sandra shook in her place, seeing her brother so angry.
“Someone took Miss Aaliyah away,” Colton said, and the phone fell from Dominic’s hand, making everyone widen their eyes.