Chapter 70
Dmitri
I sat quietly, my head bowed in anticipation of Ariel’s present status from the surgeon. Amidst that, I thought of everything that I could have done properly if I wasn’t blinded by rage and jealousy.
However, my pensive mood was intruded upon by the click of heels that made its way toward me. I raised my head and my heart further plummeted as I stood up to meet them.
The fact that Ariel’s parents were here for a not-so-good reason made me bitter. The last time we met it was for celebration, and I’d hoped that it would continue to be that way.
“Good evening, Mr and Mrs Scuderi,” I stretched my hand forward for a handshake.
He regarded my hand hesitantly and I expected him to ignore it, but then he shook it firmly while his wife approached me and embraced me warmly.
My eyes became misty when her arms around me gripped me hard and then I broke down. All these while, I’d put up a tough front and acted as if I was impregnable, but what had it done for me?
My whole world was crashing down and I couldn’t do anything about it.
“Everything will be alright, son,” She whispered into my ear and I nodded.
After what seemed like an eternity, she let go of me and a feeling of wholeness spread around my heart. The dull ache I’d been ignoring and the void in my heart that I’d pretended not to exist had been taken care of just by her hug.
“Thank you for coming,” I held her hands and her lips stretched into a small smile.
“I had to be,”
I let go of her hands and faced Mr Scuderi who masked his emotions with a stoic veil. “How did you know that we are here?”
“Vladimir,” He replied curtly. “How bad are her injuries?”
A sigh escaped my lips and I inclined my head. “She’s being operated upon right now so I guess it’s bad. She was shot and rushed in here, I’ve gotten the details from the paramedic who found her and I’ve sent some of my men to investigate what happened,”
“But who would have tried to hurt my princess? She can’t even hurt a fly,” He replied, clenching his fists.
I’d have said Margaret but it made no sense to tell the whole world that I couldn’t protect my wife from the wrath of my ex-mistress who was still hung up on me, and also she was dead so it couldn’t possibly be her.
“You don’t worry, I’ll find whoever it is and make him or her feel worse pain than what they made Ariel experience,” I clenched my jaw.
My promise wasn’t a faux. It was one I intended to carry to the latter. No one dared mess with my princess and get away with it.
“And when you do, make sure I’m there,” He requested, ending the conversation.
No one bothered to sit down as we tried to put away our uneasiness by pacing around aimlessly.
The door of the operating room swung open and the surgeon appeared, heading toward us. “Are you the patient’s husband?” He asked impassively with impatience eating up my guts.
“Yes, I am. How did the surgery go?” I blurted, ready to put a bullet through his chest if he delivered any negative news.
“It went well. The patient’s health is stable and luckily none of her organs were affected by the shutdown. She’ll be transferred to the recovery room as soon the nurses finish dressing her up and she’ll have to undergo some blood transfusion because of the huge amount of blood she lost,” He explained.
Peace settled in my chest and I sighed in relief. “Thank you very much for saving her,” I shook his hand vigorously with a large grin on my face.
For the first time in my life, I felt genuinely grateful for something.
Ariel’s parents crowded the surgeon and bombarded him with more questions while I waited for her to be wheeled out of the theater. Finally, the door was opened again and she was taken into another room.
“Can we see her now?”
“Yes, you can but she’s still unconscious and she needs a lot of rest so be careful around her. If you will excuse me,” He bowed slightly and stalked off.
The both of them turned their gaze to me. “We are going to see her now,” Mrs Scuderi informed me.
“Alright. I’ll see her later,” I said and walked out briskly before they’d ask more questions.
It was past midnight but I didn’t have the urge to sleep. Though I was accustomed to working at night, getting our goods distributed and torturing workers who wanted to play a fast one on me, this night was different.
I was happy that Ariel was out of the danger zone, but something else bothered me and that was if she’d still be interested in me. My distrust and nonchalance put her in harm’s way and now I didn’t know how to face her.
Feeling more agitated by the minute, I dug into the pants’ pocket and brought out a cigarette pack. I took out a stick and lit it.
I dragged in a smoke and puffed it out, the smoke filling the air.
“You do know that it’s a risk to smoke in the hospital right?” Vladimir’s voice broke into my thoughts as he approached me with Armen behind him.
“Why are the both of you here?” I questioned and discarded the cigarette, snuffing out the light with my leg.
“Ariel might not be my favorite, but she’s your wife and I came to check on her,” He chuckled and glanced at the cigarette stick that I threw away. “You didn’t have to do that. Everyone knows not to disturb you,”
A snort left my throat. “It’s good she’s not your favorite,” I murmured. “Thanks for coming. Anyway, I need the both of you to look into something for me,”
“What is it?” Armen came forward.
“Margaret is dead,” I dropped the bombshell and the brows simultaneously climbed their foreheads in surprise while I explained everything that happened in detail.
“May her soul rest in peace. I wonder what might have happened back there,” Vladimir stroked his chin.
I held out the phone to them. “And that’s what I want you to find out. She had her phone in her hand when I saw her, and I’m sure that we can find something concrete from it.” I trained my gaze on Armen. “You have to talk to the woman who notified the paramedic of Ariel’s situation. I’m very sure she saw something that could help us find the shooter. Both of you should report to me before 6 pm tomorrow,”
“Yes, Capo,” Armen responded.
Being satisfied with the delegation, I turned around to head back inside when my phone rang.
My brows arched against each other when I saw Mr Scuderi’s name on my screen. Why would he be calling when we weren’t so far away from each other? I wondered.
“Is anything the matter?”
“Good news, Son. Ariel is awake,”