What If?

Chapter 18 - The Night Ride

In his dimly lit bedroom, Glenn sat lost in thought on his balcony chair. His gaze was completely blank, staring straight ahead, thoroughly confused by whatever the hell he was feeling right now. The top two buttons of his dark blue silk pajamas were left undone, revealing his broad chest.

"Why the hell do I have zero motivation to go out tonight?" Glenn muttered to himself, genuinely puzzled.

Usually, he couldn't stand staying cooped up in his room for even a single minute. By eight o'clock in the evening, he would typically be at some upscale New York beach club, sipping expensive liquor and hooking up with a few girls.

It wasn't that Glenn had lost his way since his mother passed. He had simply always lived like any young guy who was free to enjoy life, right before he got tied down and forced out of his comfort zone to run the company. But tonight, everything felt different.

"Ugh, come on!!" Glenn aggressively ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Man, I can't do this. I'm gonna lose my mind if I stay here," Glenn cursed, growing sick of the weird tightness that had been lingering in his chest all evening.

Glenn stood up abruptly. He snatched his leather jacket, throwing it right over his blue pajamas, and took wide, hurried strides out of his room. He needed to get some fresh air before his brain completely short-circuited.

*****

"Happy birthday, Laura!" Launa cheered happily, holding up the birthday cake Joe had given her yesterday.

In the corner of the room, Laura, who was already wearing a party hat, looked at her older sister with teary eyes. She had thought her sister forgot her birthday, but she hadn't.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Emma added softly, smiling at her youngest granddaughter.

"Come on, make a wish before you blow out the candles," Launa urged.

Laura closed her eyes tight, whispered a prayer in her heart, and blew out the candles until they went dark. The next second, the little girl lunged forward and threw her arms tightly around Launa.

"Thank you so much, Launa!" Laura kissed Launa’s cheek, then turned around to hug Emma.

Launa stroked her sister’s hair, a pang of guilt washing over her. "I'm so sorry I could only give you the cake today. I promise, once I get my paycheck, I'll buy you whatever you want."

Laura shook her head quickly. "I don't need a present, Launa. Having a big sister like you is already the best gift ever. I actually made a wish that you'd get promoted to a permanent position at your new office soon."

Launa offered a bittersweet smile at her sister's innocence. She knew Laura had been forced to grow up too fast because of their circumstances. Yet, as her older sister, she was determined to make sure Laura could still fully enjoy her childhood.

"Thank you too, Grandma Emma. Thank you for taking care of Laura and Launa all this time," Laura said sincerely.

Emma’s eyes welled with tears as she pulled both her granddaughters into a hug. "I’m the one who should be thanking you. I’m so blessed to have beautiful and smart granddaughters like you two."

"Alright, now let’s cut the cake!" Launa said, lightening the mood. They shared a small laugh, taking turns feeding each other pieces of cake.

A few moments later, Launa walked to the kitchen to do the dishes. The moment she was alone, the recording of Glenn's business proposition from this afternoon played on a loop in her head. The figure of twenty thousand dollars a month kept flashing across her mind.

"Launa? Launa?"

Launa gave a start. She hadn't even realized Emma had been standing in the kitchen doorway for a while.

"What's wrong, sweetie? You look so tense. Is there something on your mind?" Emma asked anxiously.

Launa hesitated, weighing her options. But in the end, she decided to tell her grandmother everything about the risky offer Glenn had made in the car.

Hearing the story, Emma’s expression instantly turned grave. "If it's too risky, you're better off not taking it, Launa. Especially when it involves wealthy people and their conspiracies. I'm terrified something might happen to you."

"But my boss promised he would put his life on the line and back me up if anything happens, Grandma," Launa defended hesitantly.

Emma shook her head firmly. "Are you really sure about that? You've only known your boss for a single day. In the business world, sweet promises can change on a dime."

Emma's advice instantly pierced through Launa's logic. She was right; there was no guarantee Glenn would keep his word. Human hearts are fickle, after all. Even throughout the day at the office, she had noticed how Glenn seemed like the type of boss who just did whatever he pleased to his employees. Yet, on the other hand, she was completely thrown off remembering how he had stood up for her when she went head-to-head with Costa, her supervisor. She was genuinely baffled by Glenn's behavior. Right then and there, Launa made up her mind to reject Glenn's offer tomorrow.

CRASH!

The deafening sound of shattering glass from the front room suddenly pierced the night.

"Laura?!"

Launa and Emma instantly ran to the living room in a panic. On the floor, Laura was lying unconscious next to the broken shards of a glass. The little girl's face had already gone pale and blue.

"LAURA!"

*****

Glenn walked out of the coffee shop, holding a coffee cup in his hand. Truth be told, he hadn't even wanted to order coffee; he’d much rather be clubbing and getting wasted. But unfortunately for him, he had to wake up early for work tomorrow.

Glenn got into the car and placed his coffee next to the dashboard. His head felt incredibly heavy. Usually, Glenn wasn't the type of guy to turn to cigarettes when he was stressed; he’d go straight for alcohol instead. But tonight, he had completely lost his appetite for it.

Glenn drove off, cutting through the relatively quiet streets of New York. It was already eleven at night, and the city's bustling activity was finally starting to wind down.

Buzz... Buzz...

Without even bothering to reach for his phone, Glenn simply pressed a button on his steering wheel to connect the incoming call to the car’s speaker system.

"What now, Jer?" Glenn asked, his voice laced with boredom.

"Wow, harsh. I literally just called," Jerry replied on the other end.

"I’m on the road right now. Don't start."

"Huh? On the road to where? Don't do anything stupid, Glenn. We have an early meeting tomorrow. Your dad will absolutely lose his mind if you show up wasted again—"

"I’m not... it’s fine. I just grabbed some coffee," Glenn cut him off.

"Who are you and what have you done with Glenn? Usually at this hour, you’re already glued to a seat at the Vortex Lounge," Jerry grumbled. "But hey, good for you. You know how it is, right? Every time you act out, I’m the one getting a massive headache dealing with your old man."

"I just don't have the appetite for clubbing tonight. No idea why. It's weird," Glenn muttered, genuinely puzzled by his own sudden change of heart.

"Oh, man. It's official. You're totally thinking about Launa, aren't you?" Jerry called him out.

"Tch! What the hell? Why are you suddenly bringing her up?" Glenn deflected snaps.

Jerry just kept laughing and teasing him over the phone, until a thoroughly annoyed Glenn hung up on him without warning.

Glenn muttered to himself, cursing out his assistant. However, right as his hand reached for the coffee cup on the dashboard, his eyes caught the silhouette of someone in the middle of the road. Glenn slammed on the brakes, making the car tires screech loudly.

SCREECH!

"f**k! What the hell?!"

Thoroughly annoyed, Glenn violently unbuckled his seatbelt and threw himself out of the car. In front of the hood, he spotted a girl carrying a massive bag. The bag had apparently dropped, and she was frantically scrambling around the asphalt to pick up her scattered belongings.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Glenn snapped furiously.

Yet, the girl didn't even look up, completely consumed by her panic as she kept gathering her things. Glenn scoffed in irritation, then roughly grabbed her arm to pull her to her feet.

"Watch where the hell you're go—"

Glenn froze instantly. The girl in front of him was crying, her eyes incredibly bloodshot and swollen. But that wasn't what made him lock up. It was the realization that this girl was his new intern. What on earth was she doing out here, all alone on the streets of New York in the middle of the night?

"I-I'm sorry, Sir. I'm in a r—" The moment Launa tried to turn around and rush away, Glenn immediately held her back.

"Are you... are you okay? What's wrong?" Glenn asked, a look of anxiety washing over his face that he could barely hide.

"S-Sir, I really have to go. I'm in a hu—"

"I asked you what's wrong, Launa?!" Glenn cut her off, his voice rising with impatience.

"I-I need to get to the hospital, Sir. M-my little sister... she's unconscious," Launa explained, sobbing heavily in front of him.

Dammit! Why did his chest suddenly feel so tight and heavy with worry? Glenn quickly brushed the unfamiliar feeling aside. He forced himself to believe that he just felt sorry for the miserable girl standing before him.

"Okay, let me drive you. You—"

"No, that's really not necessary, Sir. I can manage—"

"No, Launa. When I say I'm driving you, I'm driving you," Glenn insisted, his tone absolute and leaving zero room for argument.

"Ya, O-okay, Sir."

Glenn immediately took Launa’s massive bag and carried it for her. He pulled open the passenger door, waiting for her to get inside before jogging around the car to slide into the driver's seat. He tossed the heavy bag straight into the backseat.

"Which hospital?" Glenn asked, already tearing down the road at high speed.

"St. Jude Hospital, Sir..." Launa murmured, her voice trembling.

Glenn didn't ask any more questions. Without wasting a single second, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal, cutting through the nighttime streets of New York as he headed toward the hospital Launa had named.

*****