That afternoon, Elena returned to the hospital in a condition that made Hayes immediately tell a nurse to take her to have her injuries treated. The soft tissue around her knee was only bruised, with no damage to the bone, while the red marks on her face would need to be iced for a while before the swelling eased. She absolutely refused to let Lyra see her like this, so she only stood outside her daughter’s room for a few minutes, listening to the little girl talking with a nurse, before going to the lounge next door.
One day.
Elena sat at the small table, staring at the time on her phone screen while Reginald’s deadline ran endlessly through her mind. Northstar had to continue the partnership, Marcus had to confirm that the project would not be affected, and at the same time Ashbourne e
