Beauty in ashes
It’s her first day to present at one of the biggest corporation in England.
Lydia Vance a 25 years old accountant working at the Claude corporation. Not everyone can stand before this billionaire to analyze the company account but Lydia has been given this opportunity.
As she prepares to leave the house, she begins to hear her mom cough, more seriously than ever, she rushes to go check on her and again she’s coughing blood unable to breathe properly.
Lydia panics and calls 999, her heart beats faster with every second.
nearly dropping her phone as she dialed 999.
The line connected after the second ring.
"Emergency. Which service do you require?"
"Ambulance!" Lydia cried. "Please, I need an ambulance!"
"You're through to ambulance services. Tell me exactly what's happened."
Lydia turned toward her mother, who was struggling to breathe on the sofa.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Please help me," Lydia sobbed. "My mother has lung cancer. She can't breathe properly. She's gasping for air."
"Okay, ma'am, stay calm for me. Is she conscious?"
"Yes, but she's very weak. Mom?" Lydia rushed to her side and gently cupped her face. "Mom, look at me."
Her mother opened her eyes slightly.
"Lydia..." she whispered.
A fresh wave of panic hit her.
"She's conscious," Lydia said into the phone, tears streaming down her cheeks. "But she's getting weaker."
"Help is on the way. I need you to tell me your address."
Lydia quickly gave it.
"Good. The ambulance has been dispatched. Stay with her. Is she breathing?"
"Yes, but it sounds painful. She's in so much pain."
"Listen to me, Lydia. You're doing a good job. Stay beside her and keep talking to her."
Lydia grabbed her mother's hand tightly.
"Mom, the ambulance is coming, okay? You're going to be fine."
Her mother managed a faint smile.
"You always worry too much, my child."
Lydia broke down completely.
"Please don't leave me," she whispered. "I can't do this without you."
The operator's voice remained calm and steady.
"The ambulance is less than five minutes away."
Lydia pressed her forehead against her mother's hand.
"Please hurry," she cried into the phone. "Please."
The ambulance arrived and immediately was taken to the hospital.
Lydia dialed her fiance number Lawrence severally but no answer.
They got to the hospital, her mom is being taken care of, but the doctor let Lydia know that her mom's situation is getting worse faster than they thought, surgery needs to happen sooner than expected and her mom needs a specialist surgeon for her case which is costing about 500k deposit before the surgery takes place.
Filled with so much pain. So much thought, confusion, anxiety Lydia still needs to go for her presentation.
She sees to it that her mom is at rest, so she takes a bus down to work. On her way Lydia kept crying, the pain of carrying life alone even though she has a fiance, sometimes she wishes her father was alive.
Lydia needs to quickly change her top, this presentation is important and she can’t go in front of very high status and powerful men looking messy.
She goes in through the car garage, after changing she looks herself in a car mirror which was tinted, it’s George Gwargon mirror and he is inside, but Lydia has no idea she’s not alone.
Staring at herself through the car mirror. Lydia reminds herself she got things together, she's gonna overcome it. Tears wouldn’t stop running from her eyes. She cleans her eyes.
George could only wonder what could be wrong, if she noticed him watching her through his car, she’d be embarrassed.
Lydia runs to the board room.
George walks in after her, surprised to see she was the one taking the presentation, it’s usually the account manager.
Lydia starts with so much smile and joy on her face.
Carrying her pain like it was nothing. She presented all that had been asked of her brilliantly, answering every question and giving every analysis of the company finances that was needed for the next quarter.
Everyone was very impressed.
George kept wondering, wasn’t it the same lady who was tearing up few mins ago
The joy she has on her face doing her job, she didn’t look like the girl he just saw at the parking lot, who had sadness in her eyes, for some reason his heart melted.
Pain is something a billionaire son doesn’t understand. But carrying it with joy is at another level.
Presentation is over, meeting is over Lydia stays till everyone is gone.
George is the last to leave and he walks up to Lydia.
“That was a good presentation”
“Thank you sir” Lydia answers with so much excitement and smile on her face
“And you're Lydia right?” George ask softly
“Yes sir my name is Lydia Vance”
“Alright great” she definitely doesn’t look like what she goes through George said softly to himself as he walks out.
George asks his PA what his next appointment is.
“Sir, you have a doctor appointment”.
His heart immediately raced uncontrollably. George has been having severe pain in his stomach region, he has run several tests, today he sees the doctor to know what’s wrong and what the test result says.
“Get the car ready” he said to his PA.
Soon he was in the hospital
The doctor's office was unusually quiet.
George sat across from his best friend, Dr. Rolland Hayes, staring at the medical report between them.
Neither man spoke.
The silence itself felt wrong.
Finally, George leaned forward.
"Say something."
Rolland removed his glasses.
The expression on his face was enough to make George's stomach tighten.
"Your condition is progressing faster than we expected."
George frowned.
"What condition?"
"Grade Three Bilateral Varicocele."
The words meant nothing to him.
Rolland exhaled slowly.
"The veins supplying blood to your testicles are severely damaged. The restricted circulation is causing tissue death."