"The surgery went well and Nora is recovering just fine." The doctor informed Sierra with a pleasant smile on his face. "We've moved her to the Intensive care unit to monitor her progress and see how well she's responding to treatment. Hopefully, she'd get better soon so that she can be discharged." He added.
"Thank you so much Doctor." Sierra whispered gratefully, her hands clasped together in deep appreciation. Her sister was out of danger and it's only because of him and how he had helped them so far.
"I should also commend your efforts Sierra." He said, adjusting his glasses that framed his face. "You made it happen so good job. If you hadn't stepped up, we would probably be singing a different story but I'm glad it didn't come to that." He said with a placating smile.
Sierra forced a wry smile. If only he knew what she did to get that money. If only he knew that she had sacrificed her freedom and possibly her entire life to a masked monster whom she barely knew just to save her sister, he probably would've retraced his words and not find it commendable. She wasn't proud of her decision but what mattered most was that her little sister was safe and out of danger.
"Anyways..." The doctor began. "I'll be in my office if you need me."
"Can i...i mean can we see her?" She requested in a silent plea. "I just want to see her so that o can reassure myself that she's okay."
"She's not awake yet but when she does wake up, i promise that you'll be first to know." He assured her with a smile before walking away. As soon as he left, Reya forcefully grabbed her hands and dragged her to a safe corner.
"I didn't want to say anything before because we were all worried about Nora but now that she's okay, would you mind explaining to me how you were able to raise that amount of money in such a short period of time?" Reya asked abruptly.
Sierra looked away, not knowing how best to explain to her dear friend that she might have possibly sold herself to the devil himself. It scared her to even think about it and the last thing she wanted was for Reya to get involved and blame her for the decision she had made.
"Will you say something?" She pressed further. Her eyes gleaming with curiosity and fear of the unknown. "What have you done this time around Sierra? Answer me!"
Sierra blinked furiously. Her silence deafening.
Reya touched her arm. "Sierra... don't tell me you did what i think you did."
She swallowed hard. The lump in her throat too impossible to push down."T-There was no other way. It was either that or Nora's life. I didn't want it to come down to latter. I had no choice."
Reya's jaw dropped to the ground like she's seem a ghost from one of those horror movies brought back to life.
"You're going to move in with him? That man?" She questioned. It was already bad that her friend had unknowingly slept with him and now she's going to move in with him?
"This isn't one of those fantasy books you read Sierra, this is reality. This is the real world." She whisper-yelled at her. "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into? He could be a killer, a murderer. Hell he could be even worse than all of those things combined. He's a stranger who wears a mask for crying out loud!"
"I couldn't bear the thought of loosing Nora. I was scared." She whispered shakily. Tears gathered in her eyes and settled there. Reya who saw that she was almost on the verge of breaking down, pulled her in for a hug.
"Well i won't let anything bad happen to you." She comforted her. "You'll stay with me at my place. I'm sure he won't be able to find us there even if he tried."
Sierra popped her head away from her shoulders almost immediately. "I can't. He'd find me. I didn't think that he'd find me after our last meeting at the hotel but he did find me and i don't want to drag you into something that could be potentially dangerous."
"So what?" She asked. "I should allow you go with him to only God knows where and allow him do only God knows what to you? You're coming with me and that's final."
Sierra leaned in closer to whisper. "His bodyguard is here. He follows me everywhere. If i should leave then he'd definitely follow me to wherever i would go. There's no escaping that man. I feel like he has eyes everywhere and i gave him my word that I'd follow him."
She took Reya's hands and held it in hers. "Thank you for offering to help but this is my battle and it'd be selfish of me to drag you all in."
She forced a smile. "Well, i better get packing then. You should also go home and try to get some rest. If Nora wakes up then I'd let you know."
Letting go of her hands, Sierra took the nearest exit out of the hospital to hide her tears before she breaks down in the presence of Reya. She wouldn't want to her friend to worry about her and if Reya should see her crying then it'll only take a turn for the worse.
"Are you ready to leave, miss?" Sergio inquired and she snapped back to reality. Took her a few seconds before she realized that she was already walking towards the parking lot.
"Have you been following me?" She inquired with furrowed brows.
"My boss asked me to." He replied curtly. "He sent a ride to take you home if you're ready to leave and he specifically asked me to escort you back home and keep you safe until he arrives."
"Tsk!" She clicked her tongue in irritation. It was like he was everywhere. She was like a prisoner but the only difference between herself and the ones in jail was that she's not behind bars and she has a mysterious man following her everywhere simply because he's interested in her.
"This way please." He led the way to where a black Maserati Levante was parked. The f**k! Who the heck is this man and what exactly does he do for a living? She stared at the car parked in front of her a little longer before staring right back at Sergio who didn't utter a single word. Instead, he opened up the door to the back seat for her.
What really did she do that night to make him this invested in her? It was just s*x, wasn't it? Did she do anything other than sleeping with him?
"Miss?" Sergio called out to her and she took it as her cue to get in. Once settled, he took the wheels and they started the journey for her home. All through the drive, she couldn't help but think about how her life had taken a drastic turn for worse.
As soon as she arrived, she threw her things on the couch and made her way inside. Her head was throbbing badly and all she wanted to do now was locate her bed and throw herself on it without any interruptions.
"Miss Sierra?" Sergio called out to her. His phone outstretched towards her. She didn't need a soothsayer to tell her that he was the one on the other end. "He wants to speak with you."
She shook her head negatively. "I'm not ready for any of this. I'm tired, worn out, pushed and stressed out beyond my limits. He may have placed his claim on me but i have a claim to myself first. I'm not running away so that should be enough for him." She stated tiredly without mincing words.
"You should enjoy it while he's being nice and lenient towards you. He's never nice and trust me, you don't want to see his bad side." He cautioned her.
"Well i never asked him to be nice did i?" She yelled at him. "He took it upon himself to ruin my life by forcing me to do things that i never wanted to do. He decided all by himself that he wanted me even when i made it clear countless times that i never wanted him so why should i care if he was being nice or not?" She added. She was already fuming and she couldn't help it
"I'm already going through s**t and there's nothing he can do to make it any better so you should tell him that." She suggested in a sarcastic manner.
"I need to rest and he should understand that. If he doesn't, then he might as well go to hell for all i care. It's not like he can show up in my bedroom and force me to pick up the damn phone so leave me the f**k alone!" She threw her hands in the air and stormed into her bedroom, shutting the door on his face and bolting it shut.