Chapter 12: Whatever she needs
1805 Words
“Find out.”
Luca ended the call.
For several seconds, he remained standing outside the mansion.
His eyes stayed on the closed door.
One month.
The timing bothered him.
Aria had disappeared one month ago.
Now a medical record from the same period had suddenly appeared.
Something wasn't right.
His phone rang again.
Daniel.
Luca answered immediately.
“What did you find?”
“The record is from a private clinic.”
Daniel gave him the name.
Luca's expression changed.
“Send me the complete file.”
“I already did.”
Luca checked his phone.
A document was waiting.
He opened it.
Aria Bennett.
Age. 22
Medical history.
Emergency contact.
Then he reached the financial section.
His eyes stopped.
Outstanding medical expenses.
“How much does she owe?”
Daniel gave him the amount.
Luca was silent.
“Sir?”
“Who is receiving treatment?”
“Her mother.”
“What's her condition?”
“I didn’t look into it but the hospital said She needs surgery.”
Luca looked toward the mansion.
“How soon?”
“According to the hospital, immediately.”
“Then why hasn't it been done?”
“They're waiting for payment.”
Luca's expression hardened.
“Pay it.”
Daniel went quiet.
“All of it?”
“Yes.”
“Sir, should I use the company account?”
“No.”
Luca looked at the document again.
“Use my private account.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Understood.”
“Daniel?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don't tell Aria.”
There was a pause.
“Are you sure?”
“I said don't tell her.”
“Yes, sir.”
Luca ended the call.
He slipped his phone into his pocket.
He didn't understand why he had done it.
Aria had lied to him.
She had stolen from him.
She was hiding something.
Yet the thought of her mother being denied surgery because of money bothered him more than it should have.
He walked inside.
---
Aria was sitting on the edge of the guest bed.
Her phone was still in her hand.
She had called the hospital twice.
No answer.
She tried again.
Finally, someone picked up.
“Hello?”
“I'm calling about my mother, Mrs. Bennett.”
“Yes, Miss Bennett.”
“Has the surgery been scheduled?”
“Not yet.”
Aria closed her eyes.
“I told you I'm getting the money.”
“We understand, but the doctors can't keep postponing it.”
“I know.”
“Please make the payment as soon as possible.”
“I will.”
She ended the call.
Her eyes filled with tears.
Five days.
She had already wasted one.
She looked at the money she'd earned from the club.
It wasn't enough.
Not even close.
She opened her banking application.
The balance made her stomach sink.
She needed another job.
Another night.
Maybe several.
She couldn't let her mother die because she couldn't afford the operation.
Aria wiped her eyes.
“I'll find a way.”
A knock sounded.
She quickly composed herself.
“Come in.”
The door opened.
Luca stood there.
“You're still awake.”
“I couldn't sleep.”
“Why?”
“My mother.”
Luca nodded.
“How is she?”
“Not good.”
“Did the hospital call?”
“Yes.”
“What did they say?”
“They need the money before the surgery.”
Luca watched her carefully.
“How much?”
Aria shook her head.
“I'll handle it.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I have to.”
Luca walked into the room.
“You don't.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you don't have to handle everything alone.”
“I told you I don't want your money.”
“I know.”
“Then why are we talking about it again?”
“Because you're running out of time.”
Her eyes met his.
“I know.”
Luca's voice softened.
“You need to sleep.”
“I can't.”
“You're exhausted.”
“My mother needs me.”
“And she'll need you conscious.”
Aria looked away.
Luca studied her for a moment.
Then he left.
She stared after him.
She doesn’t know what was going through his mind.
---
The next morning, Aria woke to the sound of her phone ringing.
She answered without checking the number.
“Hello?”
“Miss Bennett?”
“Yes?”
“This is St. Mary's Surgical Department.”
Aria sat upright.
“Yes?”
“I'm calling regarding your mother's surgery.”
Her heart raced.
“What happened?”
“The payment has been received.”
Silence.
Aria blinked.
“What payment?”
“The full surgical deposit.”
She stared at the wall.
“No.”
“Yes, Miss Bennett.”
“I didn't make any payment.”
“The account was settled this morning.”
Aria's fingers tightened around the phone.
“By who?”
“We can't disclose the payer's private information.”
“Please.”
“I'm sorry.”
“When is the surgery?”
“The doctors have scheduled it for tomorrow morning.”
Aria's eyes filled with tears.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
She covered her mouth.
Her mother was going to get the surgery.
Someone had paid.
But who?
“Thank you.”
She ended the call.
For several seconds, she couldn't move.
Then she started crying.
Not from fear.
Relief.
Her mother would have a chance.
She pressed both hands over her face.
“Thank you.”
---
Across the city, Luca sat behind his desk.
Daniel entered.
“The payment has been processed.”
Luca nodded.
“And the surgery?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Good.”
Daniel remained standing.
“There's something else.”
Luca looked up.
“What?”
“The clinic said Aria called several times last night asking about the payment.”
Luca's expression remained calm.
“She doesn't know.”
“No.”
“Good.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Why are you hiding it?”
Luca's eyes lifted.
“Because she'll refuse.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
Luca leaned back.
He didn't answer.
Daniel understood.
He turned to leave.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“Keep the payment anonymous.”
“Understood.”
“And arrange transportation for her mother.”
Daniel stopped.
“You want that too?”
“Yes.”
“Private hospital transport?”
“Whatever she needs.”
Daniel nodded.
Then he left.
Luca looked at the file on his desk.
Aria Bennett.
The woman who had stolen his watch.
The woman who had lied to him.
The woman who had somehow become impossible to ignore.
His eyes moved to the date on the medical record.
Something still bothered him.
Why had she disappeared exactly when the record was created?
And why had Adrian reacted so strangely when he saw her?
Luca picked up his phone.
“Daniel.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Run another check on Aria's medical records.”
“Looking for something specific?”
“Everything.”
“Understood.”
Luca ended the call.
He stared through the glass wall of his office.
He had spent years learning how to recognize lies.
Aria was hiding something.
He just didn't know what.
---
Aria arrived at the hospital that afternoon.
She rushed through the entrance.
“Mrs. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“Your mother's surgery has been confirmed for tomorrow.”
Aria smiled through her tears.
“Thank you.”
“You should know something.”
“What?”
“The person who paid also covered several additional expenses.”
Aria frowned.
“What additional expenses?”
“Medication. Recovery care. Transportation.”
Her smile disappeared.
“Who paid?”
The nurse shook her head.
“We weren't given permission to disclose that.”
Aria looked down.
There was only one person who could have paid that much without hesitation.
Luca.
Her heart began pounding.
She pulled out her phone.
She stared at his name.
Should she call him?
No.
She already knew what he would say.
He would tell her it was nothing.
Or he would say she owed him.
Or worse...
He would ask why she hadn't told him everything.
Aria put the phone away.
“I'll find out.”
---
That evening, she returned to Moretti Holdings.
Luca was waiting outside his office.
“You went to the hospital.”
Aria stopped.
“How did you know?”
“I know where my employees are.”
She stared at him.
“My mother's surgery was paid for.”
Luca said nothing.
Aria stepped closer.
“Did you do it?”
Silence.
“Luca.”
He looked at her.
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to know who helped her.”
“You don't need to know.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Was it you?”
Luca didn't answer.
That was enough.
Aria's eyes filled with tears.
“Why?”
“Because you need her alive”
“You didn't have to.”
“I know.”
“I told you I didn't want your money.”
“I didn't ask you to take it.”
“Then why did you pay?”
Luca looked directly at her.
“Because I could.”
Aria shook her head.
“I can't repay you.”
“I didn't ask you to.”
She stared at him.
“You're confusing me.”
“So are you.”
Her heart skipped.
“What does that mean?”
Luca stepped closer.
“You lie when I ask questions.”
Aria's breathing changed.
“You disappear when things become difficult.”
He lowered his voice.
“And every time I think I've figured you out, you give me another reason to doubt myself.”
Aria couldn't speak.
Luca's eyes remained fixed on hers.
“I don't know what you're hiding, Aria.”
She looked away.
“But I will find out.”
Her heart pounded.
He walked past her.
Then stopped.
“Your mother's surgery is tomorrow.”
Aria looked up.
“How did you know?”
Luca glanced back.
“Because I made sure it would happen.”
He walked away.
Aria remained standing in the hallway.
Her hand slowly moved to her stomach.
She whispered,
“He doesn't know.”
Not yet.
And that was exactly how she needed it to stay.
But upstairs, Luca stood alone in his office, staring at her medical record.
There was one date he couldn't explain.
One missing piece.
And he had already decided he was going to find it.
TO BE CONTINUED
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