“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Waylen says.
“I can’t imagine Andrew giving up the heart.” “I don’t think he would,” Robert says.
“The doctors informed our men that Andrew’s health is much poorer than it seems. They say he might not survive another surgery. It doesn’t seem likely he’d risked his life for Charles.” Waylen sighs with frustration. I don’t give a damn about any of these people, he thinks. In fact, I’d be happy if every last Meyer and Clifford was rotting in hell. Still, it’s important to Leilani, and she asked me to make it right. I have to try, at least.
“Set up an appointment with Andrew,” Waylen orders. Robert raises his eyebrows in surprise, but he pulls out his tablet and gets to work. Feeling impatient and irritable, Waylen leaves the study and walks down the hall to check on Leilani again. He throws the doors open, but the bed is empty. He looks around the room, but there’s no sign of her anywhere.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Bamford,” a servant stammers.
“She asked me to get her some fruit and water, and when I came back, she was just gone.” “Does anyone have any idea where she is?” Waylen shouts. A bodyguard runs into the room and answers, “Mrs. Bamford said she wanted to go to the hospital. I sent two of my best men with her, sir.” “She probably just went to visit Bryan,” Robert said as he rushes down the hall.
“If she has bodyguards with her, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” “Do you want to stake your life on that?” Waylen asks.
“Quick, send more bodyguards after her!” Leilani walks down the hospital corridor, followed by two bodyguards. The men walk so close behind her, and she can almost feel their hot breath. She wants to ask them to back off, but she thinks about Gabrielle’s text message. She pulls her phone from her purse and reads it again: Sister, please be careful when you go out and never leave the house alone. Jackson Oliver is threatening to hurt you as a way of getting back at Waylen. Leilani thinks about the icy way Jackson looked at her in the nursing home, and she feels goosebumps form on her arms. She takes a deep breath to calm herself and then knocks on the door to Bryan’s room. Bryan grunts on the other side, and she pushes the door open and walks into the small but bright room. Though Bryan’s fingers are wrapped with thick gauze, he’s tapping away on his phone’s screen. Every few seconds, he curses under his breath and taps harder on the screen—he seems to be playing some sort of game. He glances up at her and gives her a warm, carefree smile. She snatches the phone out of his hands and twists his ear as hard as she can. “Get off me,” he complains.
“Are you trying to kill me?” “I think you might be better off dead,” Leilani says.
“What were you thinking, Bryan? Gambling at Dragon Bay Casino—do you have any idea what kind of people own that place? How could you be so stupid?” “I’m not a gambler, and I swear,” Bryan says.
“My friends brought me there, and I swear it was the first time I’ve ever been there. Anyway, it’ll definitely be the last.” “What’s wrong with you, Bryan?” Leilani asks.
“You have everything: you’re a rising star, everyone wants to book you for their movies and ad campaigns, and you’re doing your best to throw it all away.” “I’m sorry, okay?” Bryan says.
“I already said I’m sorry. What do you want—an apology letter or something?” “An apology letter might be a nice start,” Sophie’s cool voice says from the door.
“You can make it 100,000 words long—one word for every dollar of your debt.” Leilani lets go of Bryan’s red ear, and he clumsily rubs it with his bandaged fingers. Sophie leans against the door, looking like she’s aged several years in the last few days. She smiles kindly at Leilani and gives her a warm hug.
“How are you, dear?” Sophie asks.
“I called your house a few days ago, but the servant I spoke to said you were sick in bed.” “I’m alright,” Leilani says.
“It’s just been a difficult few days.” “You can say that again,” Sophie says grimly.
“Do you mind stepping outside to have a word with me?” “Of course,” Leilani says, following Sophie into the hall. Sophie shuts the door to Bryan’s room and says quietly, “I haven’t told him yet. To be honest, I’m not sure how. Right now, he thinks I’m here to talk about work on a future campaign.”
Leilani sighs and says, “It’ll be difficult. Bryan has always hated his birth mother for abandoning him. Don’t get me wrong, he loved Nanny, but he always wondered why his birth mother didn’t want him.” She squeezes Sophie’s hand and continues, “Let me tell him. I’ll find a way to do it gently.”
“Thanks, dear,” Sophie says with a grateful smile.
“Now, have you thought any more about my offer?”
Leilani’s mind races—with everything that’s happened in the last few days, she hasn’t thought about the offer at all. The truth is, I don’t know much about jewelry, she thinks. But I don’t know much about anything—my whole life, I was trained to become an ideal match for Waylen. No one ever asked me what I wanted to do or what I wanted to learn. Now it turns out, all that was for nothing.
Waylen and I are getting divorced, and even though he says he still wants me, there’s no way I can live my life with a killer. I’m pregnant with his child, but the pregnancy may kill me. I’ve never done anything just because I wanted to do it. So why not do it now?
“Okay, I’ll come work for you,” Leilani says.
Sophie’s face lights up with joy, and she says, “You’re doing the right thing. You’re going to carry on your mother’s legacy.”
“It’s not just for my mom,” Leilani says firmly.
“It’s for me too.”
“Just as it should be,” Sophie says, reaching into her purse and pulling out a thick stack of papers and glossy catalogs.
“Here’s some background information on the company and catalogs showing all of our major work from the last few years. If you want to come to see any of our workshops in person, just let me know, and I’ll arrange a visit.”
Sophie hugs Leilani and kisses her on the cheek and then rushes away down the hall. Feeling overwhelmed, Leilani returns to Bryan’s room and sits on the small sofa near the window. She flips through the catalogs as a nurse changes Bryan’s IV bag. She rolls her eyes as Bryan flirts outrageously with the nurse.
Her phone buzzes in her purse, and she glances down and sees Waylen’s number. She hits ignore and puts the phone back. It rings again, but she ignores it. When it rings for the third time, she grabs it and sees Gabrielle’s name. She hits the answer immediately.
“Leilani, Leilani, where are you?” Gabrielle asks breathlessly.
“I’m at the hospital,” Leilani answers calmly.
“The hospital?” Gabrielle asks.
“What happened? Are you hurt? Are you ill? Tell me!”
“What’s going on with you, Gabrielle?” Leilani asks.
“You sound more nervous than normal.”
“I’m just worried about you,” Gabrielle says.
“You saw my text message, right?”
“I did, and I’ve got two bodyguards here with me,” Leilani says.
“And to answer your other question, no, I’m not hurt or sick. I’m just here for a visit.”
“Tell me exactly where you are, and I’ll come to meet you,” Gabrielle says.
Twenty minutes later, Gabrielle runs into the room, panting for breath. She stares at the man in the bed and feels her face flush. Suddenly, she’s conscious of her messy hair and plain outfit. She combs her hair with her fingers as Bryan lazily lowers his magazine.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Miss C.o.c.keyed,” he says.
“Hello, Mr. Deadman,” Gabrielle says.
Bryan is lounging in the bed with the sheets thrown back. Instead of a hospital gown, he’s wearing his usual white T-shirt and dark ripped jeans. A necklace shines around his neck, but his rings have been removed for the bandages. He looks good, Gabrielle thinks.
“What are you doing here?” Bryan asks.
“I came to meet Leilani,” Gabrielle said, feeling her face get hotter.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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