GO AWAY
Arthur sat on a sofa in one corner of the VIP room at the hospital. He continued to wait patiently for Kimberly, who had yet to regain consciousness after her surgery. While waiting, he noticed a man walking slowly but confidently toward him from a distance. In a short while, the man sat right next to Arthur, looking somewhat perplexed.
Arthur gave the man a cold smile.
“Are you Nicholas Alistair?” Arthur scanned Nicholas’s appearance from head to toe, trying to assess his character.
Nicholas nodded nervously. “Yes, I’m Nicholas Alistair. Who are you, and what’s the reason for bringing me here?”
Nicholas was naturally bewildered. He had just returned home and was suddenly ambushed by unknown individuals. They forced him onto a private jet and flew to an unfamiliar location. Only after disembarking from the plane did he realize he was in Singapore.
But what puzzled him even more was why he had been brought to a hospital and was now meeting an elderly man he had never seen before.
This time, Arthur didn’t smile. His expression remained stern.
“I’m Arthur Rayder, Kimberly Rayder’s grandfather.”
Nicholas was startled. He had often heard that name. But meeting, let alone face-to-face, was a first for him. Nicholas’s heart raced instantly. He never expected to meet Kimberly’s grandfather in this situation. That meant Arthur had ordered several large men to pick up Nicholas. But for what?
“What’s the matter, sir Arthur? Do you want to meet me?” Nicholas asked, feeling extremely nervous.
Arthur Rayder snorted.
“Sir? Since when did I marry your grandmother? Just because my granddaughter likes you doesn’t give you the right to call me ‘sir’,” Arthur replied sharply. He had truly caught Nicholas off guard.
“I-I’m sorry, Mr. Arthur. I didn’t mean to offend you,” Nicholas stammered. He was genuinely embarrassed by the old man’s rebuke.
Arthur Rayder slapped Nicholas’s shoulder hard, causing him to cough in pain. He then chuckled softly before speaking.
“No need to worry. I’m quite generous. Although, I must admit I’m very angry that you had the audacity to hurt my granddaughter.”
Nicholas felt even more uncomfortable. It was clear that he was in the wrong here. It was entirely justified for the old man to scold him.
“I apologize. I never meant to hurt, let alone make Kimberly upset,” Nicholas pleaded sincerely.
“Do you know that I have already arranged a marriage for Kimberly with my chosen man?”
Nicholas simply shook his head weakly. He really didn’t know anything about Kimberly. She had so many secrets, including the illness she had. Foolishly, Nicholas had even acted harshly, leading Kimberly to decide to leave him.
“Do you also know that Kimberly just underwent surgery, and her condition was critical a few hours ago?”
Once again, Nicholas was taken aback. Finally, he understood why he had been brought to the hospital suddenly.
“So, how is Kimberly now? Did the surgery go well? Is she awake now?” Nicholas asked, genuinely concerned.
“Why should you care about Kimberly’s condition? If I weren’t pushed, I wouldn’t even bother to introduce you to my granddaughter,” Arthur’s eyes gleamed with anger. Clearly, he was still upset that Kimberly had been hurt by the man sitting next to him.
Nicholas stood up from his seat, and unexpectedly, he knelt right in front of Arthur.
“I beg you, please forgive me. Allow me to meet Kimberly, just once,” Nicholas pleaded earnestly.
Arthur sighed in frustration. On one hand, he was still annoyed, but on the other, he knew he had to reunite Kimberly with the man before him. Reluctantly, he accepted Nicholas’s apology.
“Get up!” Arthur commanded. “This time, I’ll allow you to meet Kimberly. Once my granddaughter is awake, you must promise not to see her again.”
“But-”
“No ‘buts’!” Arthur quickly interrupted. “Your choice is a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”
Initially, Nicholas wanted to protest, but after reconsidering, he couldn’t refuse Arthur’s order. He was nobody here, so he chose to agree with what the old man instructed.
“Fine, I agree. Now, please allow me to see Kimberly.”
After that request was spoken, a nurse approached Nicholas and guided him into the room where Kimberly lay.
Entering the room, Nicholas’s brown eyes immediately fell on Kimberly, who lay weakly on the bed. Without hesitation, he hurried over.
Nicholas reached for Kimberly’s wrist, holding it tightly and occasionally kissing the back of her hand. He hoped that through his touch, she would feel it and wake up from her temporary slumber.
“Kimberly…” Nicholas whispered gently and lovingly. “Wake up, my love. I’m here.” Afterward, Nicholas tenderly kissed Kimberly’s right and left cheeks. However, it seemed that she remained motionless, showing no signs of change.
Nicholas let out a long sigh. He almost felt hopeless as he tried to wake Kimberly, but she showed no response.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
Two tears rolled down Nicholas’s cheeks, wetting them. Seeing Kimberly’s current condition was painful for him. There were so many things Kimberly had hidden from him, including her illness. Foolishly, Nicholas had even acted rudely, causing Kimberly to choose to leave him.
“I’m sorry, Kimberly. Forgive me,” Nicholas kept repeating those words while kissing the back of Kimberly’s hand. Desperate, he then moved closer to her, gently kissing her forehead and lips. He continued to do so for a while, and after some time, he believed he saw Kimberly’s eyelashes flutter, indicating that she was starting to regain consciousness.
Quickly, Nicholas ran to find a nurse to check on Kimberly. While he waited, Arthur, who had previously sat calmly, approached him and spoke.
“Your time is up; you can leave now.”
“But Kimberly just-”
“Take this man away!” Arthur ordered the guards who had previously brought Nicholas to the hospital.
“Give me just a little more time; I want to see Kimberly wake up,” Nicholas pleaded.
Arthur didn’t care. He waved his right hand, signaling the guards to quickly remove Nicholas from his presence.