Chapter 11

At first, I thought her limp wasn't really because she was hurt. She was such a strange girl, always seeming like a continuous emotional bomb without any apparent reason to be happy. Living as she did... it ended up irritating you because it was so confusing. So I thought it would be better to ignore it, but that was a mistake. It was as if, after getting hurt, she didn't have the malice to demand compensation from the culprit, and that was what bothered me the most about this whole situation. I couldn't believe that someone with such good intentions actually existed. It was ridiculous.

Thoughtfully, I looked out the window, trying to understand the nature of her actions that escaped my reasoning. Why didn't she demand that I take her to the hospital? I understood that the feeling of having nothing in common was mutual, and our encounter was terrible, not to say unbearable. But what kind of person was she, if she didn't have a minimum sense of self-preservation? Did she consider herself so little of a person... although I could give her credit for being strong-willed. She would still be smiling while being taken to the hospital. It would have been interesting to see...

"Belle Orphan..." I murmured, intrigued. "A discarded surname, only given to children who were never adopted."

♥

When we arrived at the hospital, the pain was causing small shocks at shorter intervals. I closed my eyes while they quickly wheeled me on the stretcher. I took one last look at Joffre, who was watching me enter the room. When I opened my eyes, I saw my arm was in a cast.

"How long was I asleep...? What happened?"

"Too long for my time." Startled, I sat up when I heard that voice, complaining in pain, seeing him next to my bed with his arms crossed and a serious expression. Why was this man here?

"Didn't you assure me you were fine?" he snapped.

"It's strange... it didn't hurt before," I said with a nervous smile. It was the worst wake-up call I could have. My answer seemed to annoy him even more, so why was he here if he hated my presence so much?

"I'm fine now... it wasn't necessary for you to come." I said tensely, trying to end this uncomfortable situation.

"You said you were fine, over and over again... and then you show up with a broken arm. I don't believe it... you intentionally sought to annoy me with this whole situation because of how I treated you."

"What? No, that's not how it was..." I replied, looking at him again while shaking my head incredulously. I looked at my arm again and let out an annoyed huff.
"How can you say that, looking at me with this broken arm," he muttered so low I barely understood him. He was upset about spending money, and I had to end this immediately. Suddenly, an older woman in a white coat entered, the doctor. About to speak with her to let me leave, Mr. Caesar spoke with her aside, and they suddenly looked at me. Confused, I listened.

"So you're the patient."
"Yes, I am, unfortunately..." I said, glancing at Mr. Caesar's stern expression. The woman approached me to place a stethoscope on my chest.
"Don't worry, we'll just do some tests, so relax..."
"It's just that, I don't..." she leaned me back while thousands of questions ran through my mind.
"C-can I ask if I can...?" my words got stuck in my throat when I saw Mr. Caesar's stern expression, watching everything closely. Tense, I stayed silent, thinking about the money I would need for all these tests. If just my grandfather's treatment was so expensive, I couldn't imagine what they would charge me for this. I sighed worriedly... and to top it off, I couldn't do or say anything with this man looking at me with such a sharp expression, seemingly ready to kill me. When they finished the tests, I sighed in relief. They removed the machine's cables and quickly started pushing the stretcher.

"Excuse me, where are you taking me? Can I leave now?"

"Don't worry." He said simply. Not worry? I would have to sell my liver to pay for these tests because my first salary was to pay Mr. Keylef. But my heart skipped a beat when I saw the room was private, like the one my grandfather had... this was outrageously expensive.

"W-w-wait a moment. I-I can't pay for this," I said, grabbing the nurse's arm to stop her.

"What?"

"Well, what I mean is... I appreciate the care, but I just want my arm bandaged so I can go home."

"Who said you had to pay for it!" Mr. Caesar snapped, entering the room to talk to the nurse, and behind him, a kind smile greeted me.

"Mr. Keylef!" I exclaimed, unable to hide my excitement. I fixed my hair as best I could, completely forgetting Mr. Caesar's presence.

"Why did you come all the way here? You shouldn't have bothered."

"How could I not come, Belle... I was worried when I heard you were taken to the hospital." He said, approaching my stretcher, and I felt he was radiating light. He left a small glass fishbowl and, sitting at the foot of the bed, said.

"They found a little friend hiding among your clothes. The strange thing is it's not a scapegoat. You have many secrets hidden in your pocket, Belle. How do you do it?"

"I'm not... that special," I indicated, embarrassed, looking at Gulliver breathing calmly in that fishbowl.

"You have to take care of yourself. You no longer live on the street."

"I know, I'm just very clumsy, but I promise I'll listen to your advice from now on." He smiled slightly, raised his hand to my face, whispering.

"I wish she smiled like that..."

"What?"

"Nothing, sorry... accept the help of..."

"I'm going to pay for everything, so stop making a fool of yourself." Mr. Caesar snapped, approaching us.

"Why do you want to pay for my hospital...?" I asked, looking at him strangely. I could understand that his horse hit me, and therefore he felt guilty. But could this man actually feel guilt with how proud he was?

"It's your fault for being so stupid as to touch a horse that didn't belong to you. If I were just with reality, I shouldn't be here, so you'd learn a lesson. But unfortunately, you're my employee and work under my command, so I'm responsible for you." He said with an expression of clear annoyance at the situation, because of me...

"Don't be so hard on Belle, Caesar." Caesar? It was a nice nickname.

"Don't call me that, and secondly, she's my employee. I'll decide what's appropriate in any situation. Why do you defend her, undermining my authority?"

"Because she's under my protection." Mr. Caesar smiled slightly and said.

"You think I don't know what you're trying with this woman?" I looked at both of them, alternating my gaze, like a tennis match.

"I don't know why you're so irritated, Caesar...? Tell me what's bothering you."

"Stop making your jokes and take care of your part of the company like I've been telling you for years, or start doing something useful. I'm tired of looking after you."

"If I felt as guilty as you do, I'd also drown myself in work." The looks they exchanged could be cut with scissors.

"Gentlemen, we're not on the street! If we were, you'd both come out very hurt by my fists, so behave like the men you are." They looked at me, surprised by my strange words. Keylef let go of his brother's shirt and said with a smile.

"She's right, just think about it, little brother... don't you think it's too much of a coincidence even for me?" Mr. Caesar looked at me with a disapproving expression and approached the doctor, who diligently indicated.

"We need to discuss the test results."