Chapter 217
"Dad, what's wrong with Mom?" Simon asked with concern and sadness in his eyes.
"It's okay, Mom is sick, but she'll be fine in a few days." I wiped the corner of my eye, smiling at Simon.
"The patient's emotions are very agitated. Normally, this dose of sedative would be enough to make her fall asleep, but she is still trying to maintain consciousness." The doctor looked at me, then at Katniss, with a mix of curiosity and a hint of admiration, of course, the admiration was for Katniss's strong will. As I watched Katniss struggle to keep her eyes open and look at me and Simon, I knew she was very scared at the moment. She was afraid that if she fell asleep and woke up again, her husband and son would be gone. Even if this was a dream, she wanted to make it last as long as possible.
Eventually, Katniss fell asleep. In the last moment before closing her eyes, there was a hint of reluctance in them. I covered her with a blanket and slowly led Simon out. Outside the door, Mia, Michael, and Sophia were waiting. When I entered the room earlier, Mia had asked the attending doctor to wait outside, just in case, which was also the reason why the doctor came in so timely.
"How is Katniss doing?" I asked Mia, but instead of answering me, Mia looked at the doctor.
"Don't worry, the patient is no longer in critical condition. It's just that her mental state is very unstable, and her emotions are likely to get out of control. She needs you and your family to accompany her, guide her, and she will recover soon." The doctor, seeing Mia's gaze, explained to me with a hint of fear and a smile.
"Will there be any aftereffects?" This was the question I was most concerned about. If Katniss were to develop a mental illness in the future, then our family would never be the same again. I would have caused irreparable damage to Katniss.
"It's really hard to say. The patient ingested a lot of medication this time, although she was rescued, she still absorbed a significant amount of the drugs. Due to the variety and quantity of drugs she took, affecting different parts of the body, it's really hard to predict if there will be any aftereffects. We can only observe slowly in the future. But rest assured, we will do our utmost to cure her." The doctor reassured me with a flattering smile, but I knew it wasn't directed at me, but at Mia, considering this hospital was Mia's business.
"Don't worry about the expenses, this hospital is mine." Before the doctor could respond, Mia interjected.
"Come with me, I need to talk to you privately." Without waiting for my reaction, Mia spoke to me again.
"Okay." I handed Simon over to Michael and Sophia, then followed Mia to the office.
"What are your plans?" Mia got straight to the point once we were in the office.
"What plans can I have? Find a new job, work hard to support my family." Although my family was well-off due to my hard work in the past, the recent series of events - Nathan being hospitalized, Katniss being hospitalized, and myself being hospitalized - had depleted our savings. I had to find a job again to start over.
"What about Katniss?" Mia asked again.
"Starting over. Family, love, work, career." I glanced at Mia and replied decisively. After all the trials and tribulations, I had come to terms with the fact that we had sacrificed too much as a family.
"Alright, I have thoroughly reviewed your resume and work experience. Are you interested in working at my company?" At that moment, Mia took out some documents from her bag, and being close to her, I sneakily glanced and saw my old job application and even copies of my personnel file in her hands.
"Work? Do what?" Seeing my resume and files in her possession, I couldn't help but feel a bit fearful. Working under such a powerful woman who seemed capable of anything, I hadn't even considered it.
"It depends on how ambitious you are." After looking at the documents, Mia put them down and looked at me.
"Don't you consider ability?" I wanted to be a CEO, but I knew I didn't have the capability. The platform was important, but ability was even more crucial.
"As long as you're willing to learn, I can provide you with the platform. It depends on whether you can endure hardship and learn. As a man, you should know that nothing is impossible. No one is born exceptional, except for emperors and nobles in ancient times. Even though I was born into a wealthy and powerful family, everything I have now is earned through my own hard work." Mia raised her chin confidently. Despite negotiating with me in a somewhat unfamiliar manner, I knew Mia wouldn't offer such a significant opportunity to a stranger.
"Alright, I'm willing to learn. What do you want me to do?" I took a deep breath and clenched my teeth. I was a proud person, but I was also rational. Seizing the opportunity to advance under a woman with such status and strength, I pushed aside any feelings of freeloading. Opportunities like this were rare, and having someone so powerful support and mentor me was not something to be taken lightly. When I first met Mia, I had entertained thoughts of leveraging the connection, and now that the opportunity had presented itself, I had to seize it for myself, my family, my wife, and my children.
"Alright, I'll give you this opportunity. Starting today, you will accompany Katniss and in your free time, come to my company headquarters to learn about managing a business from me. Depending on your progress, I will assign you a position according to your abilities. After all, I am a businesswoman, and I can't afford to have a useless person. If you can satisfy me, learn everything you need to, I will make you the CEO of my main company, and I might even assign you my corporate jet. How does that sound?" Mia sat back down, adopting a more business-like demeanor. Though she was negotiating with me in a somewhat unfamiliar way, I knew Mia wouldn't offer such a significant opportunity to a stranger.
"Is this for real? CEO? A corporate jet assigned to me?" I sat up abruptly from the sofa, finding it hard to believe my ears. Such treatment was too extravagant, wasn't it? Now I finally understood Mia's words when I first got off the plane, 'Don't look at it, you might be flying on this plane often in the future.'
"It's too early to say that now. It depends on how much you can learn, your abilities. If you don't meet my expectations, everything will just be wishful thinking." Mia looked at my excited expression without disdain. After all, my reaction was quite normal considering how unexpected this situation was for me.
"Alright, I will study hard." Suppressing my inner excitement, I made a firm decision in my heart. I was determined to work hard and learn everything, no matter how much effort it took.
"Your focus for the next few days is to be with Katniss. Come find me whenever you have free time. I need to return to the company now; I've wasted quite a bit of time already." Mia stood up, preparing to leave.
"Can I ask one more question?" Although I knew I shouldn't speak out of turn at this moment, I couldn't help but ask.
"What do you want to ask?" Mia, already at the door, turned slightly to look at me.
"Um, why are you treating me like this?" This was my biggest question. I couldn't believe Mia would take an interest in me. Even if she and Katniss were good friends, it didn't justify her level of dedication and attention to me. There had to be another reason.
"I just feel tired and don't want to manage the company personally anymore. I'm planning to travel abroad to relax. If I find a place I really like abroad, I might settle there permanently and never come back. So, I need to hire someone to run the company for me and free myself completely." Mia spoke with a dreamy look, and for the first time, I saw a hint of weariness in her eyes.
"Why me?" If Mia needed to hire someone to run the company, with her resources, she could hire top business elites from around the world. There was no reason for her to choose me, with my limited education and experience.
"Don't overthink it. I'm not interested in you." Mia, hearing my consecutive questions, was starting to get impatient.
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." I quickly waved my hand to explain.
"If you really want an answer, then I'll tell you. The reason I'm giving you this opportunity and platform is simply because you remind me of him a little bit. Just a tiny resemblance, a shadow of him, that's all." Mia said this with a hint of sadness on her face and a trace of reminiscence in her eyes. After speaking, she walked out directly, leaving me stunned.
Just because I bear a slight resemblance to that man, she treated me this way? I could only imagine the place he held in her heart. I became intensely curious about the man Mia mentioned.
In the following days, I stayed with Katniss in the hospital. When she woke up, she would cry and hold onto me and Simon. This situation lasted for two days before gradually improving. Katniss's mental state also began to recover slowly. I felt guilty feeding Katniss during this time, and she would look at me with teary eyes. I didn't talk much to Katniss these days, but my care for her made her feel the warmth she had been missing. I knew that only my love could truly bring back the old Katniss.
During this time, whenever Katniss was asleep, I would go to Mia to learn various business management knowledge. It was like starting from scratch, and I was surprised that Mia was patient in teaching me. Of course, her teaching was strict; if I learned well, there was no reward, but if I didn't, there would be consequences - practicing Taekwondo with her. I would wear a Taekwondo uniform and be kicked around like a punching bag, becoming her human punching bag.
Although I spent a lot of time with Mia, our relationship remained strictly professional. Initially, I had unrealistic fantasies, but gradually, I realized that there was a man who occupied a special place in Mia's heart, and no one else could shake that. At most, I was a substitute for him, the lowest kind of substitute, nothing more.
After half a month, Katniss had fully recovered and was ready to be discharged. As for any potential aftereffects, we would need to observe at home and come for regular check-ups. Sophia and I packed Katniss's belongings in the hospital room, while Katniss played with Simon. After this hospitalization, Katniss seemed to have regained some youthfulness in her mindset, showing a childlike innocence that didn't match her age.
During this time, Nathan visited the hospital once while I was away. Michael's mother had informed him that I had returned, but he lacked the courage and face to come see me. He and Michael and Sophia explained that they were busy with electrical maintenance on the island and couldn't leave. With me taking care of things, he felt reassured. Every time I went to Mia's, I would tell Michael and Sophia that I would visit Nathan as well, but in reality, I never did. I didn't know how to face him. We maintained a silent understanding, perhaps our father-son relationship would last a long time.
As for Jennifer's departure, I could only explain that she couldn't handle the setbacks and difficulties in this family, choosing to escape and leave. Although this explanation had a negative impact on Jennifer, it was the only reason that could be given. It was also what Jennifer had told me over the phone before leaving, warning Nathan as well. Even couples who were once close could drift apart in times of crisis. Knowing the harsh realities of society, Michael and Sophia could only sigh, accepting this reason without any doubts.
After packing up, I borrowed Mia's Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle to drive home. Since I left home when Katniss was hospitalized, no one had returned home. Watching Katniss playing games with Simon in the back seat, I felt a mix of emotions. Occasionally, Katniss would sneak a glance at me. When she caught me looking at her through the rearview mirror, she would shyly avoid my gaze. After her recovery, she was very cautious, afraid of upsetting me again.
As the car moved closer and closer to home, I wondered if everything could truly go back to how it used to be.
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