Chapter 21 Panic-stricken Oliver
In the hospital hallway, Oliver was sweating bullets, staring at Sterling like his life depended on it—because, well, it kinda did.
Sterling, though, couldn't care less about Oliver right now. His eyes were glued to the emergency room door.
The silence was killing Oliver, like a boulder was crushing his chest, making it hard to breathe.
Just when Oliver thought he might actually keel over from the stress, Sterling finally spoke up.
Sterling shot Oliver a cold look and said, "You know today's hitman, don't you? Your eyes are giving you away."
Oliver's forehead instantly turned into a waterfall of sweat. Lying to Sterling? Not an option.
"Mr. Windsor, that guy's not a hitman. He's the son of one of our cafeteria workers. Had a head injury as a kid, mentally impaired. Basically, he's a harmless fool. We never saw this coming," Oliver stammered out.
Sterling took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a sec, then opened them with a sharp glare. "He's a fool who can't control himself, so he gets a free pass from jail?"
Oliver nodded, 'cause yeah, that was the deal.
Sterling's eyes narrowed. "Fine, then send him to a mental hospital."
Oliver hesitated. "Isn't that just like jail? The guy's pitiful. His mom struggles to take care of him."
Sterling grabbed Oliver by the collar, yanking him close. "Pitiful? So I should just let it slide? He came at me with a knife today. What if he goes after other students next? As the principal, you cool with that? Or is he your illegitimate kid or something?"
Sterling's rage made Oliver tremble.
"No, no, he's got nothing to do with me. I just feel bad for them. I'll get the mental hospital to take him right away," Oliver babbled.
Sterling shoved him away. Oliver didn't even stop to wipe his sweat; he just bowed and bolted out of the hospital.
Once Oliver was gone, Sterling's anger started to cool, and he got a grip on himself.
"You, go handle this personally. And once the fool's in the mental hospital, dig into what really happened at the school," Sterling ordered his bodyguard, who nodded and left.
A fool with a knife might seem like a random act to others, but Sterling smelled something fishy.
It wasn't his first time at the school, but it was the first time he'd been attacked. Why would a usually gentle fool suddenly flip out? Something was off, and he needed answers.
After setting things in motion, Sterling slumped into a chair, rubbing his temples in frustration. Bella pushing him away replayed in his mind.
Just then, the emergency room door finally swung open.
It was the same doc as last time. When he spotted Sterling hanging around outside, he frowned hard.
"The wound's not deep; she fainted mostly from being scared out of her mind. Sir, if she ends up here again because of you, we might have to start wondering if you're, like, abusing her or something," the doc said, eyeing Sterling suspiciously.
Sterling took a deep breath and, shockingly, bowed his head. "I've been swamped with work and haven't taken good care of her. I messed up. I'm really sorry."
If Bella saw this, she'd be floored. Sterling bowing to someone else? And for her? Unbelievable.
The doc didn't expect Sterling to actually own up. But he could tell Sterling's apology wasn't really for him; it was for Bella in the room.
"Since you get it, go see her. She just needs some comfort from family and friends," the doc said before heading out.
"Thanks." Sterling pushed open the door and walked in. It was the same old ward, sunlight streaming in, making Bella's hair look like it was glowing.
Bella was already awake. Seeing Sterling, she tried to sit up but winced from the pain. Her face twisted in agony.
"Stay put," Sterling said, pressing her other shoulder gently.
Lying there, Bella looked at Sterling's blank face and thought about what happened after she got hurt.
She was so freaked out that everything went fuzzy. She kinda remembered seeing Sterling's worried face and hearing him call her name over and over.
For a second, the concern in his eyes seemed to melt her heart.
'Must've been dreaming. No way this cold dude cares about me. He'd probably just frown at my injury,' Bella thought, teasing herself.
Suddenly, Bella's expression changed, and she instinctively touched her lower abdomen.
Sterling noticed. "What's wrong? Stomach hurting?" he asked, frowning.
Bella blushed and shook her head. "Can you help me up? I need to go to the restroom."
Sterling helped her off the bed and guided her to the restroom.
The ward Sterling picked was a fancy suite with a private restroom.
As he helped her, the pain from her arm wound flared up, making it impossible for her to move much.
The problem? Bella had an IV in her other hand, making it impossible to take off her pants.
Seeing her face turn redder, Sterling glanced at her arm wound and the IV.
"If it's about taking off your pants, I can help," Sterling said, making Bella instinctively want to refuse.
"No, I can do it myself," Bella said, but Sterling turned his face away and placed his hands on her waistband.
"If the IV comes out, I'll have to call the doc again, which is a hassle," Sterling said coldly before taking off Bella's pants and then turning his back to her.
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