11

"Are you okay?" Dylan looked at Suzanne with concern, noticing her somber attitude. "You haven't even touched your drink."

She sighed. She didn't even feel like going out partying over the weekend, but her friend had insisted so much that she ended up accepting.

"I hate being so weak," she complained.

At those thoughts, memories of that Friday came to her, making her shiver from head to toe for various reasons.

A week had passed and although her relationship with her boss hadn't improved or worsened, her father's condition was getting worse and worse.

"My loan was denied," she murmured with a lump in her throat. "I don't know what I'm going to do now, those processes take a long time and time is the last thing I have."

Suzanne hadn't yet told her best friend about her boss's proposal, although after what had happened she saw no reason to.

"It's all over," she thought with certainty.

"Suzie, we can't give up," she took his hand gently, an enormous lump in her throat. "You'll see that everything will be alright, we'll get that money from somewhere."

In moments like this, she was grateful to have support like Dylan, he had always been there since they met in college and became inseparable.

"I hope it's soon, I have an anxiety in my chest that won't go away," she sighed.

"Do you want to go home, babe?" he looked at her compassionately.

Suzanne bit her lip, she didn't want to spoil the outing because she had promised him the previous week that she would be available the next, but the truth was she didn't feel like doing anything.

She also refused to stay at home, thinking about her boss's proposal and the five million dollars he had offered her.

"If my father weren't so sick, I wouldn't still be thinking about that possibility."

When Nathan had kissed her, she felt her heart race. Despite the fact that he was a jerk, she had to admit that he was very handsome, a man with a well-toned body.

He had muscular arms and possessed a dazzling beauty. She still remembered his smile, and although that man didn't smile very often, when he did, it made her heart race.

"Jesus, Suzanne," she scolded herself.

She had only seen him in his typical elegant suits, but it was clear that he had a well-toned body...

She pushed those thoughts out of her head, she couldn't think that way about him. He was an idiot and nothing more.

"Come on, sweetheart," Dylan took her hand to lead her out of the place filled with lights. "You're too distracted and Jamie isn't going to make it, tomorrow he wants us to have lunch together and you're invited."

"I'll be the third wheel with your guy," she smiled reluctantly, noticing her friend's reproachful look. "Alright, alright... but if you two get romantic, I'll leave."

"I would never leave you out and you know it, silly," he touched the tip of her nose. "Jamie won't say anything either, you know he likes you."

Suzanne barely smiled. What would she do without those two? They were her only company in these hard times of so much sorrow and uncertainty.

The next day she got up late and then went to the laundromat. Later, she met up with Dylan and Jamie, and she was able to spend a bit more time with them, even managing to laugh and set aside her worries for a few moments.

But suddenly, a call on her cell phone made her frown.

"Mrs. Rosanna?" she frowned, not understanding the call from her neighbor.

"Oh, Suzanne! Is that you? Thank God!"

"Did something happen?"

"It's just... your father," she said, and Suzanne felt her legs give way.

"Oh my God, what happened?" she said, upset.

"He got very bad, he's in critical condition, Suzanne," she said sadly. "If he doesn't start his treatment now, he's going to die. He's now in intensive care at Greenwald Hospital. Your brother is with me… I need you to come now."

The phone fell from her hands as thousands of tears streamed down her cheeks. Her friends looked at her and hurried to help.

Suzanne felt lost, she didn't know what to do or where she would get the money. She hid her face in her knees as she felt the world crashing down on her, everything was wrong.

"Come on, we'll take you to the hospital," Dylan said, extremely worried about his friend.

She let herself be taken, and then she thought of Nathan. He was her only way out, though she would have to pay a high price.

She didn't know how long she had been crying or when they arrived at the hospital, but the doctor's prognosis was not encouraging at all.

"He needs the treatment urgently, he can't wait any longer, miss. His illness is progressing too quickly."

She wanted to cry, kick, and scream at the world for being so unfair, but she knew it would do no good. She had to wipe her tears and find the money no matter what, even if she had to sell her dignity.

After leaving her brother in good hands and gathering her courage, she decided to look for him at his apartment. She just hoped to find him there, and above all, that his offer was still on the table.

"What if he's not there? It's the weekend, men like him aren't home at this hour."

She knew what she was about to do was crazy, but she had no other choice. Her father's life was at stake.

"I'm outside your house, Mr. Strong," she texted him.

That was all it took for the guard to let her pass. As the elevator went up, her heart raced.

She found her boss wearing only boxers, and although she was about to faint, she stayed firm, trying not to look too much at that tempting body.

"Miss Peyton, it seems you have changed your mind," he said cynically.

"I accept your proposal," she said immediately, without beating around the bush.

Nathan felt a surge of euphoria in his chest, although he limited himself to nodding without any particular expression.

"Good, then let's talk about the terms of this agreement," he said coldly, pointing to the couch.