Chapter 30: Acute Blood Loss

Muriel's worried classmates packed the school clinic. The school doctor examined her thoroughly. Rakiza was just outside, with Theo by her side, waiting for the doctor's diagnosis. He never wavered in his commitment to Rakiza. He was the one who carried Muriel into the clinic while she was unconscious.
"Thank you," Rakiza said quietly to Theo, her gaze elsewhere. She couldn't change the fact that Theo was helpful and adamant in his opinions and points of view, even if it irritated Rakiza most of the time. One thing Rakiza couldn't deny but also couldn't confess was that she felt safe whenever Theo was around.
Rakiza was usually surprised by Theo's directness in his speech and comments, which would elicit her rage but then leave her perplexed. She couldn't figure out why Theo acted as if he owned her but wasn't willing to commit to the deepest part of understanding in his heart. His words and actions were obvious, but Rakiza couldn't understand what he truly felt.
"Something is wrong with your friend," Theo said, his voice deep. "We had never had an argument before, and her hatred for me was peculiar."
"She was just trying to protect me...
"It's not her responsibility to keep you safe," Theo cut her off.
"Neither does you, so stop acting like my bodyguard."
"And stop being the obstinate girl in my life."
"Stop it, Theo; I don't like argumentative people. And please leave me alone. "
"I know it's not what your heart desired, but since your other buddies were on their way, I'll keep my distance." He then walked away.
Chin's voice was in high pitch, "Rakiza? What happened to Muriel? "
Susan seconded, "Did you have a fight where she landed in the clinic?"
"No, she just passed out," Rakiza said.
"Maybe she's pregnant," Chin brutally said.
"Shut up, Chin." Susan encountered, "She just broke up with her boyfriend, who was on the other side of the world."
Chin carelessly replied, "Maybe she was hurt so badly that her heart decided to stop beating."
"Something was wrong with her," Rakiza murmured, "clearly; she wasn't concerned about her appearance any longer, which is unusual for her."
Chin said, "That's obvious, and it's natural for a woman who has been hurt by love to decide to hurt her body even more."
"We don't know what happened to Muriel, so we'll just wait for the doctor."
A few minutes later, the clinic's door opened, and the doctor advised them to call Muriel's parents so that she could be taken to the hospital for a thorough examination as she suspected Muriel of suffering from acute blood loss anemia.
"Acute blood loss anemia?" Chin exclaimed, as Rakiza was taken aback and Susan nervously bit her fingernails.
"Why was her blood draining?" Rakiza inquired about the doctor.
"Take her to the hospital for further testing and examination."
Chin commented, "Maybe she was bitten by a vampire who sucked her blood almost to drain."
"Stop that nonsense, Chin, "Susan protested, and said, "It's always a fact that you have blood loss problems when miscarriage."
"Quite girls, we have to call Muriel's parents, so that she can have her treatment right away for whatever the cause of that blood draining is."
Susan volunteered, "I'll call her parents."
They left early to attend to Muriel's issues. Muriel's parents drove her to the city hospital and promised Rakiza and the others that they would stay in touch.
Rakiza was getting ready for a walk in their room later that afternoon.
Chin inquired, "Where are you going, Raki?"
"I'm heading to the "A" Tower."
"What is your purpose for going?"
Rakiza stated, "I'm returning the ring to its rightful owner." Chin's eyes welled up as she pointed to her ring finger and said, "This ring," and Chin's eyes welled up.
"OMG! What a stunning ring! "
"Stop looking at this; this is probably why Muriel despised Theo Monsanto so much."
"You're right, Raki, it's beautiful and soothing in the eyes," Chin said, his gaze fixed on the ring.
"That's enough, Chin. I have to leave, and I'll be back soon." Rakiza waved her hands and began to walk out of the room, wearing black cargo pants, which Chin objected to.
"Imagine entering a grandiose place in that casual outfit you're wearing."
"Chin, there's nothing wrong with this outfit."
"Of course there is; you'll draw attention to yourself, so change into something formal and convenient."
"I'm comfortable in these cargo pants, Chin," Rakiza said as she continued with her trip.
She was already in a taxi after a few minutes. And she was relieved that Theo wasn't there to wreak havoc on her life.
The taxi had stopped in front of the main entrance to the "A" Tower building." Rakiza's knees wobbled as she stepped out of the car, but she tried to balance to hide her nervousness.
The outside area of "A Tower" was a little gloomy, with a few people wandering around calmly, but before she could enter the main glass door, a hand grabbed hers. Theo's face was worried.
"Call me if anything happens up there," Theo said urgently, handing her a cell phone.
Rakiza said adamantly, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to me up there, and I have my cell phone in my bag."
"This cell phone carried only one number, my number. You will save time from scanning. Just call me, please." Theo's voice was firm, making Rakiza wonder how serious he was in his warning.
"OKAY, whatever," Rakiza snatched Theo's cell phone from his grasp and walked to the building's glass revolving door. Rakiza was approached by a black uniformed guard who inquired about her appointment.
"I don't have an appointment, but could you please inform Mr. Nikolas Augustus that I am looking for him? My name is Rakiza Zanier. "
The guard silently nodded and motioned Rakiza to a large black couch on the ground floor lobby. It was all decorated with a garden motif. This only showed how much Nikolas loved flowers and the garden.
The lobby of the building was surrounded by a glass wall that revealed the outside world, but inside was a beautiful garden of Eden.
Rakiza noticed the uniformed guard speaking on the phone, but she couldn't understand what he said because he spoke in a low voice. Unlike other large buildings, the lobby was deafeningly quiet. Only nature's ambiance could be heard. Birds chirping, recorded sound effects, and wind blowing. It was unusual for her, and she had no idea what the building was for. There were a few tenants coming out of the elevator, but they were all unfriendly. They appeared to be arrogant people.
Rakiza took a deep breath as the uniformed guard approached her.
"The boss's personal secretary advised you to wait here, Miss," the guard said politely.
"Thank you," Rakiza said, admiring the various types of replicated flowers all around her. In the middle of the lobby, there was a small fountain with a white lotus flower floating in it. In human eyes, everything was real. And then her gaze was drawn to the grandiose staircase at her side that was ascending; it reminded her of the staircase castle in her dream.
Rakiza's heart beat faster as she gazed up at the stairwell, where she saw a large painting of Queen Maruja, the warrior queen of the East. She got to her feet as a result of it. Because all of the elevators were on the left side of the lobby, she didn't notice it during the masquerade ball.
Rakiza moved slowly to the bottom of the stairs and came to a halt in the middle, near the first step. His gaze was fixed on the painting on the wall. It was so large that it drew attention away from the main entrance lobby. And the queen's face was not a happy one. Her build was firm and strong.
"It's the staircase of the desert castle of Queen Maruja. I wasn't dreaming, "Rakiza said quietly.
"The boss's personal secretary is waiting for you, Miss," said the guard again.
Rakiza turned around to see Nikolas' chauffeur approaching. Not smiling but with a warm and welcoming expression on his face, Lupe was sent for Rakiza.
"She looked like you, Miss Zanier," Lupe said of the painting.
"What?" Rakiza asked.
"The painting, she resembled you or you resembled her," Lupe Marty said, adding, "This way, Miss Zanier." He led Rakiza into one of the lobby elevators, and they rose silently.
Lupe was a man of few words. He speaks only when it is necessary to do so. And he was tall, powerful, and devoted to his boss, Nikolas Augustus.
"Which floor are we on?"
"On the top floor, below the helipad," Lupe explained.
She had no idea about the helipad. She reflected on Nikolas Augustus's wealth.
"Was he upset about my sudden appearance here?" Rakiza wondered nervously.
"No, he knew your presence was significant and that you required his assistance."
Rakiza was anxious about the real purpose of her coming.
Lupe stated, "We're almost there."
Rakiza admitted honestly, "I was a little nervous, Mister...?"
"My name is Lupe Marty, and you can call me Lupe," he said flatly.
"Lupe, I'm a little worried." Rakiza smiled to relieve her uneasiness. On her wrist watch, it was already ten o'clock in the morning. And she smiled when she remembered Theo's worried face a while ago. He was perturbed about something. Rakiza thought that it was one of his ways to keep her from getting closer to Nikolas. He was really jealous of Nikolas.
The elevator came to a halt, and the door opened, revealing the long lobby, which was so cold that Rakiza had to embrace herself.
Lupe noticed, "You're shivering."
Rakiza's jaw clenched slightly.Her nervousness caused her to shiver as well.
"Perhaps the thermostat on the wall wasn't working; I'll check it later," Lupe apologized.
"Don't mind me, but where are we now?" Rakiza inquired.
"Follow me," Lupe said as he moved to the lobby's left side. "This way please."
Rakiza followed Lupe and noticed that the lobby was still decked out in flowers. "Who came up with the idea for these flowers?"
"Sir Augustus was a flower fan, and it was his idea to put decorative flowers everywhere to give it a garden feel."
Will, he is correct: whenever a person sees a variety of flowers, the brain sends a signal to the heart to feel warm and enjoy nature's beauty."
"Yes, the beauty of nature under the sun." Lupe said to himself.
After a few moments of silence, they resumed their walk. Lupe opened a door, revealing a large waiting area. The area had a glassed-in wall that faced Ghazin City's highest mountain range.
Rakiza was taken aback by the earth's beauty and exclaimed, "Wow."
Lupe stood behind her, staring at the peak of the mountain, and said softly, "You can see the beautiful sunrise from this part of the building." He narrated like a tourist guide, pointing out some natural beauty. "See those two mountain peaks over there?" he said, pointing to the mountain.
"Yes," Rakiza replied.
"That's where the sun rose every morning, and it was Sir Augustus' favorite time with nature," he said, trance-like.
"Where has he gone?"
"He is still in a meeting and will be here soon," Lupe apologized and asked, "What would you like to drink? We have all kinds of wine here, some from Mr. Augustus's collection. You want to try one of the rarest wines on the planet? "
"No, because rare implies expensive, and I don't want to taste expensive things," Rakiza said truthfully.
"You can have it for as long as you like; that was Mr. Augustus's intention when he built this room, to give her visitors something to do while they waited for him. He's a busy man, a very busy man, and he doesn't want you to get bored while you're waiting for him."
Rakiza noticed Lupe was an expert at entertaining guests. And she wondered how he became Nikolas Augustus' all-around trusted assistant.
"Can I ask you some questions, if you don't mind?" Rakiza inquired.
"Of course you can, Miss; that's part of killing the boredom, to keep talking and inquiring; what is it you wanted to know?"
"The staircase in the lobby, where was it going?" Rakiza finally asked about the most important thing she discovered below.
"It was heading up to Tessa's garden," Lupe said after a brief silence.
"Garden of Tessa?" Rakiza asked in hushed tones.
Lupe told her a little bit about the garden's history. "Tessa was Sir Augustus' mother."
"Does she still live in this building?"
"No, she died a long time ago," Lupe explained, "and left the most important instruction to follow."
"And what is that?"
"Never, ever, ever destroy her garden, no matter what."
Then a buzzer rang somewhere, and Lupe waded to the side of the glass wall, pulled out a remote control, and pressed a button. And gradually, curtains covered the glass wall, a thick kind of curtain that blocked the light from outside. Then all of the lights in the room came on.
Rakiza was perplexed as to why Lupe had enclosed the room, and asked, "How come you drew the curtain?"
"Mr. Augustus has solar urticaria," Lupe said softly.
"What exactly is that?"
"Solar urticaria is a rare allergic reaction to sunlight that Mr. Augustus has had since childhood."
Rakiza was stunned by Nikolas Augustus's illness.