Chapter74Awakening
The gunshot caused chaos among pedestrians, with screams filling the air, while the shooter took the opportunity to flee. The ambush was sudden. Victor's men, hidden in the shadows, reacted too late. One contacted Victor, while another rushed to check on Matthew, who was barely conscious.
Following Victor's orders, his men whisked Matthew back to their stronghold in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Kevin and his assistant were already prepped in the operating room.
Victor, seeing Matthew drenched in blood, hurriedly ushered him into surgery, heart racing with anxiety. The bullet was perilously close to the heart, and with significant blood loss, the immediate priority was to extract the bullet and stop the bleeding. Dr. Kevin, a highly skilled surgeon servicing JF Group, was trusted to handle the situation.
Victor stood guard outside the OR during the procedure.
Some four to five hours later, the doors to the operating room swung open, and Dr. Kevin emerged, mask and gloves coming off.
Victor stood to meet him.
"Kevin, how's Matthew?"
"The bullet's out, and there's no immediate danger to his life, but he lost a lot of blood. He's currently receiving a transfusion and hasn't awakened yet. If all goes well, he should come around by tomorrow afternoon."
As Kevin peeled off his gloves, he briefed Victor.
"Make sure he's not disturbed. I'm going to rest—call me when he wakes up."
After Kevin left, Victor stationed someone at the OR door to alert him when Matthew woke. Then, he went upstairs to chase the gunman. The shooter's boldness, striking in broad daylight with a carefully planned escape, meant they needed to find the perpetrator fast.
Victor reached the intelligence room, where his team was already scouring the surveillance footage from near the shooting site. The room was tense under his stern gaze.
"Any leads?" Victor asked icily.
"We haven't found anything yet," a subordinate reported.
"Expand the search, hack into nearby businesses' cameras if needed. I refuse to believe he left no trace behind," Victor commanded.
"Also, get someone over to check with the oil folks," he instructed firmly. "Matthew just inked a deal with them and then got shot stepping outside? I don't buy that as a coincidence. Keep a close eye on them."
"Roger that."
His crew got to work.
One of his men came in, handing over Matthew's cell phone, which had fallen during the chaos.
"Victor got Matthew's phone here."
Victor took the phone, noting the unread Facebook notifications and missed calls.
He realized he still needed to inform his brothers of this.
He sent a message to their group of five from his phone.
“Some trouble on this end with Matthew. Took a bullet in an ambush. Return trip's up in the air now.”
“What happened? Who did it?” Mitchell replied.
“Still looking into it. It might be those oil tycoons—who got greedy with the new contract and demanded a 50% cut. Matthew carried cash to their underground casino this morning to negotiate. He said the deal was sealed, then got shot walking out.”
“Greedy tycoons, man.”
“How's Matthew now?” Victor joined in the chat.
“Surgery's done. He's out of danger but not awake yet. Kevin thinks that by tomorrow afternoon.” Victor replied.
“Patrick, keep Willow and Sister out of the loop—no need to worry them.” Victor requested.
“Got it. Damn, how could this happen?!”
The group fell silent, well aware of Matthew's state. Victor had sensed Matthew's distraction in Saudi and had chosen to accompany him instead of relying on his inefficient shadow operatives—never expecting real trouble.
Knowing Victor was tied up, the others didn't press further. With the worst behind them, Matthew would be okay.
Victor spent the night awake, scouring surveillance footage in the ops room.
The opposition was prepared much of the footage was corrupted and irretrievable.
After two days of reviewing tapes, a suspect emerged on a cafe's surveillance video. Victor mobilized, ready to bring in the person for a thorough interrogation.
Victor had successfully cornered his target in an alley and, after bringing him back, immediately locked him in the basement.
He then went downstairs to check on Matthew. Having received no calls from his men, he wondered, could Matthew still be unconscious? He headed straight for the infirmary upon his return.
"Victor," the two men stationed at the infirmary door stood up as he approached.
"Has Matthew woken up yet? Has Kevin stopped by?"
"Matthew's still out."
"Open the door, I need to see him."
Victor entered the infirmary and saw Matthew asleep on the bed, looking alarmingly pale. His blood-stained shirt and jacket had been discarded, leaving him bare-chested. The gunshot wound in his chest had been cleaned and bandaged.
Growing anxious, Victor pulled out his phone, ready to call Kevin. Hadn't he said Matthew would wake by the afternoon? Why was he still unconscious at night?
The call connected.
"You awake?" Kevin picked up the phone, thinking it was Matthew's awakening.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. You said he'd wake up this afternoon. Why hasn't he come to yet?"
"Huh? Is he still not up? I'll come over and check."
It should be time for him to wake, Kevin thought.
"All right, hurry over."
Victor hung up and waited for Kevin in the infirmary.
It took Kevin approximately ten minutes to arrive from his nearby residence. He entered, donning a white lab coat and equipping himself with a mask and gloves.
"Everyone else, clear out. We don’t need too many people in here," he ordered.
Victor motioned the other two men to wait outside while he stood aside.
After another thorough check, Kevin reassured him, "He's going to be fine. Have someone take him to a room upstairs to rest. Staying in the infirmary isn't good. Don't worry, he'll wake up tonight."
Relieved by Kevin's words, Victor had someone move Matthew to an upstairs bedroom.
When Matthew awoke, it was past 2 a.m. Darkness enveloped the outside, and only faint traces of moonlight seeped through the slits in the curtains, barely revealing the outlines of the room's furnishings, indicating he was back at the headquarters villa.
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