Alexis walked slowly into the room where her father was. A smile spread across her lips as she saw him notice her presence and smile back at her.
"My sweetheart..."
"Dad..."
She immediately approached him and hugged him gently, not wanting to touch his chest, which might still have scars from his surgery.
"I've been so worried about you," Tony whispered.
"Oh, Dad..." Alexis released her hug, looking at him sadly. "I'm the one who's worried about you... I'm so afraid of losing you."
"Don't worry, I won't leave you until you find a man who can truly take care of you, who can replace me." Tony held Alexis's right hand, noticing she pouted as if she didn't like his words. "I need to make sure you have someone to lean on... I know you're a strong girl, but I don't want you to always be alone..."
"You speak as if you're going to die after I get married!" Alexis replied sharply, her eyes welling up with tears as she quickly turned her face away. 'Actually, you don't need to worry about me because I already have Greyson, who promised to marry me. But if I tell you how our love started... Maybe you won't be at peace, especially since everyone knows he's a married man.'
"I want to keep living, to see you happy... Of course, I do..." Tony sighed deeply, looking out the window. "I just feel tired... I made you spend money just to treat me, while this damn illness won't leave my body..."
"You will get better..." Alexis stopped him as he turned to look at her. "You don't need to worry anymore, you just have to keep following the doctor's advice... You'll get better and live longer, to see me happy..."
"But..." Tony squinted his eyes. "The cost of my treatment must be so expensive. Where are you getting the money to pay for all of this?" He wondered, while Alexis stood still, nervously biting her lower lip as she recalled how her relationship with Greyson was very secretive, even shameful because she was his mistress.
"Did you get a job?" Tony asked again.
Alexis sighed, looking at her father who showed concern.
"Did you give yourself to Jerry?"
"No... I'm not!" She shook her head, then smiled. "I could never give myself to him, he's a crazy man. Giving myself to him would only add problems to my life."
"I'm glad to hear that..." Tony sighed.
"I have a pretty good job with a kind boss. He already knows my situation and..." Alexis lied, biting her lower lip for a moment. "And he's willing to cover your treatment costs. I can pay him back in installments... Deducted from my monthly salary."
"Really?"
"Yes..."
"What's your position? I mean... Do you work in a store or...?"
"I work at a company." Alexis lied again. "You know I love drawing... So... I used that to start learning how to design jewelry. And it turns out they like it... They really appreciate it!" She acted enthusiastic.
Tony smiled immediately, holding Alexis's hand.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," he said weakly. "I know your talent will bring you success... You'll manage to rise from this hardship."
"Yes, Dad..." Alexis nodded with a faint smile, then her gaze shifted to the window. Suddenly, memories of her time with Greyson flashed in her mind. 'Sorry I have to lie... I don't want you to feel ashamed of what I'm doing... I'm really not a daughter to be proud of. I'm bad, I feel like a prostitute...'
Tony suddenly released his grip on Alexis, breaking her trance.
"That means you have to start working now, right?" He confirmed.
"Umm... yes..." Alexis nodded nervously.
"Then you can go back to focusing on your work now, don't worry about me. You have to succeed and I'll fight to get better!"
"Dad..."
"It's okay... You can go now..."
Alexis stood there for a moment, looking at her father who had suddenly become enthusiastic, making her unable to say anything other than to hug him and say goodbye.
She left the hospital, standing by the side of the road with no particular destination, looking around at the bright morning sunshine.
'What should I do now? Should I start drawing jewelry designs and apply for a job?' she wondered, then the thought of getting her wallet from the gray bag hanging on her arm occurred to her.
She only found a few bills inside the wallet, then looked ahead again, imagining the drawing tools.
"I don't even have enough money to buy drawing tools," she said in despair.
"Miss Reed?"
The voice of a man behind her startled her. Reflexively, she turned around and found Barron, neatly dressed in a black suit.
"You...."
"Mr. Whitmore asked me to assist you with anything," Barron said politely. "And I can see that you seem to be confused right now. You can tell me, maybe I can help."
"Um..."
She looked at Barron, furrowing her brow, imagining always being with him, which meant she would have no freedom. Whatever happened to her would be known to Greyson as well.
'Mr. Whitmore has helped me a lot already, and he probably needs to focus on solving his problems with his wife. I don't want to burden him with my problems. Besides, Dad is still in the hospital for an indefinite period... I don't need to get a job immediately to cover my lies.'
"Miss Reed?"
"Uh..." Alexis refocused on Barron. "I don't need anything from you. I'm fine!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes... I think you don't need to bother helping me all the time... Go back to focusing on your work at the office... Helping Mr. Whitmore. I don't want people to see you constantly with me because you're known as his trusted person... I don't want people to suspect who I am... For him." She explained, shrugging occasionally. "So... just leave me alone. I'll definitely return to the apartment every day."
Barron stayed silent, but slowly nodded his head.
"Ok, I have to go." Alexis smiled and immediately walked across the pedestrian area.
Once she was a bit farther, Barron quickly took his phone from his black suit pocket and called Greyson.
"Boss... She doesn't want me to help her," he said while continuing to watch Alexis get farther from his sight. "She doesn't want people to know that I'm watching over her, she doesn't want anyone to know she has a relationship with you. I think that makes sense... And it might be better to let her do whatever she wants as long as she doesn't leave you."
"The problem is there's danger out there targeting her... I trust her, but I don't trust the situation," Greyson replied, sounding anxious. "Keep an eye on her from a distance for now. Also, you need to find someone who can watch over her."
"Yes, sir..."
Barron ended the call and hurried back into the hospital area.
...
In a small park near an orphanage, Greyson approached Clara, who was sitting quietly, watching several toddlers playing on a slide and balloons being guided by three babysitters.
"What are you feeling?" He asked, sitting beside her.
"I just didn't expect my child to have the same fate as them, not feeling the love from the biological father," Clara replied, her gaze empty.
"Yes... You're right... But look, they're happy. You have to know, a child's happiness doesn't only come from their parents... It comes from the people around them, like friendships, play, delicious food, the beauty of nature, and things that make them curious... Anything," Greyson responded, leaning his back against the armrest of the chair. "That's why I say your child deserves to live because I'm sure it'll be happy like them, even without experiencing a father's love," he continued.
In silence, Clara turned to look at Greyson, who was smiling while watching the children.
'You're saying it as if my child will never feel the love of a father. Does that mean you have no intention of being a father to my baby? Then why are you being so attentive to us?'