Chapter 5

Important Personnel

Jason

I was distracted by my thoughts and genuinely did not see the woman I crashed into. She hit me squarely and bounced off but thanks to my reflexes, I caught her before she could split her skull on the hard ground. She clung to me, glancing first behind her to see where she would have fallen and she cringed in my arms.

An invisible fist hit me in the belly from how close we were. Finally, she lifted her gaze to mine and I was rooted to a spot. Her bright baby blue eyes were filled with gratitude and the flames of lust went out of control within me. I was suddenly aware of how curvy she was and how delicious she smelled. Her wave of long red hair spilled over my arm like liquid fire.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going and—”

“Don’t be,” I interrupted her, still mesmerized by her seductive eyes. “There is no need for you to apologize. We were both distracted, clearly.”

She watched me silently but she was not reacting like other girls. Not to brag but I was used to girls chasing after me and so, I tried to keep a low profile. Some had even been arrested for spying on me in my mansion. Maybe she had not recognized me because she was in shock. I waited for my identity to dawn on her.

“Thank you for catching me but I am actually in a hurry. Bye and thank you again,” she expressed her appreciation instead of the celebrity worship I had been expecting. She ran past me out of the hospital premises, into the street and out of ny sight for good.

Immediately I entered the hospital, the receptionist at the front desk sat up and intentionally undid two buttons under her collar. I barely held back from hissing in disgust when I saw her discreetly pointing her phone in my direction.

“Good morning, Mr Carter,” she cheerily greeted, walking out of her cubicle towards me. Her smile faded when Monte, my driver and personal bodyguard joined me in the hall. He plucked her phone from her wrist and deleted the video she had been filming.

“No one is to know Mr Carter is where or the reason he is here,” Monte warned her, speaking on my behalf. She nodded like an automatic doll and scurried back to her duty post. She must have placed a call upstairs because soon, a nurse came downstairs.

“Mr Moore will see you now, sir,” she supplied, leading the way up the stairs. Monte frowned at the receptionist again and she ducked under the counter. I smothered a chuckle at his excessive show of aggression.

“Stop frightening the help, Monte. Did you get my usual spot?” The hospital reserved a special parking spot for me; why wouldn’t they when I owned two-third of the establishment? I would soon buy out the last shares from the government and add it to my list of acquisitions.

Elijah and I attended high school together but our parts had gone separate ways when he chose med school. He had been among the smart ones, destined to be successful according to oor teachers. When he was still in his fifth year, I had thrown my graduation cap and started making plans for my future. Five years later, he was working for me and depended on my signature on his paycheque. How funny the world was!

On getting to his office, the nurse knocked twice and stood aside. Instead of throwing a ‘Come in,’ at us, he opened the door himself. He dismissed the pretty nurse and let us in. Without wasting time by engaging in small talk, he dove straight into the problem at hand.

“Jason! You are earlier than I expected. Your grandma is becoming a handful these days. Two nurses quit today because she threw her used underwear at them. We are grateful for your continuous donations and investments in Orange Hill Hospital but I am afraid that we cannot take any more of your grandmother’s excesses. If you need a recommendation in finding a caregiver, I can—”

“No, there will not be any need for that,” I cut him short. The previous caregivers had all been recommended by him and none of them had lasted for more than months. If my grandmother would be getting a new caregiver, I wanted to choose whomever it it would be by myself. Stubborn though she was, Grandma Carter trusted my judgment.

Someone knocked at the closed door, causing Monte to be on alert. He opened it and a man poked his head through the door, hiding the other half of his body. He scanned the situation and understood that he was intruding.

“Sorry, Doctor Elijah. I wasn’t aware that you had company. I would come back later.”

He was withdrawing his head but Elijah stopped him from leaving.

“Don’t be modest, Jericho. Come meet the partial owner of Orange Hill.”

Elijah walked around his desk to make the necessary introductions and Jericho closed the door. Monte frowned at him but he barely blinked in fear. There was a presence around the man, some kind of self-confidence that was on another level. Even clothed in ordinary medical scrubs, I could tell when I was with an important personnel.

“Mr Carter, this is Doctor Jericho Sandwell. He is one of the best gynecologists I have ever met. Jericho, meet Mr Carter, the fourth— was it?— youngest billionaire in the world and our biggest research investor.”

The man’s eyes were hidden behind glasses but I could sense that they were focused on me. To diffuse the tension, I offered him my hand for a handshake and he accepted the offer. His grip was strong, like that of a brown collared worker and I saw the corners of his lips lift. He must be enjoying some secret joke or merely laughing at me.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr Carter. I have you to thank then, for the new equipments shipped in for the Women and Children Department. We are grateful and hope to save many more lives as a result.”

I soaked in his gratitude, subtly straightening my fingers. That handshake had been something else. Elijah chose that moment to speak, referring to Doctor Jericho.

“What is it you wanted to see me about? If you don’t mind the interruption, Mr Carter,” he added for my benefit.

“Absolutely not. I have to go see my grandmother and take some sense into her. Do what you have to do.” I relinquished my chair to Jericho and followed after Monte. It happened that as I went out the door, I caught snippets of their conversation.

“. . . and you let her go? You need to find her, Jericho so we can take the baby after her delivery.”

Who were they talking about?