Chapter 31
Sarah stood frozen in the café. She couldn’t believe how one phone call could mess Donna and Joshua up so bad. But their faces said it all—Simone was definitely the bows of SynNexus Group.
Sarah sull couldn’t get her head around the idea that her boss was a high school student who hadn’t even graduated yet. But thinking of her younger brother in the hospital, she took off after Simone.
“Wait, please!” Sarali’s shout eat through the wind as Simone’s figure got smaller in the distance.
Samone had left her hearing aids at home because they y felt like ice in the cold weather. That was why she didn’t stop till Sarah had shouted a bunch
Sarah jogged up, huthing and putting, as Simone finally stopped.
“I want to join SynNexus Group. You haven’t interviewed me yet. Sarah said straight out.
Simone looked her over. The other two candidates had whined, but Sarah had kept quiet. Her attitude had made a good impression. And Sarah was the only one who’d actually treated her with real respect the whole time.
Glancing at her watch, Simone figured they could talk while they walked. Sarah did great. Her time at a tech startup shone through as she answered questions with confidence.
As they talked, Sarah’s opinion of Simone shifted. She’d figured Simone was just some young kid who’d ask basic assistant questions, But Simone surprised her by diving into topics like intelligent robots and biopharmaceuticals.
Sarah was stumped by a few of them, but Simone patiently walked her through the answer-
When it was over, Sarah fidgeted with her fingers, feeling a little uneasy.
“Come to SynNexus Group tomorrow at
norrow at 9 a.m., “Simone said, smiling at Sarah’s nervousness. “The front desk will get you started with training”
Simone’s sudden smile took Sarah by surprise–it was like sunlight breaking through storm clouds, impossible to look away from
It was the first time Sarah had seen Simone really smile, and the warmth in it unexpectedly loosened the tightness that had been in her chest for
out of line, her cheeks turning red.
Whether it was Simone’s calming presence or that smile. Sarah found herself asking a question she knew was a
“Madam, could I get an advance on my salary?” Sarah hated having to ask, but thinking of her brother lying in a hospital bed steadied her voice.
“Are you short on money? Simone studied her face.
“Yeah” Sarah nodded, then quickly added when she saw the compassion in Simone’s eyes, “But if it’s not possible, that’s cool”
Sarah felt guilty. Simone had already given her a job offer, and here she was, asking for more.
Seeing the light fade from Sarah’s eyes, Simone suddenly asked, “Can you tell me why?”
Sarah’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Hello!” Simone waved a hand in front of Sarah’s face when she stayed quiet.
Sarah’s voice trembled, “it’s my brother. He’s really sick and needs expensive meds every day just to keep going. She Simone everything about her younger brother’s caudition.
To her surprise, Sunone didn’t hesitate. “I handle it,” she said. “I’ll let the company know. We also have employee subsidies for medical expenses, pregnancies, family emergencies, and other special sinuations.
“Thank you, Madam Sarah’s eyes turned red instantly, tears falling like raindrops she couldn’t stop wiping away. She hadn’t shed a tear through all those hard years, but this pure kinduria finally made her break down.
Simone froze when she saw the tears, her face Bashing with panic. She awkwardly wiped Sarah’s tears with a tissue and said, “Your brother’ll be okay. Come to me if you need anything”
Thank you so much, Madam” Sarah’s voice shook with ensation
“Just call me Simone,” she said. “Calling me Madam sounds weird. It made her feel twenty years older.
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Chapter 31
“Thank you, Simone”
That day became one of the few bright spots in Saraly’s life—a glimmer of light in the midst of her struggles. The shadows of her past suddenly seemed a little less heavy, filled with a newfound hope.
After class. Simone went back home. Cyrus hadn’t come back–again.
That night, she did something different she plopped down on the couch and turmed on the TV. She picked a suspense movie, the latest thriller that everyone was talking about.
Even though the plot was super gripping, Simone couldn’t get into it. Her eyes kept drifting toward the door, and her mind was all over the place.
“Ma. Irwin, are you missing Mr. Irwin?” Matthew caught every linde move she made and grinned like he knew a secret. She’s so cute, trying to hide her feelings. Just like Mr. Irwin be thought to himself.
“I… I’m not missing him.” Simone mumbled, looking away awkwardly.
Mathew just smiled warmly. “Sure, Ms. Irwin. You’re definitely not missing Mr. Irwin at all-
Simone stared at him, speechless. After a while, she finally asked, “Matthew, why hasn’t Cyrus come home these past few days?”
Simone uned to deny it, but Cyrus’s absence was like a weird hole in her heart. She remembered how he’d always been so nice to her, and it made her chest ache a linke
He hadn’t come back since she’d left Irwin Mansion without saying goodbye. Thinking about it made Simone’s heart drop. ‘Is Cyrus mad because I called our Graham in front of everyone? The more Simone thought about it, the more certain she felt.
After all, Graham was Cyrus’s dad. Humiliating him would definitely tick off Cyrus. Simone suddenly felt super down, like her heart was being squeezed
Matthew picked up on Simone’s gloomy vibe and figured she was overthinking things. “Ms. Irwin, don’t jump to conclusions, he said quickly. “Mr. Irwin’s been at the hospital the past few days. It’s not like he’s ditching home or anything”
Sumone’s eyes went wide, her worry showing plain as day. “The hospital? Is he sick?”
““Just his usual health stuff, nothing serious,” Matthew said. He’d been working for the Irwin family for over ten years
“Matthew, do you know which bospital he’s at?” Simone asked, her voice tinged with anxiety.
and knew the drill with Cyrus.
“Sogin General Hospital” Matthew replied without hesitation. Any thought of keeping Cyrus’s situation a secret from Simone flew right out the window.
Chapter 32
At Sogin General Hospital, the top doctors were all crowded in the conference room, looking pretty serious. They were trying to figure out what was up with Cyisis. Thine was dragging on, and isobody had a clue yet.
Meanwhile, Cyrus was lying in the hospital bed, hooked up to all the latest fancy machines, waiting for the tests to finish. Just like every other time. the results came back nonnal
Hendrix pushed his glasses up his nose and said, “Cyrus, your heart hasn’t given you trouble in months. Why’d it suddenly go haywire again!” He thought they’d fixed everything after Cyrus’s last heart attack a few months back.
Cyrus tried to think back and said, “I don’t know. I haven’t fel that pain since Simone came back.”
Hendrix rubbed his temples. “What did you do the day your heat acted up? What happened that whole day?” he asked, after thinking for a bit
“I was at the office all day, just the usual stuff. Nothing out of the ordinary, Cyrus said. “Then in the evening. I took Simone to Irwin Mansion for the family dinner.”“”
He paused, remembering something. “Simone got into a fight with my dad and left early. My dad was ticked off. I ran after her, but she was already gone. That’s when my chest started hurting”
Hendris’s eyes narrowed. “Was she in a really bad mood that day?”
“Exactly,” Cyrus replied, realizing the same thing at the same time.
They both knew how it worked: Simone’s intense mood swings always triggered sharp chest pains for Cyrus. It was like they were connected by some invisible, painful wire,
Hendrix shook his head. Man, what kind of messed–up father–daughter bond is this?‘ he thought
He’d never seen anything like it in his career–probably fewer than ten cases like this in the whole country. It was the kind of thing he’d only read about in novels or seen in medical dramas
Hendrix shrugged. “If we want to fix this for good, we might need to look at your daughter,” he muttered,
When the textbooks run out of answers, they had to dive into the supernatural stuff.
Cyrus didn’t respond. He glanced at his phone, then tossed it aside. He thought he’d hidden how bummed he was, but Hendrix wasn’t buying it.
“Missing your kid?” Hendrix teased, clicking his tongue. “Come on, Cyrus. You’ve been here for days. Not a single visit from your precious daughter?”
Hendrix had been Cyrus’s shadow at the hospital, but Simone hadn’t even sent a text “How pathetic” Hendrix taunted.
“Hendrix, shut up before I make you, Cyrus growled, his knuckles going white as he clenched the sheets, beneath the blanket. His mood was souring, because his WhatsApp was still as quiet as a graveyard.
“Alright, Ill zip it,” Hendrix said, taking a step back from Cyrus, who looked ready to explode
Cyrus was silent, his frustration growing.
Suddenly, slurp knocks echoed in the room, breaking the silence. Hendrix shuffled over to the door and wiring it open.
On the other side stood Simone, eyes locking onto Hendrixx’s
“Hey there! Looking for me?” he said, straightening out his wrinkled shirt with a charming smile that was all too familiar. He was the classic heartthrob, a total ladies‘ in
Simone’s instinct was to take a step back. “Um, sorry to interrupt, but is this Cyrus‘ room?” she asked, glancing at the number on the door agar to double–check. Is Cyrus out of here already?
At the sound of Simone’s voice, Cyrus whipped his head toward the door. Seeing her standing there, he matched up the nearest pillow and chucked itat Hendrix.
“Shut your filiby mouth, you creep!” he snapped, his glare scaring into Hendrix for what he’d said to Simonte.
Hendrix caught the pillow, his eyes darting between Cyrus and Sunone as the realization hit him. “Wait, so she’s your daughter!”
For the first time in his life, Heidrix wished he could just sink through the flour after making such a tasteless renurk. “Uh, please, come on in,” he
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Chapter 32
stammered, scratching the back of his b
chead awkwardly. He shot a worriel glance at Cyrus
Cyrus kept his eyes locked on Hendrix, like a guard dog protecting his pup. Right now, Simone was his whole world. “Just ignore him, Cyrus said. “He can’t help hai run his mouth” But it was clear from their banter that they were close friniul
Simone stepped inside with a thermos in hand, offering Hendrix a polite smile. Hendrix returned the gesture.
“This is Hendrix Dalton, my friend and personal doctor,” Cyrus said.
“Hello, Hendrix,” Simone greeted politely, sensing no hostility from him.
Nice to meet you, Simone, Hendrix replied with a playful wink.
He’s really cheerful, Simone thought, glancing at Cyrus. She wondered how these two opposites had become friends.
By now, night had fallen, and Cyrus was growing concerned. “Why did you come?” he asked gently, sitting up in bed.
Simone hesitated for a moment before responding, “Mathew mentioned you weren’t feeling well. I thought I’d check in on you” Her tone was straightforward, with no hint of guilt for putting Matthew on the spot.
With an effortless grace, she opened the thermos, pulling out the soup and dishes and arranging them neatly on the bedside table.
Cyrus decided not to press the issue, and Simone let out a quiet sigh of relief. “You should eat something,” she said, lowering the hospital tray and adjusting the backrest for him.
Though Cyrus felt perfectly fine, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her smooth, practiced movements as the care of patients before?” he asked, sitting up to avoid her fussing over him.
“Yeah,” Simone replied, keeping it brief.
set up his meal. “You’ve taken
Cyrus knew that when she gave short answers, it wasn’t worth digging deeper. After all the time they’d spent together, he’d learned to recognize her truck for dodging questions.
spoon
Simone carefully set the soup and dishes on the tray. “Go ahead, dig in,” she said, handing him the fork and Cyrus took them and tried the soup. A little smile spread across his face. It tasted just like the last time she made it. Hendrix grimaced at Cyrus‘ g
goofy grin. “Dude, you gotta see the look on your face right now,” he joked. Cyrus just waved him off, too happy to take the bat. And Hendrix had only teased him when he was sure of this.
