Chapter 6 - The Phone Call
The next morning, the fragile peace was shattered by a ringing phone.
I was in the kitchen pouring cereal when my cell phone vibrated on the counter.
It was the hospital.
I answered quickly, stepping into the pantry to get some privacy.
"Ms. Carter, this is Dr. Aris," the voice on the other end said.
"It's about your sister, Maya."
My stomach dropped to the floor.
"Is she okay?" I gasped.
"Her condition deteriorated overnight," the doctor explained grimly.
"We cannot wait a month for the surgery."
"She needs it by Friday, or her heart will fail."
I leaned against the pantry shelves, sliding down until I was sitting on the cold tile floor.
"I don't have the money yet," I sobbed into my hands, trying to keep my voice down.
"I need more time."
"I am so sorry, Nia, but time is the one thing Maya doesn't have," the doctor said before hanging up.
I sat there in the dark pantry, crying silently.
I had failed.
I had survived a mafia shootout, earned the trust of four traumatized boys, and I was still going to lose my sister.
The pantry door suddenly swung open.
Adrian Vale stood there, holding a cup of black coffee.
He looked down at me, taking in my tear-stained face and the phone clutched in my trembling hands.
"Who called you?" he asked.
"It's none of your business," I snapped, trying to stand up and preserve my dignity.
He didn't move out of the doorway.
"In my house, everything is my business," Adrian stated calmly.
"Tell me who made you cry."
I glared at him, the stress and exhaustion finally boiling over.
"It was the hospital!" I yelled, not caring anymore.
"My sister is dying, and the surgery she needs is two hundred thousand dollars."
"I needed this job to save her, but they moved the timeline up to Friday."
I pushed past him, wiping my eyes angrily.
"So go ahead and fire me for being emotional, Mr. Vale."
"I don't care anymore."
May you like
I walked out of the kitchen, leaving him staring after me in silence.
I spent the rest of the day in a daze, trying to figure out how to get a massive loan in three days.
