Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire-Chapter 26: What Happened?
Vincent’s knees nearly gave out as he gripped the camera tighter. He forced himself to ask, "Are you... are you going to tell him?" His shame deepened as he stared down at the ground.
Andrei turned back to him again. He stepped forward and placed two fingers under Vincent’s chin, tilting his head up with two fingers so their eyes met. "We’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t we?" We started serving the master and his father together. I’m sure you know that I don’t betray people I’ve known since childhood... especially not the ones I like."
With that, Andrei let go of Vincent’s chin and straightened, brushing past him as he walked away. Over his shoulder, he added, "But be careful, because if Master Enzo catches you on his own, that’s entirely on you."
Vincent stood there, frozen, as he watched Andrei disappear into the shadows. His hands trembled so violently that he almost dropped the camera. He wiped his tears, clutching it to his chest and muttering to himself, "Distance... I need more distance."
But the more he thought about it, the more dread crept in. He began pacing frantically, biting his fingertip. "Enzo’s senses are unmatched, better than any vampire I’ve ever seen," he thought. "If Andrei found me this easily, then... then Enzo must have known all along. Has he... has he just been ignoring me?"
The thought made his stomach churn. Goosebumps rose across his skin as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I need to stop this. Abandon the mission. Just run."
His pacing stopped, and his breath caught in his throat as the other side of the dilemma hit him. "But if I run...Lord Damien will find me. And when he does..." He didn’t finish the thought, the mere image of Damien’s wrath sending a violent shudder through him.
He slumped against the pillar, slowly sliding down until he was seated on the floor. "Is this how I die?" he whispered to himself. "Caught between the two most terrifying vampires I’ve ever known?"
"I can’t run. But if I stay... how am I supposed to survive this?"
Finally, he let out a shaky breath and stood up, muttering to himself. "No mistakes. From now on, I have to be extra careful."
-----
Enzo burst into the hospital’s hallways with Adeline’s limp body cradled tightly in his arms. His eyes darted around, searching for anyone who could help. The patients around paused to glance at the tall, bloodied man who stormed through the corridor. Finally, he spotted a doctor in a white coat near the nurses’ station and rushed over.
"She’s just been in a car accident. She needs immediate attention."
The doctor, a man in his early fifties with graying hair and glasses that kept sliding down his nose, looked up, startled. He quickly stepped forward, adjusting his glasses to check Adeline’s pulse. After a few tense seconds, he nodded. "She’s alive. Her pulse is steady. We’ll prepare the emergency room for her, but you’ll need to wait just a moment—"
"There’s no time to wait," Enzo cut him off, shaking his head. "She’s barely conscious, and you want me to just wait? What kind of hospital doesn’t have an ER ready at all times?"
The doctor hesitated, taking a moment to glance around the busy ward, the overworked staff rushing back and forth between patients. "I understand your frustration," he said, raising his hand with an apologetic look on his face. "But this is a particularly busy evening for us. We’ve been short on staff lately, and things are slower than usual. I assure you, we’re doing our best."
"Fine. But you better hurry. Don’t let anything happen to her."
The doctor nodded, signaling to a nurse nearby to begin preparing the room.
A few hours later, Adeline’s eyelids fluttered open, her lashes casting faint shadows against her smooth cheeks. A soft groan escaped her lips, and she whispered faintly, "Am I... in heaven?"
Enzo, who sat in the corner, shot up from his chair and rushed over to Adeline’s bed. The worried look he had on his face disappeared, replaced by a smirk as he looked down at her. "Definitely not. Because if you are, I wouldn’t be here."
Her vision gradually sharpened, allowing her to see Enzo, and the first thing she noticed was that irksome smirk plastered on his face. "Figures. You’d never make it past heaven’s gates."
Enzo chuckled, giving her a small nod. "It’s good to see you’re awake."
Adeline’s arms felt as if they were weighed down by lead, but she instinctively tried to push herself upright. She groaned at the effort, and Enzo quickly leaned down, placing one hand behind her back to help her into a seated position. "Should you even be sitting up right now?"
"You’re asking me that after I’m already sitting?"
He let out a soft chuckle, his chest heaving slightly as he did so. He then situated himself on the edge of the hospital bed, his eyes locked on her. "So, how are you feeling?"
Adeline rubbed her forehead, her face scrunching as she tried to process everything. "Like an inflated balloon. Some places hurt more than others, but it’s not too bad."
She furrowed her brow, trying to piece together the scattered fragments of her memory. "What happened?"
Her words trailed off as a sharp sting shot through her head. Memories of the crash began flooding back in. She flinched, pulling the IV needles out of her wrist with a hiss. "Never mind. I remember now. The brakes failed..."
Enzo rose to his feet and walked over to the IV stand, carefully reaching out and grabbing ahold of the bags that hung from it. He looked at them closely, scrutinizing the contents with narrowed eyes.
"I don’t know much about these, but I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to take them out," he said, glancing over his shoulder.
"I don’t need it," Adeline replied stubbornly, waving him off.
"I knew you would say that. Always so stubborn." He shrugged. "But I guess that means you’re fine. If you had woken up and started listening and agreeing to everything I said, I would have had to go get you checked."
