Anne, Lisa and Carol's past (16)

The van transporting Lisa wasted no time. Once she was safely inside and the doors closed, the driver swiftly took her to a premier private hospital where Abel's father held shares. Renowned for its top-notch services and stringent security, the hospital had a team of four nurses and a doctor awaiting the van's arrival at the parking space. Without delay, they transported Lisa on a stretcher to the emergency room, where a skilled team of doctors was ready to address her high blood pressure. Despite their best efforts, there was a noticeable concern.

At times, her blood pressure stabilized, only to unexpectedly surge. Extensive tests revealed she was in the early stages of pre-eclampsia. However, an additional concern arose – she remained unresponsive, akin to a state of sleep paralysis. In a distressing manner, she twisted and turned, as if caught in a nightmarish episode. Her tightly closed eyes, heavy breathing, and streaming tears added to the gravity of the situation.

Recognizing her lack of response to current medication, the doctors hesitated to administer more. Faced with a critical scenario, the last resort seemed to be removing the baby, though the chances of its survival were minimal at four months into the pregnancy. To navigate this grave decision, they contacted Abel's family, outlining the situation and potential risks. Abel's father, upon receiving the call, put it on loudspeaker for everyone in the room to hear. The doctor provided a comprehensive explanation of the situation, detailing their considerations and the urgency for decisive action to prevent further risks to Lisa.

Following the doctor's explanation, Abel's father requested a few minutes for discussion. The doctor stressed the urgency, underscoring the need for swift decisions to minimize risks. After ending the call, a heavy silence enveloped the room. Abel's father, tense and expectant, awaited Abel's response to the challenging situation he had caused. The room's tension mounted as Abel avoided his father's gaze, and Nina, leaning on the couch, remained silent, seemingly trying to fade into the background.

"How about it, genius, cat got your tongue?" Abel's father snapped, visibly annoyed. Abel, seemingly deep in thought, finally raised his head and met his father's gaze.

"Well, what do you expect me to say? You decided to interfere with my business. I guess I'm the one who should be asking you what to do," Abel retorted, his irritation evident.

"YOU...!" Abel's father erupted, moving aggressively toward Abel, poised to deliver a punch. Nina intervened just in time, standing between father and son.

"Huh Tsk," Abel's father grumbled, pointing at both Nina and Abel. Momentarily at a loss for words, he eventually sat back down.

(Rubbing the temple of his nose and squinting his eyes) "Catastrophe (Nina's nickname), I know you two are close, but how long will you ignore his shortcomings and keep covering up for him?" Abel's father asked, sounding disappointed.

"My apologies, sir, but if you want to punish Abel, it's only fair to include me too because I was part of the mission, so his failure is mine too," Nina asserted.

"Enough, what else would I expect from you two apart from disaster. I'll deal with both of you later. Right now, time is not on our side, so I'm going to ask you this one last time. How are you two going to solve this mess?" Abel's father declared with an unfriendly tone.

Throughout this, Abel remained silent, not uttering a word or making a move, even during the tense moment when his father was ready to confront him. He observed everything as if watching a movie. When the room had settled, he finally spoke.

"Let's bring Susan," he said with a serious face and tone.

"WHAT!" exclaimed both Nina and Abel's father.

"Luiza is trapped in this situation because she still believes I killed her mother. Her mind is distorting reality, and I'm convinced only her mom can break through and help her confront the false narrative. It's like she's in a coma, but a unique one. As the doctor mentioned, it seems it's not the first time she's faced a traumatic event that shook her to her core, and this incident triggered that past trauma, so..."

"Hold on, we're not going to do that. In fact, it's not going to happen," Nina interjected.

"I also agree with Nina," echoed Abel's father.

"May I know why?" asked Abel.

"Same reason you left her on the other side of the country, Abel. What do you think we're running here, a restaurant? We have a lot of enemies that don't need to be alerted and we aim for a low-key life—no flashy lifestyle, no drawing attention, just keeping it simple and normal. Susan is a smart woman; bringing her here might blow your cover. The drama you stirred up on the other side of the country should stay there and never come here," declared Abel's father with a stern and serious face.

"So what else do you suggest, then?" Abel inquired, sounding irritated.

"Oh, what's the attitude all about? I thought you were so smart. We're in this situation thanks to a genius like you. So come on, tell us what we should do?" Abel's father pressed, annoyed.

Abel remained silent, growing tired of the endless back-and-forth exchange of words. He ignored his father, pondering how to handle the situation differently for better results.

"I have an idea. Abel, you're good with vocal manipulation. How about changing your voice to Susan's? Then try to coax Luiza using that voice, try to get through her mind, and assure her that Susan is still alive. I'm sure she will wake up," suggested Nina.

"I totally agree," said Abel's father, showing strong support for the idea.

"Excuse me, I can't..."

"Your excuses aren't welcome here. We don't have much time, so you better agree to this," commanded Abel's father.

"Hear me out first dad. I can manipulate my vocal chords, but remember it hurts my throat a lot, and I might have to spend a week or even a month without speaking," explained Abel.

"So?" said Abel's father without concern.

"Another thing is that I have to coax someone. You all know I don't like sweet-talking, touching people, or being touched. And without my voice I will have to postpone some of the business's missions."

"That's not a secret; we all know that you just have brains and no heart. Besides, on the issue of missions, this is your greatest mission after this you are grounded until further notice. Boy stop wasting our time, what's your point?"

"My point is that emotions have to be involved, and I don't have that. I also got to touch Luiza, and you all know I'm not a touchy person. So, at the end of the day, all the effort we put in might end up in vain."

"He's right; the whole thing has to be convincing, so moving such that Luiza will wake up as soon as possible and Abel is as good as a stone, so we might not succeed," remarked Nina.

"How about you give him a hand?" suggested Abel's father.

"Very well then," agreed Nina.

"I don't..." Abel began, but his father was tired of his excuses.

"I won't keep repeating myself. You better get this done and make sure not to lose both mother and child; otherwise, the punishment that I will give both of you will be written in history. Now get going," declared Abel's father, closing the conversation with a command that allowed no room for excuses.

Nina and Abel didn't say a word; they just followed each other, heading outside to the car that was taking them to the hospital. Abel's father also gave a call back to the hospital giving the doctors a heads up for the arrival of Nina and Abel.

On the flip side, even though Susan got back sooner than expected, Mr. Stevens continued his day as if nothing changed. After waiting around for a few hours, wondering about what Susan might be up to, he decided to go ahead and get ready for work. He sent her a text, asking her to talk when she was ready. Despite his urge to confront her about Lisa, he held back, trusting that she was safe based on what the men had said.

Back at home, Carol and the maid woke up without realizing Susan had returned. Susan had been holed up in her room for hours, and since her bedroom was locked as usual, no one noticed her comeback. Around 1 pm, Susan woke up, grappling with how to spin a believable story and dodge questions, especially from Carol. Finally, she settled on a plan: take a long vacation and return when Lisa came back to the country. With this in mind, she grabbed the bag she had packed for the failed trip with Lisa.

After freshening up, Susan quietly locked her door and slipped out of the house unnoticed. A taxi, waiting just outside the gate, whisked her away. She messaged Mr. Stevens, telling him not to bother looking for her, promising to return once they could have a proper chat.

While on her way, Susan received a call from an unknown number, adding another layer of uncertainty to her already complex situation.