Chapter 236: AN ATTACK IN THE HOSPITAL
"Let me remind you of something, Ares." Hazel leaned slightly over the table. "The hit on Ranon was already in place before he met with me. I was the one who warned him about it."
Ares didn’t need the reminder; he was there, when Ranon asked to get more information about Hazel Rose and knew the first time she warned Ranon about the hit.
"Put your suspicions elsewhere because you will only waste your time. I am not an enemy." Hazel straightened her back and continued eating. This time, Ares said nothing. However, it was Lucian who noticed her phone kept vibrating.
"Why don’t you pick up the call? Who is that?" Lucian was curious because her phone indicated someone had been calling her relentlessly.
Hazel flipped the phone so the screen faced up. And the two of them could see the caller’s name. It was Denzel.
"Why don’t you pick up?" Lucian raised his brows. Hazel had the guts of a bear to ignore Denzel’s calls.
"I picked it up, but he yelled at me. I don’t feel like being yelled at." She nudged the phone toward Lucian. "If you like, you can pick it up."
"No, thank you." Lucian nudged the phone back to Hazel. "I have restrictions not to talk to him unless it is necessary. It’s not good for my mental health."
Hazel laughed at that comment, while Ares looked at the two of them back and forth. He felt uncomfortable because of how easily Lucian interacted with Hazel.
Ares still couldn’t let go of his opinion that Hazel was not a good influence for Ranon, and even though she didn’t directly cause trouble for Ranon, she was part of the problem itself.
Meanwhile, Yara sat next to Hazel. She didn’t say anything, but she observed her madam more closely.
Half an hour later, Ranon’s surgery was over, yet the reporter still believed that Ranon was at Central Hospital. Therefore, it was rather quiet there.
Lucian placed two bodyguards to stand on guard, but he would get more if those news hunters finally caught wind of Ranon’s whereabouts.
For now, having more than two people to guard the private wards would only attract unnecessary attention.
But what annoyed Hazel more was when she learned that Denzel had come to the hospital directly because she had ignored his phone calls. She should know this; Ranon had tried the same thing, and Denzel would come to their place.
"I don’t want to have anything to do with that," Lucian said. He pointed at Denzel, who was being wheeled to Ranon’s room by Ema.
Lucian left before Denzel could spot him, and so did Ares, though the latter didn’t say anything and just followed his friend.
Hazel’s first instinct was to follow Lucian and Ares, but she knew better than to avoid Denzel. Therefore, with heavy steps, Hazel walked over, and they met right in front of Ranon’s room.
"What do you mean by this?" Denzel waved his hands to the two bodyguards at the door.
"For safety," Hazel replied in a matter-of-fact tone. Yara followed two steps behind her.
"Safety from what?! You are the one who put his life at risk by moving him to this unknown hospital!"
Hazel put her finger in front of her lips, a gesture to shush a child. "This is a hospital, Father. You can’t yell like that and disturb other patients."
There were only four VIP rooms on this floor, and the corridor was rather empty.
"Ranon’s life is no longer in danger. The surgery is over, and he is recuperating now. There is nothing to worry about. He should be fine in a week or two."
Ranon sustained rib fractures that needed surgery from the blunt force caused by the collision of the two cars. He was driving alone at that time and was on the phone with Ares. That was how Ares could know about the accident immediately.
"I don’t believe you; I want to see him!" Denzel roared angrily. He gestured for Ema to push him into the room.
The two guards looked at Hazel for permission and only moved when she nodded, which irked Denzel even more.
However, he didn’t say anything as Ema wheeled him into the room, where Ranon was lying on the bed, still unconscious after the surgery.
Meanwhile, Hazel didn’t get into the room because she knew Denzel would find a way to argue with her, and she was not in the mood for that. She didn’t wish to disturb Ranon’s rest.
Therefore, she leaned her body against the wall next to the bodyguards, staring at the ceiling while thinking about what the McKennas were planning with the accident.
She would be glad if this were only a normal accident, but she wouldn’t let her guard down and rely on that.
What was their plan? Hazel tapped her feet on the floor while she was thinking.
On the other hand, Denzel was waiting for Hazel to enter the room because he was going to reprimand her harshly, but she never did.
"I will call her," Ema said, knowing what her husband wanted, but her eyes lingered a little bit longer on Ranon’s face.
He was so pale, and her heart ached to see that he was in pain. Her first instinct was to reach out to him and hold his hand. But she couldn’t do that in front of Denzel, or else she would get into huge trouble at home when they returned.
But when Ema went out and told Hazel to get inside, she refused.
"If he wants to talk to me, he comes to me," she said flippantly.
***
Lyle rubbed the back of his head. He was annoyed with Kyle. His brother could be very overbearing. He was impatient. He wanted things done quickly, but that also made him reckless.
Lyle had voiced out his opinion countless times, but he didn’t listen.
Usually, the strategy would come from Arthur Lozen for an important target such as Ranon Leighton. But it was in the past. Right now, Kyle was the strategist, but Lyle didn’t think his brother was cut out to do the job. He overestimated himself.
"Denzel Leighton is there with his wife, and there are two bodyguards," Sam reported. He was one of the men Lyle brought with him. In total, there were six people inside the car to finish the job.
The other men informed him five minutes later that Lucian and Ares drove away from the hospital.
"Inform me once Denzel Leighton has left." Lyle leaned over and closed his eyes. He didn’t like the fact that Hazel was there.
Hazel had helped him and his sister, and he owed her for that. But this was a mission that he couldn’t fail, either.
Kyle could make things difficult if he messed it up.
As Lyle tried to get some sleep because he believed it would be about an hour before Denzel left, he found himself contemplating what he would do about Hazel.
***
Hazel sighed in relief when, finally, Denzel and Ema left the hospital. They kept insisting on moving Ranon back to the Central Hospital, especially when Hazel couldn’t provide a concrete explanation about why she was very adamant about keeping him here.
She couldn’t give the same explanation to Denzel as she could to Ares and Lucian. Therefore, it was a rather difficult task for her. Aside from telling Denzel that the reporter had cramped the Central Hospital, she couldn’t think of another way.
And by now, when Denzel and Ema had left, Hazel finally had time for herself to observe Ranon closely. He was still sleeping. There was a bruise on his left cheek, and his lower lip was split. There were a few scratches, but overall, he was fine.
The car crash could have taken his life.
"I told you to be careful." Hazel sat down on a chair next to his bed. She held his hand carefully and stared at his face. "I will be upset if there is a scar on your handsome face."
Hazel let go of his hand. She folded her arms and leaned over on the bed. The sky had turned dark outside, and it was very quiet.
Yara was inside the room too. She was sitting on the sofa. Hazel had called Nolu and asked about the situation at home. Thankfully, everything was fine.
But then, she heard that the two guards outside the door were talking to someone, a nurse, who came to bring Ranon’s medicine. They let the nurse in.
The nurse was a young man in his late twenties, with a crooked nose and a sweet smile. His eyes looked too big for his broad forehead.
But, more importantly, Hazel knew who this man was. He was obviously not a nurse. He was one of the McKennas’ men.
Sam? Ram? If Hazel was not mistaken—she was not sure.
Sam approached them, and he made small talk with Hazel. "The doctor will be here for a while for a visit. Mr. Leighton will be fine."
He prepared the syringe as he was about to inject it into Ranon’s IV drip. But before he could do that, Hazel had snatched it.
"Mrs. Leighton?"
"What is this?" Hazel asked. She waved the syringe in front of Sam.
"It’s morphine," he said. He was very calm. He even looked confused with the way Hazel reacted, not alarmed at all. "Please, give it back."
Hazel would believe him if he were a nurse. If she didn’t know who he was.
"Sure." Hazel then stabbed the syringe into him.