"Son, where are you?" The soft textured voice of a woman queried lovingly from the other end of the phone. "Are are alright? Did sothing happen to you?"
A deep crease lined Blaze's forehead as he stood up and quietly left Alia's ward, shutting the door silently behind him.
"I'm perfectly fine, mom. You don't have to be worried about ." Blaze's initially cold and vicious aura was replaced with a soft and affectionate tone.
"Says who?"
'Here we go again.' Blaze massaged his forehead in slight frustration.
"Blaze Darian Anderson, do I need to remind you that you are the only man in my life? Do you intend to abandon just like your father did? You were supposed to return ho last night after your four-day trip. I had the chefs prepare your favorite dish. But you never showed up. No calls, no text ssages, no nothing. I stayed up late waiting for you, scared out of my wits. Your number was unreachable and at so point, it was switched off. I called Eugene and he had nothing to say to . I called the office but you never showed up at work this morning. I even tried Marcus's number but it was unreachable. Tell , do you want to die of hypertension?"
"Mom, co on. Don't speak of death, please. You know how much I love you. You are everything to ." Blaze said in a slightly bruised tone.
"Then, don't you ever scare like that next ti?"
"I'm sorry, mum."
"Fine, but you will have to bribe to forgive you."
"Na your price. I'm ready to get you anything that money can buy."
"Anything?"
"Yes, mum. Anything money can buy."
"Hmm...I will hold you on your promises. But in the anti, tell , why didn't you return ho last night?"
"I ran into a little bit of an issue but I'm handling it."
"Is it serious?"
"No, mum. It's nothing you should worry your pretty head about."
"Are you in town?"
"No Mom, but I'm not far away either."
"Tell where you are and I'll co this instant."
"What..." Blaze chuckled.
"Don't waste my ti young man. Send the address. I'm bringing you your dinner since you've missed three als already. It's your favorite yummy and spicy chicken soup noodles."
"Mum, you do know I'm a grown-ass man right?" Blaze's frown slowly turned into a smile.
"Not for , dear. You will always be my baby even when you have children of your own."
"Ahem...." Blaze almost choked on his saliva at his mum's ntion of the word, children. He could guess where this conversation was heading and he wasn't in the mood for this.
"Mom, I've got to go. Duty calls. I'll see you this evening."
"Blaze..."
"I promise. Love you." Blaze ended the call, chuckling at his mother's never-ending tactics about him settling down.
Back inside the VIP ward, Alia's fingers slowly began to move by her side. The heart rate machine picked up it pace as she grimaced and twitched, struggling to flutter her weak eyelashes.
The sll of antiseptic, disinfectant and a slightly strong but alluring masculine cologne hit her highly sensitive nostrils. She could also hear the beeping sounds of different dical devices, telling her that she was probably inside a hospital.
As her blurry vision slowly adjusted to the brightness of the light inside her VIP ward, Alia tried to swallow her saliva but it felt like tiny needles piercing through the soft muscles of her parched throat.
Tilting her head to the side and moistening her dry lips, her gaze fell on a half-filled bottle of water sitting on the table by her beside. She tried to reach out and get it but her body wouldn't cooperate. Her arms felt heavy and her legs were uncooperative.
"Shit." Alia echoed in her heart. She observed that a chair was pulled close to her bed and she could perceive a male's cologne lingering in the air. This scent was unfamiliar to her.
This person was either a friend or foe and Alia chose to believe in the latter due to her recent encounter. She was about to reach out from the drip stand when her ears picked up the sound of soone approaching the door.
"Shit!" Alia painfully reverted to her original position, shutting her eyes and suppressing her rapid breathing.
Blaze quietly opened the door and slipped in without making much of a sound. He made his way to her bedside and was about to sit when he observed sothing different about the sleeping beauty.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed and the heart rate monitor was now reading a higher heartbeat per minute.
Peering into her closed eyes and listening to her breathing, he could tell she was forcing herself to remain still.
'So the little sly fox is already awake and is pretending to be unconscious?' Blaze chuckled inwardly, finding her behavior both cute and annoying. 'I'm sure two can play this ga of pretense.'
Blaze inhaled, leisurely taking his seat by her bedside, a wicked smirk curling up the side of his lips. He held up his left hand, checking the ti on his customized leather wristwatch, before returning his cold gaze to her.
"1, 2,3,4...30, 31... won't this asshole say sothing?" Alia cursed in her heart, as her cheeks slowly began to turn red due to lack of oxygen. She could tell whoever was seated beside her was currently watching her and any movent she made now - whether inhaling or exhaling- would give her up. So she held on.
"...57, 58, 59..." Alia opened one of her eyes just to be sure she wasn't making up an imaginary stranger in her mind.
"Gotcha!" A mischievous grin played at the corner of Blaze's lips.
"Asshole!" Alia inhaled and exhaled sharply, filling her lungs greedily with air while glaring at the drop-dead gorgeous man seated beside her.
"Asshole!" The smile suddenly vanished from Blaze's eyes and was replaced with sothing far more deadly. No one had ever dared to use such vulgar words on him. Yet this ungrateful and undeserving lady whom he had risked his neck to save just called him an asshole.
Blaze was simply at a loss on how to react. He was tempted to grab her by the neck and rip out her jaws. But he knew he couldn't bring himself to do such a nasty thing to her, especially in her condition.
Clenching both his fists, he simply stood up and was about to leave when Alia called out to him.
"Hey, you..."
Blaze paused on his track, thinking she had just recognized her mistake and was about to apologize and beg for his rcy. But to his shock, she repeated the sa forbidden word and this ti with so much confidence.
"...asshole, are you planning to leave like this? Aren't you going to tell who you are or why you want dead?"
Blaze could feel a raging storm brewing in his bulging veins. He was gritting his teeth so hard that his jaws began to ache. His darkened gaze slowly turned to et those of Alia's defiant ones, as he thought of ways to punish her for this level of disrespect. He didn't care if she mistook him for the bad guy.
Right now he wanted to be that bad guy and more.
Slowly returning to her bedside, taking slow and intimidating steps like a dark lord about to claim its helpless victim, Blaze's right hand slowly reached out for her neck.
Alia's hazel eyes widen in alarm. She could feel her heart slamming widely against her chest as she shrunk deeper into her soft bed. She could feel her kidneys and liver failing her as she tightened her grip on the bedside, wishing she had not angered this handso devil before her. But amid her fright, she recognized him.
"Blaze..."
Blaze didn't anticipate this three hundred and sixty degree switch in her personality. A second ago, she was as vile as a spitting cobra begging for death. And right now her voice was as gentle as a dove, calling his na in the most alluring tune.
"I know you. You are Blaze Anderson." Alia repeated, tears welling up in her eyes.
Blaze felt weakened. He withdrew his hand to his side, clenching his fist.
"Why?" Alia asked, still considering him as the enemy and the man behind her abduction. "Why did you do it?"
"Do what?" Blaze bood, finally finding his voice, unable to bear the sting of her insults and accusations.
Alia shuddered under the ferociousness of his voice. But this didn't stop her from confronting her fears. Her heart was breaking and her body was in a lot of pain as she glared at the man responsible for her misery.
"Are you going to deny that you had kidnapped, tortured and almost killed?"
"What! Don't flatter yourself, Alia." Blaze said between clenched jaws. "You are not that special and I'm not that sloppy. Reserve your anger for those who betrayed you. I'm sure you're going to need all the strength you've got."
With those cold words, Blaze left her beside and stord out of the VIP ward slamming the door so hard that even the hinges complained bitterly.
Minutes later, a group of doctors and nurses ca to the VIP ward to check on Alia.
Alia felt relieved upon seeing these friendly faces. She didn't make a fuss as the head doctor examined her vitals, ensuring she was healing properly and not overstressed. She was given enough water to quench her thirst and her almost depleted IV drip bag was changed, alongside so infusion dication.
"Miss Alia, you need to avoid any form of ntal, emotional and physical stress in the next couple of days to allow your body to heal. Any excessiveness on your part may delay your full recovery."
"Okay, doctor."
Alia tried to question the head doctor about Blaze and why he was taking care of her. But she didn't get much out of the doctor except for the fact that Blaze was the one who brought her to the hospital covered in her blood.
"He did..." Alia was left in a daze as she recalled seeing those hypnotic grey eyes before her car plunged into the river.
'If Blaze was the one who saved , then who was responsible for the abduction.' Alia pondered.
"Can I at least use your phone to contact my family? I'm sure they are worried sick about ." Alia pleaded to the doctor.
"I am afraid I will have to speak with Mr Anderson first because he thinks your life is in danger." The doctor said dismissively as he rounded up his activity. "In the anti, I will advise you to rest." He patted her on the shoulder and left the ward after giving strict instructions to the nurses on duty.
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