Chapter 8 - The Aftermath
“Annie! Annie, look at me, are you okay?” I asked, scrambling to my knees and keeping my hands on her shoulders.
She was breathing hard, her eyes tightly shut in pain, clutching her residual limb where the broken socket had pinched her skin.
“I’m okay,” she gasped, opening her eyes. She looked at the shattered prosthetic on the floor, and a look of absolute devastation crossed her face. “My leg. It’s... it’s completely broken. I can't work.”
Tears finally spilled over her cheeks—not from the physical pain, but from the fear that she had just lost her livelihood.
“Hey,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. I gently cupped her face. “Forget the job. Forget the leg. You just saved this entire estate. You’re a hero.”
Daniel and Samuel burst through the basement doors, flashlights in hand, stopping dead at the sight of us on the floor.
“Get the medical team down here now!” I roared. “And prep my private helicopter. We are taking her to Mount Sinai.”
“Sir, no!” Annie protested, trying to sit up. “I can't afford a hospital! Please!”
“Annie, listen to me,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “You don't pay for anything ever again. Do you understand me? I am so, so sorry that my signature put you in this position. But I promise you, I am going to fix it.”
May you like
I picked her up in my arms, carrying her up the concrete stairs myself. I didn't care that my bespoke suit was covered in basement grease. I didn't care about the board meetings or the storm outside.
All I cared about was righting a wrong I had blindly created.
