Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58353 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 292(@200wpm)___ 233(@250wpm)___ 195(@300wpm)
The drive seems endless despite how quickly we make it to our destination. As we pull into the hospital parking lot, Derek shoots me a small smirk. "Are you as excited as I am?"
I recoil in my seat. "This isn't exciting, it's sad."
"Potato, potah-to." He cuts the engine, exiting the car. I wait a moment before doing the same. I'm dreading this coming encounter. Does Marco know what's about to happen? Did they all discuss it before calling Derek?
God, if Marco is caught off guard, he'll fall apart.
The sign near the front door reads Ospedale. It's a tall building, rounded in places, colored like an acorn. It's not as big as the hospitals I'm used to in Los Angeles. But when we enter, it has a comfortable vibe and I feel the same immense pressure to keep my voice soft. I guess no matter where you go in the world, hospitals are the same.
A young woman in light blue scrubs sees us. She motions for us to come to the front desk. When I get there she asks, "Come ti chiami?"
One of the few phrases I know. "Fillia Graceland." I take out my passport to show her.
She lifts her eyebrows, smiling curiously. "American? Who are you here to see?"
"Trey Dembrook, that man's brother." I jerk my thumb at Derek. Instead of joining us, he makes a beeline for the hallway to our right.
"Mi scusi, signore?" the woman calls.
"Derek, wait up!" I argue.
He keeps going. I'm afraid I'll lose sight of him, so I give the woman an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I have to go!"
"Wait! You must sign this!" She shoves a clipboard at me. Quickly, I scribble my name, then sprint after Derek. Heratio is visible in the hallway.
His head is hung low, looking at his phone.
"Heratio," Derek says sharply.
His brother lifts his head. Tucking his phone away, he flicks his fingers. "In here," he says.
Derek strides forward, with me close behind. My heart races as I step into the room. A few chairs surround a hospital bed with white sheets tucked around its edges. Marco and Nathan are sitting in two of them. They glance up as we enter. Marco's mouth is a brittle line. I ache to rush to him, to comfort him. My eyes settle on the figure in the bed and my breath catches; Trey is lying there, unconscious. His face is pale, his breathing ragged.
Derek, who had entered the room with swagger, now locks up. He's staring intently at his brother in the bed. I can't read his face. It's something like anger and panic mixed together.
"How long has he been out?" he asks flatly.
"He woke up a few times in the ambulance," Marco replies from the other side of the bed. "But he wasn't aware of who we were or what was going on."
Nathan clutches at his knees. He's no longer wearing his wet-suit, he's got on gray joggers and a loose white, long-sleeve shirt. Did a nurse get it for him? Or did he send one of their personal staff to fetch him dry clothes? "Derek," he starts carefully. His hands tighten; his eyes stay on Trey. "We can't vote on who takes over the company. Not when Trey is like this."
"Of course we have to vote!" Derek growls. "You all know what happens if we don't."
"Maybe we can call our lawyers," Heratio suggests. "Surely there's a clause for if one of us is incapable. We can delay a few days until Trey is well, then––"
"No!" Derek snaps. I jump back at the ferocity in his tone. Marco looks at me like he's fighting the urge to get between his older brother and me. His urge to protect me runs deep. "Am I the only one who knows the details of the contract?" Derek asks, laughing sourly. "Of course I am. Listen to me; we vote before midnight, which is in just five hours. If we don't, we lose everything to dad's side-piece."
"Can't you have some empathy for your own brothers?" I ask loudly.
Everyone stares at me. Derek is turned so that he's eyeing me over his shoulder, like I don't deserve his full attention. "I brought you here so you could watch your idiotic simp of a boyfriend fall from grace. If you're going to get in the middle of this family...a family you are not a part of and, despite what Marco whispers in your ear, will never be..." He crouches over me with a smirk. "You should have something to lose like the rest of us."
My heart skips. "What?"
Marco stands from his chair. "Get away from her, Derek."
"She's the one who keeps getting closer. I'd be happy as hell if she disappeared from this building. Hell, from Italy. You're a nobody and yet you keep trying to hit above your position, Filia."