Chapter 4 Who Are You

“Unable to treat him in time?” the young woman’s eyes were forced wide. “How is that possible?” The fee of four million handed over to Scarlet was more than sufficient to cover her father’s medical expenses. Thus, she was baffled as to how there could be a delay in his treatment. “Did you not know, Ms. Shelby?” The nurse was equally surprised. “The payment for Mr. Shelby’s medical bills had not been paid on time for the past two weeks. Also, we tried calling Ms. Van Rossum but weren’t able to reach her.” The young nurse might have felt sympathetic on her part. “Um... Some time ago, I heard that Ms. Van Rossum had splurged a couple of million to link her daughter up with an entertainment company. As you may understand, there are daily fees chargeable for the use of the equipment in the emergency room. We weren’t able to get through to Ms. Van Rossum, and it really took a lot for us to be able to find a way to contact you.” “We are really sorry, Ms. Shelby. We have already done what we could...” Barely making out what the nurse was saying, Eleanor’s vision blurred. She stumbled as she nearly tottered over. No... It can’t be... It can’t! It all started when her own mother died when she was eight. Within a few years, her father re-married Scarlet and brought her home. Her stepmother had a daughter of her own - Suri, who was a year younger than Eleanor. In all these years, her father had treated Suri as though she was his own. Never would Eleanor expect that Scarlet and her daughter would abscond with the money her father desperately needed to stay alive. In retrospect, she noted that her stepmother had not called her at all over this same period. During their last conversation when she asked after her father, that woman had even assured her that he was doing well. Who was to say for certain the money had not already been spent towards sending Suri into the entertainment industry then? How can she be so callous? Eleanor was incensed as she strode towards the exit of the villa. “Where are you going, Ms. Shelby?” “Ms. Shelby, Sir has instructed that you are not to go out on your own!” The servants dropped whatever they were doing as they variously went forward to stop her. Nonetheless, she ignored them all and quickly made her way to the gate. That was when she saw a car roll to a stop just outside. When the door swung open, an assumptive-looking woman stepped out. She was decked out in designer wear from tip to toe. When that woman spotted the expectant mother, her red-painted lips pursed as her face raised in rage. Her eyes then burned at the latter’s baby bump. Sensing her counterpart’s hostility, Eleanor’s maternal instincts led her to lift a hand protectively over her own abdomen. “Who are you?” Smack! A resounding backhand cut her speech short. Raising her chin sharply, the woman snarled menacingly, “It’s not your place to question who I am, you sl*t!” This b*tch would not be anywhere near Casper had I been able to conceive myself! “Kindly step out of the way, Miss.” Preoccupied with the plight of her father, Eleanor was in no mood to wrangle with this woman. When the latter refused to budge, she got too hasty in trying to push her way past. That unexpectedly riled up the other party. “You dare lay your hands on me?” Those around reacted in horror as they rushed forth to try and pull Eleanor back. The expectant woman then felt her feet caught air before she tumbled to the ground. A shock wave of pain reverberated from the point of impact into her belly. From there, she saw only darkness. And then, she heard some screaming. Following that, a flurry of activity whizzed around her as she drifted in and out of consciousness. She was not even aware who had carried her into the back of a car. All she could manage at that moment was a groan as she felt a sense of foreboding.