"Very well then," Aiden said coolly. "I don’t have to worry about Natalie’s safety at all."
"If you want, I can also take over sending her those comforting messages in your place," Vincent countered with a mocking smirk.
Aiden simply stared at him, realizing that this man had figured out he was the one sending messages to Natalie all those years.
"Hmm... what was the name again?" Vincent pretended to think, tapping his fingers on the armrest. "Ah! Little staaaar?" He exaggerated the nickname in a mocking, singsong tone, looking Aiden up and down. "From what angle do you look like a little star, huh? My sweetheart sure is a Sunshine, but you? C’mon, it’s making me cringe."
Aiden, unfazed, let Vincent finish his theatrics, confident that he wasn’t done yet.
"What are you wondering? How do I know?" Vincent scoffed playfully, answering his own question. "I’m sure that idiot Ivan Brown wasn’t the one sending her those messages. But my sweetheart could be a bit of an idiot sometimes, you know. Back then, she was happy, so I just let her be, even if it annoyed me to my core."
"Annoyed?" Aiden, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke, his tone displeased as his brows knit together. "There I was, being mistaken for Ivan Brown, and you claim to be the one annoyed?" His slightly angry expression made it seem as though he was sharing his deepest hurt. "How infuriating it is to be mistaken for that idiot. Is there even any comparison?"
Vincent hummed as if in sympathy. "I agree. You’ve got it bad. Even a dog wouldn’t want to be compared with that loser."
Leo, who had entered the room for some reason and overheard the two talking like old friends sharing grievances, stood completely taken aback. He didn’t know what to make of the situation. He’d come to report something important but almost forgot why.
"Let’s get back to the business for which I’m here," Vincent said suddenly, breaking the mood.
Aiden quickly reverted to his usual composed self. "Shoot."
Vincent began, "I’ve been protecting Natalie blindly all these years. Now it’s time for you to reveal the one I’m fighting against," his tone and expression utterly serious as he finally got down to business. "Their attacks are turning more aggressive. I don’t want to waste my time and resources any longer on investigations when I can get the information directly. I need to know my enemy."
Just then, Leo finally spoke. "Mr. Shaw, there’s an emergency."
Vincent looked at him, while Aiden stood up, already guessing what it might be.
"I have to go," Aiden said, walking toward the door.
Vincent also stood and followed Aiden.
Leo quickly moved to block him. "Mr. Vincent, you need to wait here."
"What emergency could your boss possibly have other than the woman he’s protecting?" Vincent asked coolly, raising a brow. "Also, do you think I have spare time to wait for your boss? Want to have a showdown in this hospital?" He reached for his gun. "I don’t mind."
Aiden stopped and glanced back at Leo. "Let him," he said, continuing forward.
Vincent’s lips curled into a lopsided smile as he patted Leo’s arm. "Your boss just saved you, pup," he said before following Aiden, leaving Leo speechless.
Pup? Leo frowned as he walked ahead as well, his frustration simmering. This man was in their territory but acted all high and mighty. He wanted to pull his gun and give him the showdown he dared to mention, but he was restricted by his boss’ orders.
They soon arrived at one of the highly secured and isolated sections of the floor. Approaching a specific room, Aiden stopped and looked to one side.
Vincent followed his gaze. Through the glass wall, he could see a frail-looking woman resting on a slightly tilted bed, gazing out the window toward the sky. She was looking in the opposite direction, so he could not see her face.
The room was highly isolated and the patient was kept in the most secured way as she had the lowest immunity and could not afford to have any kind of infection. Even inside that perfectly secured room, her bed was inside the thick plastic cover walls, and only a doctor, two appointed nurses and Aiden was allowed to enter it.
The doctor looked at Aiden helplessly. "Ms. Shaw is being stubborn again."
It was nothing new for Aiden, as this had become a daily routine.
He hummed in acknowledgment and turned to Vincent. "Stay here."
Vincent stayed back, watching as Aiden entered through a door. The situation seemed serious, so he decided to remain silent.
After more than five minutes, Vincent spotted Aiden again, now dressed in a light blue isolation gown, a mask covering his face, gloves on his hands, and a hospital cap over his head.
Inside the room, a nurse stood just outside the square-shaped plastic isolation area. She handed Aiden a small tray containing medicines and an injection, then unzipped the entrance to the isolation space for him.
Once Aiden stepped inside, the nurse zipped the entrance back up and remained outside, clearly expecting the same daily tantrums from their VVIP patient.
Caryn, aware of Aiden’s presence, didn’t react. Aiden walked to the edge of the bed and sat down.
"Other than blank skies, there are more interesting things happening in this city," he said, his tone calm.
Caryn remained silent.
"It’s time for your medicine," he continued.
She didn’t respond.
"Aren’t you tired of this routine?" Aiden asked, his voice still calm, as if nothing unusual were happening. "Or are you just bored here and want my attention, so you can argue over the same thing again and again? You know it’s pointless. You’ll have to listen to me in the end. Well, here I am, just like you wanted. I’m all ears."
Finally, she turned to look at him. Though visibly weak, her eyes burned with unmistakable anger. "Bring me the documents to revoke your adoption, and I can finally get rid of you. You can no longer be a Shaw."
"Sure."
Every argument of hers started with same line, and his reply was always the same, but it never reached the conclusion as Aiden never prepared such document.
He offered her the tiny cup which had her tablets.
Though weak, Caryn mustered enough strength to swat his hand away, sending the medicine tumbling to the floor.