THE BILLIONAIRE’S PERFECT MATE

Kevin decided to step into the hospital, pretending as if nothing had happened. On getting to Ellie’s ward, he quietly opened the door and through the small opening, he saw granny and Ellie discussing and giggling at the same time. Ellie seemed to have been getting over her trauma and which gladdened Kevin’s heart to see a smile on her face. When Kevin’s mind trailed back to what he had done early that day before heading to the hospital, his mood changed and he felt some sense of betrayal within him. He couldn’t bring himself to face granny and Ellie and so, he decided to head back home. Just as he was about closing the door, granny who had caught a glimpse of him, called his name, making him halt.

“Kevin, aren’t you coming in?”, granny asked, upon seeing him closing the door and which made Ellie aware of his presence. Realizing that he had been caught, he decided to enter the ward to avoid any suspicion.

“I was just about to”, Kevin lied, smiling and at the same time, avoiding making eye contact with granny and Ellie.

“Hi, Kevin. How is Carla?”, Ellie asked, upon him getting close to where she and granny were.

“She is fine”, he responded in a low voice, still avoiding making eye contact with either of them.

“That’s good to hear. I have missed her a lot. Can’t wait to see her soon”, Ellie said enthusiastically, which showed that she truly cared about Carla. Kevin, realizing the sincere feeling Ellie had towards Carla, couldn’t help but to blame himself the more for betraying Ellie.

“Kevin, are you sure you are fine?”, granny, who had noticed Kevin’s body reactions asked. She knew something was going on as Kevin’s reactions were those she was quite familiar with. It was the same reaction she had always displayed whenever she was with Kevin and Carla back then. The reactions were that of guilt and compunction.

“I am …… am fine”, Kevin said stuttering, and manged to make eye contact with granny, just to prevent her from probing him further. He knew she was being suspicious of him from the look on her face, and to stop her from further suspecting him, he decided to let go of his guilt and feel free with them, just like he had always done.

“Are you sure?”, granny asked, narrowing her eyes, as if trying to scrutinize Kevin.

“I am fine, granny. I am just tired”, Kevin said, forcing a smile, trying to convince granny but the look on her face said it all; that she was not convinced.

“I am thirsty. I need to get water downstairs”, Kevin said hastily, when he realized granny didn’t look convinced. He hurriedly headed to the door, swinging it open, and banging it upon getting out. Granny felt more suspicious about his behavior, while Ellie didn’t think much of it, as she believed he was really tired. Even when Ellie and granny continued talking, granny couldn’t stop being suspicious of Kevin’s attitude and she kept on thinking about what he could have done wrong. While in the midst of her thought, her cellphone rang and she excused herself to take the call.

“Hello, am unto Carla Smith’s grandmother?”, the caller asked from her end.

“Yes, you are. May I know who is this?”, granny asked, unsure of who was on the line.

“I am a nurse calling from T&J Hospital. We couldn’t get in touch with her brother, Kevin, which is why we decided to get in touch with you as her second next of kin”, the nurse said.

“Oh, maybe he has a flat battery. But if I may ask, if everything okay? Is something wrong with Carla?”, granny asked, feeling concerned about Carla’s health.

“No, nothing of such. I just want to confirm if you are aware of Carla’s medical treatment being moved to Living Hope Medical Hospital and about her eye operation, which is scheduled for tomorrow”, the nurse said. This statement got granny surprised, as she wasn’t aware of any of these.

“Operation?”, granny asked, shocked.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

“Yes, the operation is scheduled for tomorrow and Miss Carla needs to be at Living Hope Medical Hospital tonight, to prepare her towards tomorrow surgery”, the nurse further explained. Granny began to wonder where Kevin had gotten the money for the surgery from and why he had hid the surgery from her. She was so engrossed in thinking about this, that she forgot she was on a call until the nurse spoke.

“Hello. Are you there with me?’, the nurse asked, when she got no response from granny. This pulled granny back to reality.

“Yes, I am. Thank you for the information. We are aware of the transfer and the surgery. We will make sure Carla gets to the hospital before nightfall. Thank you for the reminder”, granny said, hanging up. The call she had received made her confirm her suspicion that Kevin had done something wrong. Different questions began to linger on her mind and to find answers to those questions, she decided to go in search of Kevin. She looked around for Kevin for quite a while before she finally sighted him.

Kevin was resting on the wall at a corner of the hospital, very close to the exit. He seemed to be lost in thought as he didn’t notice granny’s presence until she called his name.

“Kevin, why are you here?”, granny asked, narrowing her eyes, as if trying to read Kevin’s mind, to know what was going on in his mind.

“Nothing, granny. Just needed some fresh air”, Kevin lied, trying to comport himself.

“Okay, if you say so. I got a call. A call from T&J hospital. The nurse said she had been trying to get in touch with you but you line isn’t connecting. What happened to your phone?”, granny asked. Upon hearing that granny got a call from Carla’s hospital, Kevin began to fidget, wondering if granny was aware of everything.

“I ….. I lost my phone”, he stammered.

“When was that?”, granny who knew he was lying, asked.

“On my way home yesterday”, he hurriedly replied. Granny didn’t say anything and was just studying his body reaction, which sold him out and made granny confirmed that he was lying.

“What did the hospital say?”, he asked suspiciously, when he realized granny wouldn’t say anything.

“The hospital? Oh, they informed me about Carla’s eye surgery, which will be taking place in this same hospital tomorrow. How did you get the money for the surgery in such a short notice and why didn’t you inform me?”, granny questioned, looking directly into Kevin’s eyes.

“I …… I can explain granny”, Kevin responded.

“Go ahead with the explanation. I am all ears. But before you go on, you said something about losing your phone yesterday night. Is that not where the recording of Ellie’s assaulter is?”, granny asked.

“Yes, that’s where it is. I was scared of telling you I misplaced the only evidence we can use to get justice for her. I am sorry”, Kevin apologized.

“Let’s leave that aside. How did you get the money meant for Carla’s surgery?”, granny asked, still curious.

“I just managed to get it. Can we just forget about the source of the fund? Are you not happy Carla will be able to see soon? I think we should just focus on Ellie and Carla’s surgery for now. I will tell you about the source later”, Kevin said, pleadingly.

“No, I want to know about the source now!!!! I hope it’s not what I am thinking”, granny yelled, making Kevin’s eyes wide opened.