353: I’m afraid even a miracle will not work

I’m afraid even a miracle will not work

"Here."

Dane Zhang flinched as Bear suddenly turned up in front of him just as he exited the hospital. He hugged the folder that Bear shoved on his chest, confused.

"I will send my resignation tomorrow," said Bear as he retracted his hand from Dane's. 

Bear nodded a bit, running his tongue across his inner cheek before turning on his heel to leave. Whatever he wanted to say was meant to stay in his mind.

"Wait!" Dane blinked, taking a step as the latter turned around. "Mr. Cruel, are you... okay?"

Deep lines appeared on Dane's forehead as he scanned Bear from head to toe. Bear looked a little haggard, with bruises on his face as if he just fought someone intensely. His sleeves were rolled up to his muscular arm, revealing new cuts on top of some old scars. Not only that, but Bear's overall clothes had some dried blood on them.

"Yes." Bear glanced at his shoulder. "Send those files to the police. They will help with the investigation."

Dane peeked at the folder he was hugging, and when he looked up, Bear was already walking away. 

"Mr. Cruel!" Dane took a leap, following Bear's tracks. "Are you really resigning?"

"Yes." Bear didn't stop, nor did he slow down. 

"But why?"

Bear's face instantly darkened, trying to ignore Dane's stupid question. Wasn't it obvious? What was the point of staying? Hera was no longer with them. Even though deep in his heart, he could find many reasons to stick around the Zhu family, his grief-stricken heart couldn't.

He had to leave. 

Somewhere far... very far from anything. 

"Mr. Cruel —"

"Don't worry, Mr. Zhang. After I sent you my resignation, I won't bother you with anything. Stop following me."

"But —" This time, Dane stopped in his tracks as he was literally jogging just to keep up with Bear's normal pace. "Ah, goodness. I think my body is in terribly bad shape."

Dane panted, catching up to his breathing with his hand on his knee while the other still hugging the folder. When he straightened his back, the distance between him and Bear had grown wider. 

"Mr. Cruel, the young madam was looking for you!" Dane yelled so his message could reach Bear.

The second Dane's words reached Bear, the latter instantly halted.

What did he say?

"Goodness." Dane let out a shallow huff. "Mr. Cruel, the young madam, said you have to report to him. If you wanted to resign, you should tell her first."

Bear slowly turned around, eyes wide. "What did you say?"

"Huh?" Dane blinked, cocking his head to the side before he mumbled, "Did he think I can hear him if he whispers?"

Another shallow breath slipped past Dane's lips and then advanced in Bear's direction until he was standing in front of the latter. 

"Mr. Cruel, I won't hear you if you don't raise your voice," he complained. "I said the young madam was looking for you since this morning. She told me that once I see you, I should tell you that if you're going to resign, you have to report to her first."

Silence dawned on Bear, looking at Dane with equal bafflement and surprise. 

"Wasn't she..." Bear deliberately paused. "... dead?"

"She was." Dane sighed. "But then, she woke up."

"How?"

Dane shrugged. "No idea, to be honest. Everyone was shocked and scared last night. After all, she is set to be cremated. Fortunately, it was Second Young Master that was in the morgue and not me, or else I would've fainted if I seen someone dead and then sit up —"

Dane couldn't finish his sentence as Bear suddenly walked past him in a flash. He blinked, staring at the empty spot where Bear originally stood. Looking back, he caught Bear jogging back to the hospital.

"I wonder where he went last night..." he mumbled to himself. "... and how did the young madam know he will resign?"

His brow rose, finally noticing the folder in his embrace. Looking down, Dane noticed some dried blood on the edges and some of Bear's fingerprints.

"Did he say this will help with the investigation?" he wondered, opening the folder to see the content inside. 

There were some documents and a disk. Dane first checked the papers as they were easier to analyze at this second, and as soon as she laid his eyes on them, deep lines resurfaced in between his brows.

"This..." his lips parted, gazing back to where Bear went, but the latter was already gone. "... is this why he disappeared last night? But how did he get them even before the police does?"

******

Back in the private ward, Dominic stayed on the edge of the bed where Heaven was. His hand held hers, squeezing it while his eyes scanned her face. 

"Are you really okay?" he asked, worried. 

"Yes." Heaven offered a reassuring smile. "About Basti…"

"He'll be back once he had a change. Don't worry about him. Mom and Dad and Axel will take care of him, and I'm sure he prefers if you focus on your recovery first."

"Alright."

"Here, let me…" Dominic trailed off as Heaven clasped his arm, stopping him from adjusting the pillow on her back.

"Dom, why did you come back?" she asked, watching him look back at her. "You were supposed to go home last night, but you didn't."

"How did you know?" he returned, wondering if he said anything like that.

"He he… you mentioned it in passing. Also, the detective said you broke down the door."

"He did?" Dominic cocked his head to the side. For sure, his senses hadn't dulled overnight despite the lack of sleep and deep distress about last night. But well, who knew?

Dominic threw the thought behind his back and shrugged. "I had a hunch."

"A hunch?"

"Mhm." Dominic pressed his lips into a thin line, smiling. "I can't explain it, but while I was on my way home, I felt very unsettled. My instinct never failed me, Heaven."

He cupped her face. "I was right that something bad was happening. If only I listened to my instinct immediately, I wouldn't be late."

"You… weren't late." Her eyes softened, amused at the answer he had given her. "You saved me, Dom."

"No, I didn't. If you didn't wake up…"

"Shh…" Heaven shook her head while blinking ever so slowly. "That doesn't matter anymore, Dom."

The corner of her lips curled up into a loving smile. "But you have to believe me that you saved me. I know because I was in and out of my consciousness, and I know that Paula planned to strike me again to finish the job."

"What?"

"If you didn't ring that door… I'm afraid even a miracle will not work." Heaven huffed as she smacked her lips. "So… thank you for coming to me, even when you weren't sure of what was happening. It's a big deal for me that you came."

Her eyes softened again, cupping his face. "Thank you, my love."

The two of them stared at each other with the same deep affection in their eyes. Dominic slowly leaned forward until his forehead was resting against hers. 

"Don't disappear on me like that again," he whispered. "Please."1

"I won't." Her smile stretched, eyes closed. "This time… I can safely say I will not go anywhere. I'll stay…" — in this body, because it wasn't borrowed anymore, she now owned it.

pqdm.com