Chapter 7 Impending Death And Feelings

• Camille’s hands trembled as she hovered over Vincent’s unconscious body, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. Vincent looked almost lifeless on the floor. Her fingers pressed against his pulse as she shouted for help.
• “Vincent, hold onto me, please. Help!” She cried out loud.
• Footsteps pounded down the stairs, and Sarah emerged, covered in two-piece nightwear.
• “What happened?” Sarah’s voice was one filled with terror and alarm as she dropped to her knees beside Vincent. Her eager hands grasped his face, fingers tracing his jaw and his temples. “Vincent,” she whispered, her voice breaking, “please, wake up.”
• Something ugly coiled in Camille’s chest at the desperation in Sarah’s tone. “Please, let’s call a doctor!” The security guarding the mansion was now by their side, attempting to lift Vincent up.
• Just then, he stirred, and his lashes flickered. His breathing hitched, and when his eyes finally opened, they landed on Sarah.
• "Sarah..." He muttered her name like a prayer. Camille froze.
• Sarah inhaled sharply, as if she hadn’t expected it either.
• Then Vincent blinked, confusion clouding his gaze, and he shifted away from his position on the floor. “What happened?” His voice was hoarse as he asked.
• Camille looked away from Sarah, now focusing on Vincent and forcing a strained smile. “You collapsed after having quite too much to drink. You shouldn’t be drinking in your condition, especially not after the hot, mind-blowing sex that we had earlier.” She made sure to make eye contact with Sarah as he said the last words.
• “Master, I hope you are okay.” The security asked, helping him onto one of the chairs at the bar. Vincent exhaled heavily, rubbing his face. “It’s nothing. Just stress.” He waved them off and pulled himself up, though he was unsteady on his feet.
• “You can go back to your post, Fredrick.” He addressed the guard, who quickly yielded.
• Sarah reached for him instinctively, but Camille stepped in, blocking her. “I’ll handle it,” Camille said, her voice clipped.
• Sarah hesitated, then backed away, her lips pressed tightly together. But Camille noticed the hints in her body language. The flicker of longing, the silent war in her eyes.
• That night, Camille lay awake beside Vincent, staring at the ceiling, with her thoughts spiraling. ‘Sarah has to go.’ Her thoughts screamed.
• The next morning, Sarah waited for Camille to leave for work before she went to see Vincent in his room. He was still beautifully asleep, and he looked more handsome than ever, looking that undisturbed.
• She pressed her weight on the bed as she sat on the bed, watching him, and that seemed to wake him.
• “Why are you here?” He sat up, looking like he could chase her away anytime soon.
• “Why shouldn’t I be here? It had always been us, before Camille.” Vincent decided to ease the tension. “You are starting work soon. I got you the role of a secretary at Zerah Cosmetic Company yesterday. I was going to inform you, but you were out with Rafael.”
• Sarah didn’t miss how he had called his younger brother’s name distastefully. He was surely jealous of Rafael, like she was of Camille. Getting her a role at Zerah would have made her ecstatic a week ago. But not now that his health has changed everything.
• “When are you going to tell me?” She suddenly asked.
• “Tell you what?” Vincent looked lost as Sarah’s eyes scanned him closely. “That you have cancer.” Her voice broke. Vincent’s expression straightened, and he got out of bed. Sarah’s eyes never left him. “What? Are you going to run from talking about a matter that’s about life and death? Or when do you plan on telling me? After your death?” Vincent felt his chest heave, but he didn’t reply to her.
• “I’m going to have my bath, Sarah. I’m heading to work. You should go and claim your role at Zerah today, without fail.”
• “Don’t talk to me like you are my father.” Sarah spat through gritted teeth. Vincent was stunned. He stopped himself from entering the bathroom and turned around to her. “I am your father.”
• Sarah stood up and faced him. “Fathers don’t look at their daughters the way you look at me.” Vincent’s lips parted in shock. “Don’t...”
• “Don’t what? Why are we wasting time fighting this when your days are… numbered?” Vincent could only listen to her as she spoke. He couldn’t find the right words, not when he knew all she was saying was the truth.
• “Vincent,” She walked closer to him, almost leaving no space between them. Now that she was close, his heart rate spiked. This was wrong.
• “Let me be there for you till your last day, just like you had taken care of my late mother and me. Don’t hold back with me, don’t…”
• “Stop, Sarah!” The intensity of his voice shook her. “I have a wife now. And your mother was my ex-wife. I was your stepfather, and now I’m your…” His gaze dropped to her lips, and his breath hitched. He had forgotten what he was going to say.
• His hand involuntarily moved to hold her wrist, but he quickly resisted, but Sarah saw it.
• “I’m going to take a bath now, Sarah. Go to Zerah to claim your role.”
• ***
• Sarah gripped the steering wheel as she sped down the quiet stretch of road leading to Zerah Cosmetics. The conversation with Vincent was still clinging to her mind. His resistance, denial, and the way his gaze had betrayed everything he tried so hard to suppress.
• There should be a way to make him live longer than whatever year he has. That was the only thing Sarah could think of.
• She sighed, pushing those thoughts aside. Not now, Sarah. Focus.
• But then, her eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, and a cold prickle ran down her spine. A black sedan had been behind her for the last few turns. At first, she thought nothing serious of it, thinking it was just another car on the road. But when she switched lanes, it followed her. When she took an unexpected turn down a narrower street, it did the same.
• Her fingers tightened around the wheel. Could that just be a coincidence?
• She tested it again, veering onto an alternate route, a longer, winding road that cut through the more isolated outskirts of the city. The sedan followed again.
• Her heartbeat spiked.
• Sarah’s breath quickened with fear. Who could these people be?
• She pressed her foot harder on the gas, pushing the speedometer past 70 mph. The road blurred around her, trees and distant buildings rushing by as she sped through. The sedan matched her speed.
• Shit.
• She swallowed hard, gripping the wheel tighter. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe— A loud thud jolted her forward. The sedan had rammed into her rear bumper.
• Sarah gasped, and her body jerked against the seatbelt. Her hands scrambled to steady the wheel as her car swerved slightly. Panic clawed at her throat. She slammed the accelerator, the engine roaring as she shot forward, but the car behind her surged ahead as well, relentless.
• Then another violent crash was heard.
• The impact sent her skidding sideways, tires screeching against asphalt. She fought the wheel desperately as her life flashed before her eyes. Just then, the worst happened.
• She heard a sickening snap in her car. Her brakes failed. The pedal went straight to the floor as it had no resistance and control.
• Her car was flying forward at a dangerous speed, the curve ahead was coming too fast, and she almost lost her mind at that moment.
• No, no, no!
• If she didn’t find a way to get out of here, she might be harmed, kidnapped, or killed.
• She made a split-second decision to bail out of the car.
• With no time to hesitate, she flung the door open and threw herself out of the moving vehicle. She hit the ground hard, rolling violently across the pavement. Pain exploded through her body; knees scraped raw, arms burning from the impact. The breath was knocked from her lungs, but she had no time to dwell on how she felt.
• Behind her, her car was spinning out of control, veering off the road, and crashing violently into the bush nearby. Smoke curled from the wreckage, but she didn’t stop to assess the damage. It’s either her car or her life.
• Immediately, she spotted a masked man get out of the car and start coming after her; she took to her heels and ran fast.