Chapter 4 One Of My People

• "Chan!"
• Nero jolted upright, his heart pounding. The scene he had just witnessed, a chilling vision of betrayal and violence, felt so real, so terrifying. But as he looked around his hospital room, the sterile white walls and the faint smell of antiseptic brought him back to reality. It had only been a nightmare.
• "Boss, finally, you're awake."
• Nero was jolted back to the present by the sound of Winston's voice, coming from the right side of his bed. He turned his head and saw Winston, his face etched with concern. He also noticed the fruit basket on the side table.
• "Boss, what happened to you? I was worried sick. You wouldn't wake up, and you kept saying..."
• Nero looked at Winston, his eyebrow raised, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "What?"
• "Well...you know, her name. You were calling her name repeatedly," Winston added, avoiding Nero's gaze.
• "You wish to die, huh?"
• "Oops, sorry, boss."
• Nero clicked his tongue before looking back at Winston.
• "I want to be discharged as soon as possible." Winston was about to argue, but he knew that when their boss gave an order, it was to be followed immediately.
• "Yes, boss. Anything else, boss?"
• "Orange. Give me an orange."
• Winston immediately went to the fruit basket, peeled an orange, and handed it to Nero.
• "Tomorrow, I want you to find information about my mother. I want to know what happened to her and Dad. I want everything settled, even Dad's funeral."
• "Noted, boss."
• "Those rats deserve my wrath. They really pissed me off. I'll make sure they don't get what they wanted from me. Weakness, nah. Good luck until they die," he said, his jaw clenched.
• Winston stared at Nero, his eyes wide with shock. He couldn't believe that even after losing his parents, there was no sign of grief in Nero's eyes, only raw anger.
• "What are you still looking at?"
• "H-Huh?" Winston snapped out of his daze at Nero's cold voice. "Oh, yes boss. Right away," he added before heading towards the door. He stopped as if about to say something, but then he decided not to.
• As Nero ate his orange, he noticed someone pacing back and forth outside his hospital ward. He smirked, continuing to eat. He knew very well that the person outside was looking for him. The moment their eyes met, Nero immediately recognized the man.
• He knew very well who that person was, but he decided to ignore him.
• 'You dare to show your face, huh?' he thought.
• After finishing his orange, Nero turned his attention to the paperwork he needed for his parents' office. He knew his men knew what to do in this situation, so they had already brought him what he needed, including his laptop.
• He focused on his office work to avoid thinking about the accident that had happened to his parents. He was hurt, of course. They were his parents, his loved ones. But he couldn't let them see a glimpse of weakness inside him.
• Suddenly, a thought came to him. Nero grabbed his phone and called their mansion, where Justin answered.
• "Brother..."
• "Tell Shaira to come here now," he declared, his voice clear and firm.
• "As in now?"
• "Yeah."
• "But...how did you know she's still there?"
• "Because she's a brat, acting foolishly." After saying that, he hung up the call. As he put his phone down, a memory flashed through his mind.
• He knew to himself that Shaira wasn't the only one who might have tried to drug him. But he was sure of one thing...Shaira was the only one who had a motive to kill him...right now.
• Thirty minutes later, Shaira arrived at Nero's ward.
• "Honey...how are you? Are you fine?" She asked, running towards him and hugging him tightly.
• Nero frowned. "Stay away." He gently pushed her away and stared at her.
• "Are you the one who drugged me?"
• Shaira looked at him, confused.
• "What? Are you crazy? How could I do that to you? You're my fiancé."
• "Stop acting, Shaira."
• "I'm not acting. I will not—"
• "Fuxk off!"
• "What?"
• Nero glared at her. "I said get the hell out!" He shouted, causing Shaira's face to pale.
• "I was busy assisting with your parents' funeral..."
• "Then go ahead. Continue doing that fucking thing. As if I care."
• "Nero, you're such a brat. You called me here in such a hurry, and then you treat me like this. I don't even know if you're sad about your parents' death."
• Nero just sneered, "Do you think I am? Do I look sad?"
• Shaira rolled her eyes. "You're such a heartless jerk! If it weren't for Uncle Felix...I wouldn't always follow you around like a dumb wife."
• Shaira knew that even though they weren't truly in love, she would always follow Nero. She had been doing it for so long. She had feelings for him since they were children, but as they grew older, it felt like he didn't recognize her, or maybe he intentionally forgot about her.
• She understood why he treated her like this. She felt jealous and sad when she found out Nero had a girlfriend. She thought it was impossible because Nero was so cold and distant ever since his grandmother was killed. And she was furious when Nero's girlfriend left him, so she did everything she could to get them married.
• "Who says you have to follow me? And I don't care if you follow me anywhere. If it were me, I could leave you behind, but to honor my parents, I will still marry you."
• Shaira bit her lip, overwhelmed by a mix of emotions. But those emotions vanished when Nero spoke again.
• "But don't expect me to be a husband for real! You do your job and don't mind my business."
• "You..."
• "And it's not your right to complain because it's a command. You're just one of my people, alright."
• "What a brat!"
• "Say whatever you want. Now, get out of here!"
• Shaira just shook her head and stomped her way to the door.