SWNOVELS Chapter 592
Emma made her way across the sterile hospital corridor. Her concern was etched in the fine lines of sweat on her brow. "How's Hughes doing?" she asked. Her voice was laced with worry.
Bryan looked up, with a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "You're here. He's hanging in there, and hasn't woken up yet though. Doctor says he should come around by this afternoon. All going well." He noticed Emma's perspiration, which was a clear sign of her haste. "Weren't you supposed to be at work this morning? Talent agents like you are always on the go, aren't they? I mean, if you were free, sure, pop in to see him, but you didn't need to rush over. Like, if you were heading to the grocery store and happened to be passing by the hospital, that would've been a perfect time to drop in."
Emma brushed off Bryan's teasing.
"Can I see him?" she inquired. Her tone was serious.
"Sure, go right ahead."
She pushed open the door to the hospital room and stepped inside.
Hughes lay there, in a patchwork of tubes and wires. His pale face was ashen like a ghost, a deep unconsciousness enveloping him. Emma had only met this man a few times, shared a few nights, but the news of his injury had stirred a sadness within her.
Despite his comatose state, Emma quietly pulled up a chair beside the bed. She watched him, propping her chin with one hand, contemplating the man who lay in a medicated slumber. His breathing was almost imperceptible.
The rhythmic beeping of the monitors was the only sign of the life force within him.
"You always boasted about being tough, didn't you?" Emma whispered softly. "Look at you now. Seems like those were just tall tales."
"Can't always play the hero."
After a few minutes at his bedside, Emma stood and left the room. As Bryan had pointed out, her life as a talent agent was hectic, and breaks were a luxury she seldom enjoyed.
Moreover, with the recent media frenzy surrounding Allison, the pressure was mounting. That morning, Emma had an appointment with a national beverage brand manager to discuss an endorsement deal. Checking her watch, she turned back to Bryan. "What happened to Hughes last night? How did he get hurt?"
Knowing that Hughes ran a bar that sometimes catered to rough crowds, Emma suspected some kind of brawl. Perhaps an argument had escalated, and he'd taken a knife for his trouble.
Bryan shook his head. His
expression was somber. "I'm not
sure. It was near closing time when a group barged in and started a
fight, trashing a bunch o
Blue
ner
at
the Blue Club. Hughes and I down, and it seemed they were specifically targeting him. One of the bastards pulled a switchblade."
Emma's lips pressed into a thin line. "Did he cross somebody recently?"
"Not that I know of," Bryan replied. "He's been keeping to himself these days."
In the office.
"Patty, I've sent everything over. Don't forget your promise," Miguel said, standing at the threshold of Patty's office.
Patty looked up from her paperwork. "Don't worry. I won't forget," she assured him.
As Miguel left, Charlie watched it from a distance. Her intuition was tingling with suspicion. It wasn't paranoia, there had to be something between Miguel and Patty. Everyone knew Miguel was Mr. Sears' right-hand man.
Could it be that Mr. Sears and Patty were conspiring together?
Holding her coffee, Charlie returned to her office just as her assistant Analia came in. "Charlie, Julia's agent reached out. She says Mr. Sears is harassing Julia. Just now, he called Julia into his office under the pretense of work, but it was a clear case of harassment."