ALL NOVEL Chapter 7: National Treasure
"What do you think of the party, Athena? Does it meet your standards? Too small? It was the best we could gather on short notice. Perhaps if you had accepted my invitation earlier, instead of giving me a reply a day ago, I would have dug up something bigger."
Athena held back a scoff, hearing her good friend talk. She didn't even know if he was being sarcastic, or actually being real.
The party was too small? She shook her head. It was good that she had given him her response yesterday.
If this crowd was what he had managed to scavenge in a day, then what would have happened if she had given him the response two months ago?
She had thought it would be a small party where she wouldn't have to meet other people from surrounding cities and towns, where she wouldn't have to meet Ewan, at least not yet. But it seemed that the fates had another thing in mind.
Well, as long as he doesn't cross me. She thought, letting out a breath when the moderator called her friend, to the stage.
She chuckled, when he dropped a kiss on her cheeks.
"Wish me luck."
Pfft.. As if he needed it.
She only hoped that he wouldn't be so elaborate with her return, that he would just confer on her the title, and then declare the party over.
"Good evening distinguished ladies and gentlemen. As you all know, I am Zane. And I bid you welcome to this beautiful event…"
Athena tuned out then, not interested in hearing the boring talk on state politics.
She allowed her eyes to roam around the room, from her apex position, occupying the only VIP seat with Zane. And from this position, she could see everyone in the large hall. They were over two hundred!
And Zane had called them small.
She scoffed softly, her eyes retaining their aloof quality when they collided with Fiona. Her old rival was scowling at her.
Athena found it funny. Her eyes perched, before she could stop them, on the seat next to Fiona. It was empty.
Did Ewan go somewhere?
She shrugged her shoulders. Why should she care? His whereabouts weren't her business. He would never be her business again.
"Now, I would like to invite someone to the podium, someone of great importance…"
Zane's statement brought her to attention, causing her to look away from Fiona, to center her gaze on her good friend.
Therefore, she didn't see when Ewan stepped into the row, and sat on the empty seat, closeby Fiona.
He sat, and watched her. Yet she didn't notice. She was too wrapped up in the emotions assailing her.
All right. Here it goes. She mused, clasping her hands on her thigh, taking deep breaths to placate her breathing that had gotten a bit erratic. She still hated public speaking or appearances.
"…someone that has a special place in my heart. We met at a medical institute. She was the doctor, who had healed my father of the strange illness…you all know about the deadly disease my old man battled with…"
Gasps erupted in the hall, gasps of surprise and approval. There were murmurs of happiness and relief. The people were also curious to see the miracle worker.
Athena hated it. She wished Zane would be done with the epistle already, so that she would leave. She had to be home by nine. She had to tuck her favorite people into bed.
"You know I've been trying to poach her for a year plus, since she had cured my father. I had offered her all manner of contracts, even went as far as waiting under the rain while she got busy at the lab…ignoring me…"
Athena chuckled then, with the crowd. A fact about Zane was that he exaggerated things, sometimes out of proportion.
The incident he had talked about had just been a stroke of bad luck for her good friend.
That fateful day he had come to see her, but due to the amount of patients visiting, he had to wait outside. Sadly, a heavy rain had started and met him. But only for five minutes! He had been ushered into his car by his bodyguard Immediately.
And here he was, talking like he had waited for hours.
Athena chuckled again.
However, her smile became tentative when she saw Ewan staring at her, no, glaring at her.
When had he joined Fiona?
She hoped they were married now, seeing as they couldn't get away from each other when she had been a stumbling block.
She nonchalantly glanced away from him, like she hadn't seen him in the first place, and looked at her friend who was still talking grand things about her.
"Well, to cut the long story short, after a year of wooing her tenaciously, she is here with me, and would be resuming as not only the chief doctor in my hospital's headquarters, but also as the managing director for all our hospitals in this state. More like the owner of our medical sector. I can't let any other company or government buy her attention… She is a national treasure."
Athena furrowed her eyebrows, the noises of celebration drowning her zeal to call Zane to his bullshit.
That sly cow. He had told her she would perform medical duties in the headquarters alone. But as a managing director for all the Whitman's hospitals? That was an issue. She couldn't.
It meant that she would meet more people than expected. The Whitman Hospitals were present in every town and city! Would she even have the time to rest?
Her hand flew to rest on her forehead in frustration when she heard Zane calling her to join him on the podium.
She would kill him. She surmised, wearing a thin smile as she stood up from the seat and sauntered to the podium.
She would kill him, and then bring him back to life. After all, he was The Godfather of her favorite people.