The Billionaire's Promise
Chapter 78: Back Lash

Chapter 78: Back Lash

Erik was awakened by a phone call early in the morning. It was from the hospital.

"Sir, the patient you admitted last night is having severe stomach cramps. Please come over."

Erik took a quick shower and changed into a suit. Aryana was still sleeping soundly so he just sent her a message that he will be heading out.

He met Marlon in the living room of the presidential suite. He was holding two packages in his hands.

"Two packages for Ms. Aryana Jones. One from Mu Chen and the other from Mu Feng." He placed the bags on the sofa and waited for Erik.

"Return them!" He said tersely.

"Dude, the delivery man is gone."

Erik received a notification in his cell phone and he pursed his lips.

"I need to go back to the hospital."

Marlon frowned. "We are leaving for Rome in two hours."

"I’ll be right back."

"Erik.." Marlon wanted to say something but kept silent when Erik glared at him. He just shrugged his shoulders and watched him head out the door.

Aryana’s entire body was aching. The space beside her was empty and cold. She forced herself to go to the bathroom to take a warm shower. She was horrified when she saw the marks that littered her neck and chest area.

’Damn Erik!’ She cursed.

She changed into a closed cardigan to hide those hideous marks. When she went out of the bedroom, Marlon was waiting for her in the living room.

"Where is Erik?" She asked scanning the room.

"He has something on so he headed out." Marlon threw her a concerned look.

Aryana checked out her phone and saw a similar message from Erik. She sighed and didn’t hide the disappointment in her eyes.

"These packages are for you." He passed her the two boxes. She opened them and smiled when she saw that those were the clothes from last night.

"The others are waiting in the restaurant. Let’s have breakfast and check out. We still have a train to catch."

...

At the VIP ward in the hospital, Cassie put on makeup to make her complexion appear paler.

"How are you feeling?" Erik asked her with concern.

"My stomach is still painful." She said in a small voice.

"I brought you porridge. Eat it while it is still hot." He opened the thermo box and passed it to her.

"Can you feed me like you used to when I get sick?" She looked at him with her lovely pleading eyes.

Erik’s heart was filled with pity. He sat beside her and started feeding her. A paparazzi who was outside the ward secretly took photos. Cassie was over the moon. Her gaze at Erik was full of affection and adoration.

...

At the hotel, Aryana, Marlon, and the four engineers have already checked out but Erik was not back yet. Aryana called him.

"Boss Erik, we have checked out from the hotel. We are waiting for you. We will be late for the train if we do not leave in thirty minutes." She said in a professional tone. She always made it a point to separate her professional and private life.

"Erik is still in the bathroom. I’ll pass your message to him." A sweet voice answered from the other line.

Aryana froze and has an ugly expression on her face. She called Erik’s personal number and yet that woman has access to it? So Erik was with Cassie? Were they in a hotel? But Erik was with her last night.

Aryana’s facial expression did not escape Marlon’s keen eyes. "What’s the matter?"

"I called Erik to remind him that we need to leave soon. Someone answered the call for him." She said gloomily.

"Why not call him again?" Marlon suggested and she nodded.

Cassie wore a triumphant smile. She deleted the call log and placed back Erik’s phone on the small table beside the bed.

Erik came out from the washroom and picked up his phone. He checked his phone logs but did not find any incoming calls.

"I got to be going, Cassie. We will be late."

"Erik, can you accompany me on the trip to Rome? The doctor said I can be discharged in a while and it is okay to travel by private jet. My sponsor has arranged a private Jet for me and my flight is at 2:00 pm." She looked at him pleadingly.

"But if you think I am a bother, then never mind. It is just I missed you so much and I want to spend some more time with you." She said coquettishly and hugged his arms.

Erik sighed and nodded.

The interface of his phone lightened up showing Yana’s caller ID. Cassie pursed her lips. ’Damn woman. Why is she calling again!’

"Hello, Erik." Aryana sounded anxious. She paused and waited in suspense. She was scared to hear the woman’s voice from earlier.

Erik frowned. "Yes?"

"We left the hotel for the train. Are you catching up?"

"Sorry Yana, something came up. I’ll meet you guys at the hotel in the evening." He said guiltily.

"Aww, is it that important?" Aryana asked, her voice almost inaudible.

"Yes." Was his brief reply. Cassie has a wide grin on her face but she tried to hide it from Erik.

"Okay." Aryana’s voice hitched. "Take care!"

Erik wanted to say some more but Aryana was already hung up. He pursed his lips and his fingers tightened on the phone.

Aryana sat dejected in the car. She pondered for a while before she sent messages to Emma. She promised to go with her on a day trip to Rome. Spending time with her will at least left her spirit.

Erik and Cassie were waiting for the discharge procedures to be completed at the hospital when Erik received a photo from Marlon.

It was Aryana and Emma posing at the train station. Aryana was wearing a beautiful coffee-colored trench coat over a cardigan shirt. She has a matching bonnet with a small cap at the front, her messy hair cascaded beautifully from the bonnet. She wore dark chocolate boots on her feet. He saw those clothes during the fashion show last night.

Marlon: Looked who we bumped into at the train station. We are sharing a ride with them now.

He sent two photos. The first one was Amaya standing stylishly beside Mu Feng and the second one was a group photo with Emma and Mu Chen in the frame.

Cassie moved closer to him and glanced at his cell phone.

"I know that man. He is a famous designer from China. Oh, is that your secretary? She is wearing his design and it looked pretty good on her." Cassie tried to sound casual. Deep inside she felt envious of the secretary. The clothes fitted her so well that she looked even more beautiful than her.

Erik looked gloomy. "Let’s head directly to the airport." He said and went out of the ward. He took out a cigarette and started smoking.