Chapter 82

"Thanks for agreeing to this date, by the way," Daniel said after a few moments as he glanced at Samantha before taking his gaze back to the road.

It took a few seconds before Samantha was able to answer. It seemed that she was thinking of how to answer what Daniel had said.

"No problem. Besides, this is the least I can do after the help you have given me."

A cheeky grin appeared on Daniel's face. "You're making it sound like what I did was a noble thing."

"Well, it might not seem like it, but it really is. You've helped two families escape the lies and betrayal from the people they've trusted the most, and you've saved me from more bullying, another power trip, and the danger of losing my job."

Daniel glanced at Samantha with a bewildered look on his face. "Am I hearing it right? Did you really say those words?"

"Please stop glancing at me and focus your eyes on the road," Samantha said in a serious tone, which Daniel quickly followed, then she continued to say, "And yes, you heard me right. Why are you even surprised when I already acknowledged that you were right with the plan that you made and let you go on with it?" She was pouting right after letting out that question.

"It's because it was just the other day that you told me you were still worried about their families, most especially the kids. Yet you are now saying those things as if it didn't bother you. And wasn't it me who comforted you and said some encouraging words while you were getting stressed and anxious? But now our roles have changed."

Daniel sounded like he was genuinely amused by their ongoing conversation. All along, he thought Samantha still needed a little more encouragement, but with how Samantha responded to him, it seems that she does not need that anymore.

And he was right. Samantha has gotten over the guilt she had been feeling and realized that it was pointless to think about things that were already done. She also thought that since it was Elsa and Dean who created their own problems, they should be the only ones to fix them and worry about them as well. An outsider like her and Daniel should not be wracking their brains and drowning in regret for things they did not even commit in the first place.

"Anyway, you look in that dress. It perfectly suits you," Daniel muttered when Samantha did not respond to what he had said.

"Really? Was that why you got speechless back at my home when I opened the door for you?"

Samantha grinned from ear to ear. She remembered Daniel's reaction from a few moments ago and couldn't help but laugh again, while Daniel's face turned red, though it couldn't be seen clearly because the light inside the car wasn't very bright.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Stop teasing me."

But Samantha acted as if she did not hear what Daniel had said and spoke once more in a teasing tone. "I should have taken a photo of you at that moment. Damn, how regretful. I could have had something to show your father, who I bet has rarely seen that expression of yours."

"You can't do that, though," Daniel immediately responded.

Samantha raised her brow as she looked at Daniel. "And why do you think so?"

"Because he would raise a lot of questions. If he asked you since when have we gotten close? Why am I at your house? And what made me look like that? And not only that, he will also probably share it with your mom, making your mom curious too. Now, if they ask you all that question, how will you answer them?"

Samantha turned speechless. She was just joking. Even if she did take a photo of Daniel, she wouldn't show it to his father. But it was true that she really did not think of the possible consequences of what she thought was a simple joke she had said, which made her feel a bit embarrassed.

'Now, who was talking like a fool?'

Wanting to divert the topic to something else, Samantha asked, "Are we there yet?"

Daniel immediately caught what she was trying to do, but did not say anything about it and simply answered her question instead. "We're almost there."

"Alright," Samantha quickly replied.

And just like what usually happens when none of them want to ruin the mood, they keep quiet. None of them spoke, and they just let the silence envelop them.

But that silence was broken when Samantha's phone suddenly rang.

She opened her pouch and took her phone out of it.

It was her mother, Janice, calling her.

She answered the call. "Hello, mom?"

"Hey, Sammy," she heard her mother respond from the other line.

Samantha frowned when she noticed that her mother's voice wasn't in the usual loud and excited tone. Instead, it sounded weak, tired, and a little raspy.

"Are you okay? Why do you sound like that? Is everything alright?" She asked her mother in wonder and with a hint of nervousness in it, which caught Daniel's attention and took a glance at her.

"Oh! Ahm..." Samantha frowned when her mother took a pause to laugh for a few seconds before clearing her throat and continuing to speak, her voice still sounding raspy. "I'm fine, Sammy. At least that's what I think."

Samantha's nervousness started to grow at her mother's answer. "What's really going on, mom? Are... Are you sick? Is that why you sound like that? Wait, are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, really," Janice answered, but then Samantha heard another voice.

"No. She's not okay, Samantha."

Samantha frowned even more. "Is that Romeo?"

But Samantha didn't get an answer from her mother right away, and instead, what she heard from the other line was a ruckus.

She couldn't clearly hear what her mother was saying, but she was sure she was talking to Romeo, who seemed to be just beside her mother. The two started talking, or more like, arguing.

"What happened?" Daniel finally was able to speak after just listening and glancing at Samantha.

Samantha shrugged and said, "I don't know."

"Are our parents together right now?"

"Yes."

"Can you turn on the loudspeaker?"

"Sure." And so Samantha turned on the loudspeaker, enabling her and Daniel to listen to their parents, who seemed to be still arguing.

Now there were already two of them frowning in wonder.

Daniel, not being able to hold it back anymore, finally spoke in a serious tone and called his father.

"Dad."

Their parents quickly stopped arguing when they heard Daniel's voice.

"Daniel?" It was Romeo.

"Tell us what's going on," Daniel said sternly, almost authoritatively.

"Hi, Daniel. We're fi—"

"No, we were not," Romeo said, quickly cutting off Janice. He took a deep sigh before speaking again: "We're at the hospital."

"Hospital?"

"Hospital!"

Daniel and Samantha exclaimed at the same time. The nervousness Samantha was feeling arose even more, while Daniel started getting worried as well.

Samantha was the first one to speak after what Romeo had said.

"What happened? Are you two alright?"

"I wouldn't say we're fine, but we'll still live," Romeo answered.

"Dad!" Daniel exclaimed, not liking his father's answer.

They heard Romeo sigh again from the other line. "Can you two come over here at XXXX Hospital? We'll tell you all the details and answer all your questions once you arrive, okay?" And without even letting the two worried people answer, Romeo had ended the call.