\[Rosco’s POV\]
The sound of sobbing reaches me despite the darkness I’m consumed by. It’s painful to listen to, and all I want to do is reach out to the one it is coming from and tell her that everything is alright.
“I’m sorry.”
The shaky voice comes between bouts of tears, and I begin to fight the darkness I’m in. I can’t stay here and allow her to be in so much pain.
“Why are you here?”
This voice is one I don’t want to hear, and I can’t understand why it is even here when she knew fucking well I didn’t want anything to do with her.
“Haven’t you caused him enough trouble?” She continues. “The best thing you can do for him is to disappear!”
A snarl erupts through the air, and before the one speaking can do anything, my eyes are flying open, and I’m grabbing Denali and pulling her against me while Nadia crashes to the floor.
“R-rosco,” Denali gasps as I fix my bleary gaze on her. “You’re awake.”
“I am,” I confirm, tearing my gaze away from her to look at Nadia, who is still sprawled out on the floor. “If I wasn't, who knows what she would have done?"
Nadia had some nerve coming here after everything she did, and honestly, I was surprised she wasn’t already in jail. However, as I continue to take her in, I realize she is in a hospital gown, and her leg and arm are wrapped tightly with guaze.
“Why are you here?” I growl, pulling Denali closer to me. “Shouldn’t you be in cuffs somewhere?"
“Rosco,” Nadia gasps, her eyes growing wide. “How can you say such a thing when I’m the one who saved you?”
The one who saved me. If she hadn’t caused the whole fucking ordeal, then I wouldn’t have needed saving. How was it possible for one woman to be so fucking oblivious to the things she was responsible for?
“You caused it,” I growl, fighting to keep my anger in check.
"I..." she begins, but stops as I let out a growl of warning. “Just wanted to show you who you truly cared for.”
Who I truly cared for. Wasn’t it obvious? Since long ago, Denali was the one I cared for, and Nadia was nothing more than a physical fling.
“Leave,” I snap, not wanting to look at her anymore. “Get the fuck out of my room and don’t appear in front of me!”
For a moment, she doesn’t move as she takes me in with both hurt and determination. And I wonder whether or not she is actually going to leave.
“You will change your mind,” she says slowly, getting up from the ground. “And you’ll come crawling back to me.”
“I won’t,” I counter, fighting the laugh that wants to escape. “It was a grave misfortune for us to have ever met.”
“That’s enough.”
The loud, domineering voice rings out around us before Harold appears with a look of outrage on his face.
“Rosco! How dare you speak to Nadia that way, especially after everything our families have been through?”
“How?” I repeat, letting out a chuckle. “Pretty easily. Do you know to what extent your daughter has gone to try to ruin my marriage?”
I knew that Harold was a family man, and he would easily take his daughter's side, but I wasn’t in the mood to try to remain cordial. His precious daughter had gone as far as nearly killing not only me but Denali, and that couldn’t be forgiven.
“I don’t quite understand why she isn’t behind bars right now.”
“Behind bars.” Harold hisses. “I know that Nadia can be willful at times, but she would never do anything that would make her a criminal.”
“So kidnapping and plotting an elaborate scheme that not only nearly killed Denali but even me and herself doesn’t make her a criminal? She should have been arrested back then when she drugged me, but I overlooked it due to the relationship between our families. However, I will not overlook this. I will be pressing charges and making sure she rots in a cell for attempted murder.”
As the words leave my lips, Hardol’s expression shifts more and more until it is so dark that I can almost feel the chill in the air.
“That’s enough,” he hisses. “I will not stand here idly while you insult and attack my daughter like this.”
“Daddy,” Nadia whimpers, getting up from the floor.
“It’s okay, princess,” he murmurs, pulling Nadia safely against himself. “Daddy won’t allow anyone to send you anywhere.”
“Then I suggest you get a damn good lawyer,” I growl. “We have key witnesses to the whole ordeal.”
“And where are they?” Harold demands.
“Sitting right in front of you,” I snap. “She openly admitted to me that she did and that she was responsible for the poisoning of my wife.”
At my words, Denali flinches and lifts her shocked gaze to mine. Shit, due to the chaos I woke up to, I didn’t get the chance to discuss with her or a doctor what Nadia said about her being injected with a slow-acting poison.”
“What did you say?” Harold barks. “Did you really just say that Nadia helped poison your wife? Bullshit!”
“I would never,” Nadia whimpers, clinging to her father. “Daddy, can we please leave? I came here to check on Rosco, but he has only accused me of ridiculous things.”
“You!” I snarl, attempting to jump up, only to be stopped by Denali.
“Don’t,” she whispers. “Let them go.”
Let them go. Was she out of her mind? If Harold and Nadia walked out that door, there was a good chance I would never get the chance to get the remedy to her poison!
“But…” I begin, but stop as Denali shakes her head.
“There is too much tension to have a civil conversation,” she says slowly. “Let them leave.”
Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue, but I close it and let out a long breath. She was right. With Harold standing here, there was no fucking way that Nadia was going to admit to anything. When her trial came and she was thrown into a cold cell, I would get the answer I needed.
“Get out of here,” I huff, nodding toward the door. “But don’t think this is over. We will meet again in court.”
“You do know that the minute we step out of this door, all ties between our families will be cut,” Harold says slowly. “I will be withdrawing all my businesses from cooperating with yours.”
“As long as you’re willing to pay the fees, do what you must." I shrug.
“Do you think your father will stand for any of this?”
“I don’t fucking care,” I smirk. “Just because we lose every cooperation with your company doesn’t mean that we will go under. On the contrary, your business will be the one to take the hardest hit.”
He could try to threaten the downfall of my family's company all he wanted, but I knew better. We were too powerful for that, while his company wasn’t. If he truly did want to cut all business ties, he would end up shooting himself in the foot, and that was fine with me.
“I said leave,” I repeat, not wanting to look at either him or his daughter any longer. “Don’t make me remove you myself.”
To prove my point, I begin to slowly rise and make my way forward until Harold turns and storms out of the room while Denali jumps up and grabs me.
“Don’t,” she hisses, pulling me until my legs bump my hospital bed and I collapse on it. “You’re still recovering, and as such, you need to rest.”
“Me?” I repeat, taking in her fragile form. “If anyone needs to relax, it is you. Come here.”