~ At the Hospital ~

Renz was still waiting for Micaela to wake up. He felt sorry for her. He didn't expect that she would protect him against the gunman.

He should be the one who had been shot if not for Micaela's interference. Now, he was feeling the guilt of acting harshly towards her.

While he was watching her, the words of the old woman came into his mind.

{ "A woman sacrificed her life for you. And you regretted losing her. }

{ "You have been given a second chance. This time you should treasure and cherish that woman. Don't lose her this time or else, you will regret everything again." }

Because of this incident, he thought that the granny was referring to Micaela. Renz had misunderstood it. The old woman was referring to Selene, not Micaela.

"I promise… this time, I will be good to you. I'm sorry for being rude to you before," Renz mumbled, holding Micaela's hand.

Micaela's strategy worked. Now, she would have an opportunity to get closer to Renz.

After a few minutes, Micaela finally woke up. She slowly opened her eyes. She blinked several times to clear her vision. She could see that she was already in the hospital.

'Sigh. I survived. I didn't die. But my body is aching,' Micaela lamented to herself.

Then she glanced to her side. Someone was holding her hand. It was Renz. A triumphant smile flashed across her face.

Renz was asleep while holding her hand. It looked like he never left her side.

'Indeed. Mr. M's strategy is quite effective. Now, let's see if Renz will treat me better this time.'

Micaela watched the sleeping figure of Renz. She could tell that he was really handsome. He had long eyelashes, a prominent nose, and kissable lips.

She took her time memorizing his features before she decided to wake him up by shaking his shoulder.

It did not take long when Renz opened his eyes. He sat up right away after seeing Micaela.

"Hey, how do you feel?"

Micaela just gave him a faint smile. She raised her hand to touch Renz's face.

"I'm so glad… you are safe…" Micaela said with her weak voice.

Renz was taken aback when he heard that. She was still thinking of him in times like this.

Renz held her arm that was touching his face. He had mixed emotions right now.

"Micaela… Thank you… for saving my life," Renz softly mumbled while looking into her eyes.

Micaela smiled at him tenderly.

"No need to thank me. I did it for me. I couldn't take it if something bad happened to you."

"You know my feelings for you. And it doesn't change. But I know we can never be together. I just want to show you how much I care for you."

"I already accepted it. I will feel content if we can be friends… So please… Please don't avoid me nor ignore me."

Renz fell silent for a moment, thinking about what he should reply to her.

In the end, Renz just bobbed his head in agreement.

"Yes, I will do that. Don't worry."

Micaela gave him a satisfied smile. She was so happy that Renz would no longer avoid her. This was her chance to steal him from Selene.

"Renz…"

"Yes?"

"Can you help me? I need to go to the comfort room. I need to…" Micaela didn't finish her words. She lowered her gaze with a blushing face.

"You need what?" Renz asked her confusedly.

"I need to pee…" Micaela said shyly.

Renz was rendered speechless for a moment. Then he burst out laughing. No wonder, Micaela was looking shy.

"Hey, Renz! Stop laughing! You are making me more embarrassed." Micaela hit his shoulder.

"Alright. I'm sorry. Here, let me help you stand up."

Renz helped Micaela as he guided her towards the comfort room. He felt a little bit awkward but he had to close his eyes as Micaela started to pee. Soon he guided her back to her sickbed.

"Are you not going home yet?" Micaela asked him.

"Yes, I'm gonna stay here for a while to watch over you. Selene will come later. I will go home once she's here."

Micaela nodded her head.

"You should sleep more to recover fast," Renz said, fixing her pillow.

"Yes, doc! I will do that."

Renz smiled when Micaela called him doc.

"I'm not your doctor…"

"Then maybe my nurse?"

Renz just finished fixing her pillow when Micaela suddenly pulled him. Their faces were now very close to each other. They could smell each other's breaths as if they were about to kiss.

They were in that kind of position when they heard a knock on the door. Renz immediately stood up. Then the doctor and the nurse entered the ward. They would check the patient's condition.

The doctor said that Micaela's wound was not severe. She could be discharged after five days or one week.

The doctor advised her to eat healthy food and get enough rest to recover fast. Renz also took note of this. He felt responsible for what happened to Micaela so he was thinking of taking care of her.

When Selene said that she was on the way, Renz said goodbye to Micaela.

"I have to go home first. I will just come back tomorrow."

Micaela nodded her head with a smile. Renz was acting very kind and caring towards her. She liked it so much.

"See you tomorrow, Renz. Take care on your way home."

When Renz left, an unexpected visitor came to see Micaela. It was Mr. M.

"What are you doing here?" Micaela asked him. She sounded unhappy seeing him.

"You should leave. Selene is coming here. She might see you."

Mr. M just ignored her complaints.

"My men are in the lobby. They will inform me if Selene is here. I just want to know your condition. How does it feel to be shot while saving a man?"

"Shut up! Of course, I thought I was dying! Fortunately, my organs didn't get hit by the bullet!"

Mr. M let out a husky laugh.

"Of course, the gunman I hired is a sharpshooter. He is an expert. He could kill someone on the spot by shooting the heart or the head. But he was able to avoid hitting your organs."

"So how is it?"

Micaela smiled as she remembered how Renz treated her.

"It worked. Renz is treating me better now. He is not rude anymore," Micaela informed him.

"Of course! He is indebted to you. You just became his savior."

Mr. M let out another chuckle.

"Don't lose this opportunity. It should be easy for him to be swayed now since you did something that touched his heart. He will be forever grateful to you."

"Yeah! I know what to do now. So please leave!"

Mr. M shook his head helplessly.

"If you need something from me, you are acting kind. And now that you got what you wanted, you are treating me coldly again. Hahaha. You never changed Micaela."

"Why do I feel like I am being used by you?"

Micaela glared at him.

"Stop talking nonsense. You are doing the same. You are also using me, aren't you? We are using each other for revenge!"

"Yeah, I know that. So I wonder what will you do once this revenge is over? Will you run away from me?"

Micaela was at a loss for words seeing the sharp gaze Mr. M was giving her. It seemed that he already had an idea of what she was planning to do once this revenge would be over.

"You didn't answer me. Does your silence mean yes?" Mr. M said, smiling at her sarcastically.

"I don't know what you are trying to say," Micaela said, feigning ignorance.

Mr. M burst out laughing again. He could see through her. For him, Micaela was so transparent that he could easily figure out what she was thinking.

"Oh, one more thing… Let me remind you that Renz is our enemy. Don't you dare fall for him?"

Micaela knitted her eyebrows into a frown.

"I know that! What do you think of me? Have you forgotten? It was your idea to seduce Renz, not mine!"

"Calm down. You don't have to be so worked up or else your wound will open up. Why are you being defensive? Don't tell me you are falling for him for real?"

Micaela clenched her fists. She didn't want to admit it. But she wondered if Mr. M was right. She felt jealous whenever she would see Selene and Renz together.

Or maybe, she was just obsessed with stealing her best friend's fiancee. She couldn't fall for Renz. She just needed him to accomplish her revenge.

"You are overthinking. Just worry about yourself! You are the one who is falling for that girl, Samantha! Your grandfather is troubled by that!"

Mr. M's expression darkened at the mention of Samantha and his grandfather.

"Shut up, Micaela. You knew nothing."

Mr. M turned around to leave. He didn't want to argue further with her.