Page 20

It was after lunch. Even though all the boutique personnel, including Lena, had finished eating, Selene was still eating her second burger while sitting across from Lena. That girl could eat a lot, that’s for sure.
Lola was able to say, “You know what Queency said?” amid her frenzied chomping.
Lena was quite interested in a file on her small desk. “Who, Queency?” she said without looking up.
Lola tsked. “Argh, you forgot! Kellen Hart’s secretary, the nice lady who worked for him? We became friends after she gave me some Pepto that day when I crawled out of the bathroom.”
When Kellen’s name came up, Lena’s eyes sprang up. But the very next second, she changed her face.
But Lola didn’t see anything. “She said Kellen has been acting strange, quiet, and distracted lately.”
Lena tried to pretend like she didn’t care and went back to examining the paperwork.
Lola scowled and said, “Queency said it’s strange.”  “Normally, Kellen starts his days in the office by breaking coffee mugs, cups, or vases. Since his wife disappeared, he’s become quite a crazy bastard, lashing out at employees, smashing smartphones and vases, and other things. But when Queency told him that Damien had canceled his appointment because you were in the hospital, he wasn’t acting like his usual beastly self.”
“So?” Lena questioned with concern. She had already seen how Kellen had changed since they last saw each other. He had become quite bitter, yet it was his own fault. What baffled her was the alleged break in his angry, ferocious character, as Lola and her new friend Queency called it. Lena felt quite uneasy because they linked his abrupt quiet to her being in the hospital.
Lola said, “You know, Lena, that man even came to our store twice a day while you were sick for the last few days!”  “He even asked me about you, and oh my God, he looked like he was chewing on nails when he did.”
“I’m sure it’s just general curiosity,” Lena said, even though she was rather bewildered herself.
What was Kellen really attempting to do here?
She couldn’t say what the likely explanation was.
He didn’t seem to care. He had made it quite apparent that he hated her, not that she thought he would do anything else. Kellen’s distrust had become a habit for him. It had turned into a serious sickness, and its roots had gotten a tight hold on his brain cells.
“But I beg to differ,” Lola said as she straightened up and dropped the sandwich on the desk without ceremony. “Maybe he likes you! Even Queency said something about it.”
Lena’s breath became lodged in her throat and made a hard lump. Lola thought it was just as funny as it was mean.
Lola’s face brightened up at the thought, and Lena thought it was definitely the start of some taunting comments.
She scowled at Lola in a threatening way and then turned her focus back to her file, scanning through invoices and notes with much energy.
Lola rolled her eyes and let out a huff. “Oh, come on, Lena! I’ve seen his body language change so much when he’s been to our store. I’ve even seen him staring at you like a hawk from a distance. A person must be blind not to see it—Kellen’s interested in you! Maybe he’s falling in love with you, and soon he’ll ask you out—” Lola was almost clapping with her conclusion.
“No, he’s not!” Lena shouted in a low voice, unable to take it longer. “He can’t understand what love means.”
And then, all of her pent-up anger burst out all at once. “Kellen Hart is a selfish jerk, a crazy idiot who’s ruined his marriage, treated his wife badly, and is now sleeping with a supermodel while still being married. This kind of guy may seem full of love, stars, and all those cheesy things, but really he’s just full of his own shit.”
“Hey!” Lola lifted both hands in surrender, and her voice was full of laughter. “Hey, there’s no need to get so defensive. I was just saying that you don’t need to get your panties in a twist.”
Lena sighed, feeling bad for being so mean to Lola. The poor girl really didn’t know anything. “Please don’t ever say something like that again, Lola.”
“Wow!” Lola whistled in a fun way. “You really hate that man, even though he has a nice face. The creepy rumors that he killed his wife and vice versa seem to have really gotten to you.”
Lena was getting herself together to deliver a response that was just as playful but more calculated. But then, a loud voice came from the entrance of her tiny cottage.
“So this is how Damien’s crew spends their workdays—talking about pointless stories in the tabloids.”
When Lena saw the man at her door, her eyes nearly flew out of their sockets. Kellen!
And the way he was gazing at her, oh my goodness!
It was just her bad luck. He must have heard some of her precious words, if not all of them.
Lena was angry within. But that was a good thing. She hadn’t done anything wrong, anyhow.
Lena quickly regained her calm and glanced aside, fully ignoring him. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Kellen was still gazing at her. He couldn’t disguise the trace of disbelief in his gaze.
Lena nearly laughed. Why did he appear so astonished now? He couldn’t expect her to kiss his feet after everything he had done to her, including stabbing her heart with terrible nails.
“I wonder what Damien will say when he finds out that his so-called trusted business partner is talking badly about the CEO of the business he just signed a contract with, which is still in a fragile state.”
Lena’s body went rigid. It was evident that Kellen was threatening and even more clear that he was making fun of them.
“Thank you for worrying about Damien, Mr. Hart,” Lena said without looking at him. Her eyes stayed on her desk, getting smaller with each syllable. “But I know him to be a good businessman and an even better person. You don’t have to worry about him. It’s better if you mind your own business, literally.”
Lola gasped and looked back and forth between Kellen and Lena as if she were witnessing a really strange tennis match.
Finally, Lena looked up and saw that Kellen’s stare was getting harder and harder to look at. The outer corner of his left eye twitched. A sign that his anger was getting out of hand. She knew how he acted very well.
She hated how well she knew these small things about him.
“I don’t think so, given that he is letting some dishonest people trick him.”
“True,” Lena said with a blank look. “But don’t you think it’s strange and even bad for you to say that about yourself?”
“Damn it, Lena! You better—” Kellen looked like he was ready to blow, but he stopped when he saw Lola, who was still watching the alleged tennis play with her mouth open.
For a split second, Lena feared Kellen was going to come back to life and say something horrible to her, but instead, he merely pushed his lips together, turned on his heels, and marched out, out of her sight.
Lena let out a big sigh of relief that she didn’t realize she was holding.
But damn! It felt good to verbally abuse that man, especially when he ran away in defeat afterward for a change.
Lola, on the other hand, remained frozen in place because she was so shocked.
“Whoa!” Lola finally screamed. “See, he came back and even looked hurt when he heard you hate him. That crazy guy really does love you! I knew it! Queency has been right all along!”
Lena groaned in amazement.
“Chemotherapy will be the first step in the treatment. It will stop the cancer cells from growing too quickly and hopefully shrink them. After that, surgery will be needed to remove the tumor or part of it without hurting the healthy brain tissue.”
Lena looked worried as Dr. Robert told them about Lena’s tumor therapy. Damien and Lola held her hands very tightly as she sat between them and the wise-looking doctor.
The doctor waited patiently for them to understand what he was saying. The tranquil look spoke for itself. It was clear that he had seen the sight before. Dr. Robert saw the specifics of these procedures every day, so he was used to the fear they caused.
After a heated but very helpful fight with Kellen that afternoon, Damien told Lena that he had gotten a call from the hospital confirming her appointment with Dr. Robert, the brain tumor expert.
Lena had come home early, shaking with fear, and felt like she was going to die right now…  and it was probably going to be exactly that.
Once someone has a taste of negativity, it’s really hard to get rid of it. It won’t let go, like an addiction or a terrible habit.
After a long, horrible stillness, Damien cleared his throat. “So, would chemotherapy and surgery fix it?”
“Not—cure. Instead, we’ll call it remission, for there’re always high chances that cancerous tumors may reappear,” the doctor offered them a little smile. “And… we hope that Chemotherapy and surgery will be enough to stop the tumor, but sometimes they can’t get rid of all of them because the brain is so sensitive. In that case, we’ll have to do radiotherapy.”