Chapter eighty five (The night visitation)
Olivia
The wind rustled through the roadside grass as I sped down the road towards the hospital as the cold rain kept tapping against the car windows.
The night is silent, with few souls out and about at this late hour. A smile plays on my lips as I nod along to the soothing melody of “Kiss Me In The Rain ” by Barbara Streisand, as the idea of what I am about to do echoes in my head.
The ride was as slick as a greased pig, no bumps in sight. And just like a flash, I rolled up to the hospital premises. A wicked grin crept onto my face as I glanced at the paper in my grip and then back at the hospital’s entrance door.
“All I need is his damn signature and everything else will be mine,” I mumbled and neatly tuck away the paper into my bulky jacket. “No one can throw a wrench in my plans now, thumbs up, Olivia.” I smirk, putting on my cap and gloves before cracking open the door.
I slipped on my umbrella and strolled towards the entrance. The rhythmic tap of my boot on the damp ground echoing through the quiet dark surroundings with only the hospital light on.
Pushing the door open, I rested my umbrella against the entrance and approached the receptionist, with a force smile painted on my face,
“Good evening, ma, how may I assist you?” A young lady who appeared to be in her early thirties suddenly inquired, when arranging some piled up files.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
“I’m here to see Mr. Daniel Harlow,” I responded, still maintaining the same smile.
Immediately, she heard me. I noticed her stopped on what she was doing before raising her head to meet my gaze. “Sorry, but visiting hours have ended for today; it’s his resting time now.”
“Is that so?” I gave her a disapproving shake of my head. “But he specifically asked for some homemade porridge or do you expect a sick old man to go to bed on an empty stomach. ” I explained, raising a flask of food. The receptionist inspected it before turning her gaze back to me.
“Who is he to you?” she inquired, a pleased smile spreading across my face. “My father,” I responded.
She raised her brow, her gaze locked on me, “Why didn’t you come early?”
Damn with the questions!
Smiling, I scratched my neck awkwardly seeing her brow still furrowed up at me. “There was traffic.”
“Name, please.”
“Olivia Harlow,” I stated confidently.
I narrowed my gaze as I watched her flipping through a lengthy black notebook in front of her before she finally looked up, wearing an apologetic expression. “Sorry I just wanted to confirm, please follow this way to your right, then take the first staircase upstairs. Once you reach the corridor, stop at the seventh room on your left.”
After she finished giving directions, I nodded promptly, a mysterious smile playing on my lips as I softly whispered, “Thank you,” before turning around. With a sigh of relief, I followed her instructions.
Soon enough, I stood before the seventh room, staring at the prominent room number on the door, a mischievous smile creeped onto my lips.
Twisting the door open, I slowly walked in and there lied the man that I was looking for, Daniel Harlow.
I closed the door behind me, locking it and the sound seemed to jerk him out of his sleep and suddenly he opened his eyes.
“I heard that you are responding well to treatment.” I said, throwing him a wicked smile as I moved closer to him.
A few meters away from him, I stopped. He didn’t say anything but kept looking at me, a deep frown etched on his face.
“Oli… via,” he struggled to say, his voice faltering, which only made me burst into laughter.
“Don’t stress yourself, old man. I’m definitely not here to start exchanging pleasantries,” I said, noticing his frown deepened.
Reaching into my jacket, I retrieved the document along with a sleek blue pen. “I need you to sign this paper,” I announced, my voice cold and demanding.
“Wh… Wha… What document?” he stammered.
“Ugh,” I groaned in exasperation, my expression twisting with irritation as I watched him grapple with his speech.
The more he talks, the heavier his breathing gets.
“Alright, let me go straight to the point,” I declared, flipping open the pen’s cap. “This is your will,” I revealed, dropping the bomb, causing his eyes to widen in shock instantly.
With a smirk, I crossed my arms. “Stop guessing. You must be dying to know how I got hold of them, right?” My smile turned wicked. “Underestimating me, Daniel? Bad move. I know your schemes, but guess what?” I paused, leaning in slightly, our faces mere inches apart.
“I tracked down your lawyer, Mr. Johnson, but don’t fret.”
I let out a cruel laugh, leaning back. “He’s dead,” I stated, and he shot me a sharp glare, disbelief evident in his eyes.
And seeing his reaction was enough to spur me into revealing some more details. “Now that I know you won’t survive the next 4 hours, I feel the urge to unveil some truths,” I said.
Ignoring his response, the disappointment in his eyes, I pressed on. “Since childhood, I have yearned for your love, attention, and care. I longed for a father, to be acknowledged as a daughter, not some burden.”
I can feel his eyes following my every damn move as I paced around the room, hands clasped behind my back. Lost in deep thoughts, I let my emotions spill out, “All I craved in this life was your love. Yet you despised me and my mother so much. We were treated disparately. You showered Ashley with affection, fulfilling her every desire, while I received the opposite treatment…”
“So…” I stopped, turning to face him. “I swear to destroy her. So I used her best friend and ex to set her up to sleep with an old reckless man. She didn’t do it intentionally, it was all my plan.”
A look of utter shock flashed across Daniel Harlow’s face.
“Hmm… You… hmm,” he stuttered, his rage palpable as he shook the bed angrily. I smiled, releasing a scornful chuckle. “Everything that happened that night was all my doing!” I gloated, walking forward and placing a piece of tape over his mouth to silence him. “No one will ever hear your voice,” I added, my eyes gleaming with triumph.
All I could see in his face was a mix of anger, regret, disappointment, and hatred as he seriously shook the bed in anger. The strings make some loose sounds but I no longer care- the love that I desperately needed from him had long gone.
However, I whispered, my voice cold and laced with venom. “But of course, I forgot how much you love her. You didn’t even wait for her to feel the pain and you married her off and even risked your million dollars company in the process. As if that wasn’t enough, you willed almost everything to her name!”
I spat in anger before walking over to him. I forcefully grasped his hand, shoving the pen into his palms and dragging it forward to sign on the line below the document.
“Enough of the explanations!” I snapped, frustration seething inside me as he stubbornly clenched his fists, refusing to sign. And that only irritated me further. “Your precious daughter has only 24 hours to live,” I declared, my tone firm and icy. “So, it’s your choice: sign this document or watch her perish.”
I threatened yet he refused to bulge. “Hmmm….” I smirked glaring at him.
I know your weak point old man.
I leaned back, pulled out my phone, and showed him the footage of Ashley trapped in the basement. The video, recorded immediately after her abduction, was all the leverage I needed. Shock and anguish flashed across his face before he turned back to me, his eyes blazing with fury.
“So, the choice is yours,” I smirked, pushing the document toward him.
He bit down on his lip, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek as he hesitantly scrawled his signature. Despite his compliance, and also seeing his signature well written down a pang of sorrow echoed within me, mingling with my forced smile.
He truly was capable of doing anything… absolutely anything for her.
Suddenly, I cleared my throat, composing myself as I hid the pain within. “Now that everything is settled and you know my secrets,” I said smoothly, tucking the document back into my jacket.
And then gradually strode over to stand beside him, my eyes locked on his. “Do you think you deserve to live?” I asked, my voice dripping with malice. His gaze followed me, and for a moment, a flicker of fear danced in his eyes. He tried to speak, but his words were muffled by the tape covering his mouth.
“Go wait for your dear daughter in the next world,”
With a cruel smile, I yanked off the oxygen tube connected to the nasal cannula in his hand, the device that had been sustaining his fragile breathing. I laughed heartlessly watching him struggling to draw air, his body convulsing in desperation.
The minutes ticked by with agonizing slowness…2 minutes…
3 minutes…
The machine beeps erratically as he thrashes about in the bed, his glassy, wrinkled eyes fixed on me with a mixture of fear and struggle. I laughed hard, a cold, cruel sound that sent shivers around the room.
5 minutes…
6 minutes……
And then, I watched with a mix of fascination and horror as his body finally went still, his life slipping away.