Heartless Billionaire, Why Abusing Me?

20 The Bone Marrow Mix-Up

The moment Keaton saw Ray kissing Kristi, he turned around and disappeared back into the hallway, and the interruption was over so quickly that it did not affect Ray's s****l advances towards Kristi. After a few seconds, though, Kristi found the strength to push Ray off of her.

Kristi was breathing quickly, and she was blushing. She dropped her eyes and bit her lip, and she didn't know what to say. She wanted to call Ray a bastard, but she didn't dare. Instead, she smiled bitterly and kept her thoughts to herself.

When Ray saw the expression on her face, he snorted and said, "Kristi, I don't care what you want. You can't leave this ward without my permission!" – and then he left her room without another word.

Kristi was overcome with despair as she watched Ray walk away from her. Will I ever be free of this man? – she wondered.

***

Keaton was standing outside of Kristi's room, and when he saw Ray emerged from it, he called a nurse to join them.

Ray gave Keaton a curious look and asked, "What's the matter?"

Keaton smiled and said, "Nothing. I was just wondering if you wanted to have a drink together tonight. You don't look well. Perhaps some wine would help calm your nerves."

Ray thought about it for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Okay."

***

In the Zephr Bar: later that night – Keaton poured a glass of wine for Ray, picked up his own glass, and took a drink. Then he turned to Ray and asked, "When did you start up with Kristina?"

Ray drank from his glass. He chuckled and asked, "Are you asking about the first time I f****d her?"

Keaton frowned. He knew that Ray wouldn't give him a serious answer, so he changed the subject. "Has it ever occurred to you that Kristi might be innocent?" he wondered.

Ray's smile disappeared. "What do you mean?"

When Keaton checked Kristi's body the day before, he found that stomach bleeding, alcohol poisoning, and hypoglycemia were not her only afflictions. He was still hesitant about sharing his findings with Ray, though, because of doctor-patient confidentiality. Unfortunately, Ray was a clever man, and he could tell that Keaton was deliberately hiding something from him.

Ray said, "If you have something that you want to say, just say it. Do you think you can hide anything from me?"

Keaton sighed and said, "When I checked Kristi last night, I discovered that she had a major operation a long time ago, and because the aftercare was poor, she is suffering the side effects. These include weakness, low blood sugar, stomach bleeding, and so on.

"How long will you continue to torment her? When will enough be enough?"

Ray's expression revealed nothing about what he was thinking. He asked Keaton, "What surgery?"

Keaton: "I suspect that she was a bone marrow donor."

"What are you talking about?" Ray looked at Keaton incredulously. "How could she have had that kind of surgery?"

"I know it's so unbelievable," Keaton admitted. "Bone marrow transplantations are not general operations. You of all people know how dangerous they are. After all, you had one, right?"

Ray looked up gloomily. Three years ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant, and Lucia was the only match they could find. Luckily, Lucia had agreed to donate without any hesitation.

Ray frowned and said, "Tell me more about my operation. It seems too coincidental that Kristi happened to be a bone marrow donator at the same time that I received a bone marrow donation…"

"I can't answer these questions," Keaton said. "When your surgery was being done, I wasn't even in the country. You know that… Anyway, maybe you need some time alone to think about this matter."

Keaton didn't wait for Ray to reply. He stood up, quickly said goodbye, and walked out of the bar.

***

By the time Ray left the bar, it was already midnight.

He returned to the hospital, went to Kristi's room, and watched her sleep through the window on the door. She looked peaceful, and he didn't want to disturb her, so he went to sit in the Waiting Room, and as he was walking, his phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that he'd received a message from Keaton. It said: "Ray, Kristina is not well. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with her, but she can't handle stressful situations right now, so no matter how much you hate her, you need to stop tormenting her."

Ray scowled at the message and decided to ignore it. Instead of replying, he sent Marco a message: "Have Tianna bring Kristi a supplement tomorrow."

***

After Keaton sent the text message to Ray, he felt a sense of relief wash over him. As Ray's best friend, no one knew his temper better than he did, and he could tell that Ray's feelings towards Kristi were complicated. There had been many misunderstandings between Ray and Kristi, and nothing would be solved between them until they were worked out.

***

When Tianna arrived with the supplement, she saw the deep dark circles under Kristi's eyes, and she felt a deep sense of guilt over her current predicament. She touched Kristi's hand gently and said, "Kristi, this is all my fault. If I had looked closer into the way that you were being treated, you wouldn't be here..."

Kristi shook her head and said, "I didn't blame you. I came to the Diamond Club of my own volition, and I am used to being treated this way."

Kristi had lived in the asylum for two-years, and it had been hell. Her time there had taught her how to endure such torment, though, with grace and without complaint.

Tianna wanted to say something more, but her words were interrupted by Kristi: "Minister, I want to go back to work. Is that possible?"

Tianna froze for a moment, and she felt a little bit embarrassed. Kristi thought that Tianna was worried about her health, so she said, "I'm already in good health, and I will be fine. You know that I need the money and that I don't have much time to raise it. I want to go back to work. Will you allow it?"

Tianna frowned and said, "Kristi, I can't allow it. Don't be so stubborn. Look how skinny you have become during this time.

"Listen to me. You should take this opportunity to take care of your health. I will hold your job for you, and don't worry about money, okay!"

"B-but I- I..." Kristi stammered.

Tianna sighed as she stood up. She looked down on Kristi and said, "Let it be, okay. I have to go back to work. Rest well. I will come to visit you again tomorrow."

Tianna didn't wait for Kristi to reply. She stood up, quickly said goodbye, and walked out of the hospital.