My Husband's Secretary (ENGLISH R-18)

CHAPTER 1

MAXINE

"Hello, Good evening. Do you know Mr. Hunter Antonious Lorenzana?" the person on the other side greeted him.

"Yes, I know him," I asked in surprise, since the caller used my husband's phone number.

"Ah, ma'am, how are you related to Sir?" the caller asked again. This time a strange nervousness stirred in my heart.

"I am his wife. Who are you? Why do you have my husband's cellphone?" I asked anxiously.

"Ma'am, this is Sgt. Mallari. Your husband was involved in a car accident. We rushed him to St. Luke's Medical Center," the police officer explained, but I could barely comprehend the rest of his words. All I understood was that my husband had an accident and is now in the hospital.

I quickly grabbed my bag and car keys. I didn't have time to change clothes due to my anxiety. Even though my mind was in turmoil, I managed to call my husband's parents to inform them about what happened to Hunter.

When I arrived at the hospital, I immediately searched for the room where my husband was admitted, but to my dismay, he had already undergone an operation for a head fracture.

I had no choice but to wait outside the operating room. Every passing hour without news about Hunter felt like an endless punishment. After some time, Hunter's parents arrived, providing me with some comfort amidst the sorrow I was feeling.

This was the most agonizing three hours of my entire life. Each passing hour and minute without any updates on Hunter's condition felt like an unending torment. I cried buckets earlier, and I didn't know I still had tears left to shed.

Finally, the doctor emerged from the operating room. I bombarded him with questions, desperately seeking information about my husband's condition. As I placed my hand on Hunter's, he groaned and tried to say something. I quickly leaned in to listen, making sure I could hear him clearly.

"Doc, how is my husband? How is his condition? Is he safe? Can I see him?" I asked the doctor in rapid succession, tears flowing freely from my eyes. I might have cried a bucket earlier, but I didn't realize I still had more tears to shed.

"Calm down, ma'am. Your husband is safe for now. We removed some of the blood clots in his head and stitched up the wound, but we are not 100% sure if there are any implications on his brain from the accident. We need to run more tests," the doctor explained.

"Can we see him now, doc? I really want to see my husband," I pleaded with the doctor.

"For now, we need to put him in the ICU to closely observe his condition. That's all I can tell you for now. The rest is up to the patient; he needs to fight for his life to recover faster. For now, all we can do is wait for him to wake up. We will update you if there are any changes in his situation," the doctor said before leaving.

I wanted to ask more questions, but Hunter's father stopped me.

"Hija, calm down," he restrained me.

"No, Dad! I still have many questions to ask her. I need to make sure that my husband is okay," my voice slightly raised due to stress. My father was momentarily taken aback by my words.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I apologized.

"It's okay, my child. I know how much you love my son, but you need to be strong. You need to be calm and collected, and Hunter will draw strength from you. My son loves you so much, and he won't be happy if you neglect yourself. My son will be okay soon, and you need to be strong when he wakes up," Hunter's father gave a long sermon.

I calmed down slightly due to the advice from Hunter's father. His family has been nothing but good to me. I am fortunate that they are here to support me while Hunter is still in coma.

"Thanks, Dad. I will try to be strong for Hunter," I said, giving him a faint smile.

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It's been three months since Hunter went into a coma. The doctor said that he's already fine, out of the ICU, and currently in a regular room, but he still has an oxygen mask to ensure normal oxygen flow in his body.

I spend every day watching over him in the hospital, almost sleeping there as well. I try to manage the company and take care of Hunter at the same time. When he had his accident, I temporarily took over as the CEO of Hunter's company. His father volunteered to take over the company for the time being so that I could focus on taking care of Hunter, but I don't want to. I know how important the company is to Hunter, and I want to make sure that everything important to him is taken care of until he wakes up. It's not that his father couldn't handle it, but I want to do it myself.

Hunter taught me a thing or two before his accident, so I had an idea about how to run the company. At first, I struggled with some of the transactions, but eventually, I learned, and I managed to handle the everyday operations of the company, as well as meetings with the board and investors.

I just came from the office and a board meeting that lasted three hours, so I'm almost out of energy. However, seeing Hunter's face makes my tiredness disappear. My husband is my strength. He is my anchor, and he's the reason I remain strong and resilient amidst the storms of life.

"How are you, hija?" Hunter's mother greeted me as she entered the room.

"We knocked, but no one answered, so we went in," Hunter's father explained.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad, I must have dozed off, that's why I didn't hear you knock," I explained, approaching them to give a greeting kiss.

"Are you okay? Was it stressful at the office?" his mother asked.

"Kinda, Mom. We had a board meeting earlier, and it lasted for three hours, so maybe that's why I dozed off when I arrived here," I explained.

"I told you, I could look out for your company, so you wouldn't get too tired," my father said.

"I'm okay, Dad. I want Hunter to be proud of me when he wakes up. I want to show him that I didn't neglect his company while he was asleep," I said, giving them a slightly sad smile.

"I'm sure my son would be very proud of you, hija. He's lucky to have you as his wife," his mother said, and her words caused me to tear up slightly. She didn't know what she did in her past life to deserve such kind in-laws as them. I approached her and hugged her, thanking her for her kind words. Our emotional moment was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Are you expecting a visitor, Maxine?" Daddy asked.

"No, Dad, nobody," I replied.

Dad went to check the door and slightly opened it. I noticed his shock when he saw whoever was on the other side. A few seconds passed before he fully opened the door, revealing the unknown visitor.

"Athena?" Mom exclaimed.

"Hi, Auntie, hi, Uncle, I'm sorry for not informing you that I was coming. I just arrived from Paris," she greeted them with a smile.

Am I not here?

I said to myself as I noticed that the visitor didn't even spare me a glance.

"I wanted to come back to the Philippines as soon as I heard the news about Hunter's accident, but it took me three months to wrap up all my previous commitments, so I have just got back now. How's Hunter, Auntie?" she explained.

No one's asking!

"He's fine, hija. His wife is taking good care of him," Mom emphasized the word 'wife.'

"T-Thank God if that's the case," she replied hesitantly.

We all turned our attention when Hunter slightly moved and groaned.

"Oh my gosh! Thank God you're awake now, honey," I hurriedly went to his side and held his hand.

But a pang of pain struck my heart when he pulled his hand away. I heard him growl, trying to say something. I quickly brought my ear closer to him to hear him more clearly.

"A-Athena," he whispered.

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