The car rolled to a smooth halt in front of the hospital entrance. Savannah didn't move for a moment.
She remained still, her hand resting lightly on her bag's strap, her eyes distant and lost in her thoughts. Blaze, who was beside her in the driver's seat, stole a glance her way—he didn't push her to move or say anything. He was just there, quietly supporting her.
At last, she turned to him and offered a soft, almost imperceptible nod. "Thanks for lunch," she murmured, her voice so soft it almost got swallowed by the car's silence.
Blaze met her gaze, and for a fleeting moment, he considered reaching out to tuck that loose strand of hair behind her ear like he used to do. But he held back, simply nodding in response.
"You don't need to thank me, Ana," he said quietly. "You just need to come back to me."
She didn't reply.
Instead, she opened the door and walked into the hospital without looking back.
As the door clicked shut, Blaze lingered for a moment longer, his jaw tight and hands gripping the steering wheel. Then he let out a breath, shifted the gear into drive, and took off, the calm facade slowly settling back over him.
Herbert Medical And Technology
Back at Herbert Medical And Technology, the polished glass of the towering building reflected the silver sky above. Inside, the mood was clipped, sharp, as always whenever Blaze entered. The air shifted around him like gravity itself bent.
Arthur stood by the elevator in the executive wing, tapping his wrist where his watch usually sat, his posture rigid, eyes fixed on the approaching figure.
As Blaze walked toward him, his tailored black suit cutting a striking silhouette, Arthur instinctively straightened even more, moving in sync with his boss as they both stepped into the elevator.
"Mr. Morales is waiting in the meeting room," Arthur said stiffly, eyes forward.
Blaze didn't answer.
He didn't even look at him.
He just stood there-tall, motionless, a storm cloud brewing under a suit, his eyes fixed ahead as the elevator climbed.
The soft chime of the elevator doors broke the silence. They opened to reveal the executive floor.
Marble floors gleamed under the lights. The hallway stretched ahead, doors closed, the atmosphere silent and tight.
They stepped out. Arthur walked a pace behind him, fingers lightly tapping against the tablet he carried, prepared to enter with Blaze for the high-stakes board meeting.
But after only a few steps, Blaze halted.
Abruptly.
Arthur froze too, blinking at the sudden halt, eyes narrowing as he looked at Blaze's back.
Blaze turned around, slowly.
His dark eyes scanned Arthur's face, then swept downward over the bruises on his cheek, the bandage across his forehead, the dried cut beside his lip. There was no mistaking the calculated pause in his gaze. His expression didn't flicker-but the weight of his silence made Arthur's shoulders tighten.
Blaze's voice, when he spoke, was low and measured. Dangerous in its quietness.
"You're not needed in there," he said flatly.
Arthur's jaw twitched. "Boss-"
"I said," Blaze cut him off, eyes locking onto his, "you don't have to be there."
There was nothing else. No raised voice. No threat.
Just a command wrapped in finality.
Then Blaze turned, the sharp twist of his shoes against the marble floor echoing behind him as he walked away without another glance.
Arthur stood there, stunned.
Left behind.
Left beneath.
After a long pause, when the sound of Blaze's footsteps had fully faded down the hall and the meeting room doors had closed behind him, Arthur finally turned and walked the opposite direction.
The restroom was empty and dim, the echo of the faucet dripping the only sound. Arthur stood at the sink, the silence pressing in on him. He stared into the mirror.
The man staring back at him was unrecognizable.
A bandage stretched across his forehead, while a fresh red scratch marred his left cheek. A bruise bloomed on his chin, swirling in shades of purple and green. His lip showed the remnants of a split that was just beginning to mend.
A week ago, his reflection would have smiled at its own smugness. His face, once clean and sharp, had always been a weapon in its own right-smooth charm veiling ambition.
Now, it was marked. Scarred.
Punished.
Arthur's hand twitched as he reached up to feel the bruise along his cheekbone. It throbbed, a dull ache that he refused to acknowledge.
He didn't wince.
He didn't flinch.
Because deep down, he knew he had it coming.
These injuries weren't just the aftermath of a mistake. They were reminders. Warnings. A silent message etched into his skin:
Don't overstep. Don't forget your place.
He lowered his hand and let out a breath, still locked in his own reflection.
"Never again," he murmured to himself, almost like a promise. "Never again."
Because now he got it.
Blaze Baldwin didn't need to shout to make you feel small.
He didn't require an army to take you down.
He was the storm.
And Arthur would never dare to stand in its way again.
YouHeal Hospital
The soft clicking of keys filled Savannah's cabin as she sat at her desk, her eyes glued to the screen, sifting through medical imports and crucial hospital correspondence. The cursor blinked steadily, but her mind was elsewhere. How could she focus on the data? After lunch with Blaze, her heart felt heavier than it had in days.
And then—
SLAM!
The cabin door burst open with a loud bang against the wall, jolting Savannah from her thoughts. She blinked rapidly, her gaze snapping to the door.
Bella burst into the room, skipping any pleasantries—there was just an urgent fire in her eyes. She was slightly out of breath from her hurried entrance, and without waiting for an invitation, she dramatically flopped into the chair opposite Savannah's desk.
"Spill it."
Savannah blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"
Bella leaned in, her gaze intense and unwavering. "You and the Chairman. What. Is. Happening?"
Savannah leaned back, trying to maintain her composure, even as a knot of anxiety twisted in her stomach. She glanced at her computer screen, searching for a moment of calm in its cold glow, then met Bella's piercing gaze again.
After a brief pause, she spoke with a steady voice. "He is..." she hesitated. "He's my husband."
The silence that followed was almost deafening.
Bella froze, her mouth opening as if to say something, but no words came out. It was clear her mind needed a moment to catch up. Then her eyes widened further, her mouth moving like a fish gasping for air.
"Wait." Her voice was barely a whisper. "WHAT?"
Savannah simply nodded. Just a small nod that seemed to carry a world of secrets.
Bella's hands slapped the armrests of the chair. "What do you mean he's your husband?! As in married?! Like-legally?! To Blaze Baldwin?! That Blaze Baldwin?! Our Chairman, the walking, talking, icy-glare machine?!"
Savannah responded "Yes. That one."
Bella leaned back, her head thrown back in disbelief. "You're married to the billionaire chairman of the Herbert Group?! You-you-Savannah, my quiet, always-composed Savannah-you married the man whose mere presence causes seasoned doctors to stutter?!"
Savannah shrugged, though the smile on her lips didn't quite reach her eyes. "I didn't marry the Chairman, Bella. I married Blaze.That's just it."
Bella gawked at her, jaw slack, the weight of the revelation visibly short-circuiting her brain. "How-how did you manage that? Like-he's scary! One glare and I start apologizing for things I didn't even do! And you-you married him?!"
Savannah let out a light chuckle, her fingers idly tracing the edge of a pen resting on the desk. But beneath that soft laugh lay something much deeper, something Bella hadn't yet grasped.
"It wasn't planned," she said softly. "We just... connected. Back then, I was in deep trouble. He was there for me an angel here to help me. Our meeting was destined." Savannah spoke her mind drifting off back to the memory lane.
Bella leaned in closer, her shock giving way to genuine curiosity.
"He listens, Bella," Savannah continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "He didn't interrupt me. He remembered the tiniest details I shared. He was so patient and kind. He showed up when no one else would. When I felt like I was drowning in life, he was just... there. No strings attached."
Bella's expression began to soften. "That... doesn't sound like the Blaze Baldwin we know."
Savannah offered a bittersweet smile. "No, it doesn't. Somewhere along the way, something shifted. Or maybe... maybe I just never saw it for what it was." She murmured to herself.
Bella frowned, her instincts kicking in. "Savannah, what happened?"
A long silence hung in the air.
Savannah's gaze fell to her lap. Maybe she had been wrong... all along.
Author's Note :
Thankyou for reading<3
Have a good day/night<3<3