All Chapters of The Day I Stopped Being Mr Nice Guy: Chapter 11
- Chapter 20
57 chapters
CHAPTER 11
Clara found Mason in the hospital’s private family lounge, staring out the window with a feigned concern etched perfectly on his face. She did not speak, she just stood there as the silence between them got thicker by the minute with her confusion.Finally, Mason turned. “Clara? What is wrong, my love? You look pale.”“Dante…” she began shakily, “He said….he told me you brought him divorce papers. That he signed them. That it is done.”Mason’s face fell, a look of feigned sincerity, and reached for her hands. “He told you? Like that? I wanted to be the one….to soften the blow. I was going to tell you once Jasper’s case was settled. I knew how much it would hurt you, even if it is what you wanted.”“He said you told him I was too busy to handle it myself,” Clara said softly as she searched his face intensely.“Oh, that was what he said?” Mason muttered and sighed, “I told him you were emotionally overwhelmed. That you had entrusted me to handle the unpleasant details so you could focus
CHAPTER 12
A persistent, buzzing vibration against the wooden chair finally got through Dante’s intense exhaustion. He had slumped in the chair beside Daisy’s medical pod, and rested his head on the cool surface with the intention of closing his eyes for an hour or two, but during the few precious hours, the world had disappeared, and the buzzing was an unwelcome string, dragging him back to a reality he wished he could escape.He groaned in exhaustion and his body protested as he stretched. With a heavy hand, he reached out for his phone, with his vision still blurry with sleep. The screen flashed brightly with notifications, all from one person…Clara.He wiped off the exhaustion from his eyes roughly that they stung, and tapped the screen with his heart heavy on his chest.Clara. ‘Your things are at the hospital entrance. Come and get them before I call the authorities for illegal dumping.’Dante stared at the screen in shock as his mind struggled to process the words. His things? What was he
CHAPTER 13
Dante burst through the doors of the ICU, with his heart hammering loudly against his ribs like a wild bird. He ran to a stop at the pod, as he desperately tried to catch his breath. Inside, Daisy was awake. She had turned her head and fixed her large sunken eyes, which was now too big for her gaunt face on the door, patiently waiting for him, with a fragile smile on her pale lips. “D-Daddy?” She called out croakily, which came out as a whisper filtered through the pod’s system. The sight of her, so small inside the machine, with her body a little more than skin stretched over delicate bones, shattered what was left of his heart. He felt the pieces lodge in his throat, making it hard for him to breathe, hard to speak. But for her, he would be strong. “My Daisy,” he managed to croak, with his voice thick with emotion as he pressed his hand against the cool glass. “My brave, beautiful girl.” Doctor Alice, who was adjusting the monitor, looked up. “She is conscious and very awar
CHAPTER 14
A very shallow sleep had finally claimed Dante, with his head resting on his arms beside Daisy’s pod. The silence was a gift and it was been interrupted by raised voices in the hallway….a man’s arrogant deep voice and a woman’s shrill high pitch.He snapped his eyes open and instinctively checked on Daisy, who was still very much asleep with a peaceful look on her face. He was instantly filled with relief, which was replaced by a cold dread as he recognized the voices. Clara. Mason. Here. Now.He moved quietly, like a ghost to the door and opened it gently to see the scene unfolding directly outside Dr. Alice’s office.“This is highly irregular and medically irresponsible!” Dr. Alice was saying, with her arms crossed defiantly over her chest as she used her body as a barrier to block her office door.“I am her mother!” Clara shot back angrily as her voice echoed in the sterile, antiseptic hall. “I have every right to decide what is best for my child!”“And what is best is to move a cr
CHAPTER 15
Dante sat in a secluded quiet corner of the hospital lobby as his body still buzzed with fury. He stared, without seeing, at the bustling entrance where his life had been dumped in cardboard boxes just days ago. The confrontation with Clara and Mason played repeatedly in his mind, with each of Clara’s words a fresh lash of whip, and each of Mason’s smirk a deeper poison.The gentle tap of heels on polished floor made him flinch and he looked up to see Dr. Alice approaching, with her flowing white coat, which was a stark contrast to the dark turmoil he felt. He moved to stand instinctively, which was a reflexive courtesy.“No, don’t get up.” She said and waved a hand before taking the seat opposite him, with her eyes filled with concern. “I have been looking for you.”Dante managed to smile weakly. “Is there a problem? Is it Daisy?”“Daisy is stable. This is about you,” she said, getting straight to the point. “Back there, on the hallway…you cut me off. You did not want me to tell them
CHAPTER 16
Dante stood in the silent ward, in the crisp, unfamiliar fabric of his suit a clear contrast to the soft, clean environment. He had dropped his unusual casual wear for a tailored dark grey suit, which was a uniform for the war he was about to re-enter. He watched Daisy’s chest rise and fall within the pod, sleeping so fragile in the peace he hates to disturb.A soft knock sounded at the door and Nurse Eva peeked in. “Mr. Vance? There is a gentleman in the lobby asking for you. He says he is from your work.”Dante did not turn, with his gaze still fixed on his daughter, he said quietly, “Send him up, please, Eva.”A few minutes later, another knock, firmer this time. A young man with an eager, intelligent face entered, he widened his eyes slightly at the sight of the medical pod before turning to look at Dante with a profound respect.“Dr. Vance? I am Liam, from the R &D division. Sir, the company car is waiting downstairs whenever you are ready.”Dante finally turned his head with a b
CHAPTER 17
The hushed silence of the ward was broken only by the soft, mechanical hiss of the medical pod, and Clara stood before it, with her arms crossed tightly over her chest and her perfectly sculpted brows raised high in confusion. She watched Daisy sleep, watched the child’s fragile form being a huge contrast to the cold, buzzing technology that covered her. It was a picture of motherly observation, yet it lacked warmth, it was more as an assessment than a vigil.Suddenly, her phone rang loudly, which shattered the quiet atmosphere. Cursing under her breath, Clara fumbled in her leather handbag frantically until she silenced the device.But the damage was done.Inside the pod, Daisy’s eyelid fluttered. She blinked slowly with her gaze unfocused before it landed on the figure standing over her. Then a wave of surprise and pure, unadulterated joy, washed over her pale features.“Mummy?” She whispered weakly.Clara managed a stiff smile and slid the phone back into her bag. “Daisy. You are a
CHAPTER 18
The boardroom of Vertex Pharmaceuticals was a sanctuary of power and polished mahogany table and floors. A huge wall of glass offered a magnificent view of the city, but the twelve men and women seated around the table held all the gravity in the room. Dante sat at the end of the table in the midsts of expensive tailored suits and calculating eyes. “The proposal is straightforward, Dr. Vance,” said a silver haired woman, Ms. Croft, the Chairperson. “The ‘Ringdom” project. It is the next evolutionary step in neural regeneration. We want you to lead it. Your work on Luxempin proves you are the only one who can.”All eyes were on Dante. He folded his fingers with an unreadable expression on his face. “I am deeply honored. However, I must decline. But I will recommend Dr. Ben Sharma. His work on the Luxempin delivery systems was brilliant. He is more than capable.”The room fell silent instantly. Then, a man with a sharp goatee, Mr Sterling, leaned forward. “Decline? Dante, we have react
CHAPTER 19
The door to Doctor Alice’s office flew open with so much force that made the door hinges rattle. Dante stood in the doorway, with his tie out of place and his tailored suit jacket rumpled as if he had wrestled his way through the hospital corridors. His chest heaved with ragged breath as he tried to steady his composure.“Alice. Eva called. What happened?” he demanded with a growl.Dr. Alice looked up from her desk with stress written boldly on her face, and said dispiritedly, “Dante, sit down. Let me—”But he had already turned and hurried down the corridor. “I need to see Daisy first.”And he was gone before she could form another sentence. In no time, he was already at his daughter’s ward and he entered without a sound, his frantic energy disappearing the moment his eyes found her.Daisy was awake, and turned her small head towards the door as if she had been waiting. Nurse Eva stood quietly by the pod, and offered Dante a small, reassuring nod.“Daddy!” Daisy’s voice was thin thre
CHAPTER 20
The Lockwood penthouse was a sanctuary of coldness and modern art that cost more than most homes. It was a place designed to impress, not to welcome. Mason Lockwood, the king of this strange kingdom, lounged on a white sofa that looked like a sculpted figure, with a glass of whiskey in his hand.Sitting beside him was Peter, a man just like him, cut from the same cloth, expensive, sharp and rough around the edges, and they were laughing about the past.“….so the entire Carlisle fortune, three generations of old money, evaporated in six months,” Mason said with a smirk on lips. Peter shook his head and chuckled. “I still can not believe Eleanor fell for it. You practically led her to the cliff and told her it was a shortcut to paradise.”“Fell for it? Peter, you hurt me,” Mason replied as he feigned offense. “I presented a stellar opportunity. The ‘Nova-World’ resort development on the Bahamas was a sure thing. On paper.” He took a sip from his whiskey and savored the taste. “She was