THE REN UPGRADE: MONSTERS WITHIN

14: Is The New Director A Clown Or A Maniac?

Two days later, Hana Blackthorn was in her bedroom in the big Blackthorn mansion. She was surrounded by luxury and bright colors, but she did not seem happy. 

She munched and crunched on a cylinder of chips that sat in front of her on the bed. Her eyes were glued to the TV screen. 

This was what she considered a depressed fit. Wasting away in bed on a work day. Suffocating in the same house as her father and brothers. 

Two days ago, she had been fighting for her life without even knowing it. But today, somehow, that gunshot wound was considerably healed—

After the director operated on her himself.

Hana was curious about Ren Carter. If she even had her way…she could do a story on him—

About his rise from internship to power. From inmate to hospital director.

He used to be a simple dude whose existence was just as mundane as his looks. But after he walked out of that penitentiary…out of that explosion…unscathed—

He became a different man, a dashing man. A genius of some sort—

Now he spearheaded surgeries and did it expertly. What sort of magic fingers was he blessed with? 

A knock sounded on her door, disrupting her thoughts. It creaked open a second later, before she could scramble to order and turn off the TV.

Her eldest brother’s tall, muscular frame filled the doorway. His deep blue eyes were cold and calculating as they settled on her.

“How’s your shoulder?” Ryker Blackthorn asked in a quiet voice. 

Hana cleared her throat, avoiding his gaze. “It's better. Healed, actually.”

His brows drew into a small frown. He leaned his hip against the doorframe. “Who did you say was your attending surgeon, again?”

She snapped her gaze to his face, searching carefully. “Ren… Ren Carter.”

He nodded slowly, absorbing the name. “Come down for breakfast,” he said after a while. Then, he turned and left. 

Hana was finally able to breathe. 

She never walked the same paths as her eldest brother. He was the most unpredictable and deadly of the three. But to the world, Ryker Blackthorn was a saint. If only they knew what he was underneath his skin—

All of them.

Minutes later, she was down at breakfast. Her father sat at the head of the table. Soren Blackthorn’s presence was as usual, formidable and suffocating. 

His three sons flanked him on both sides. Ryker and Rain on his left. Rowan on his right. 

Hana settled into the seat next to Rowan. As soon as she picked up her cutleries—

“What were you doing with a felon when you got hit?” Soren’s voice was ice cold.

The cutlery slipped from Hana's sweaty fingers and clattered to the ceramic. She dropped her palms in her laps. 

“Father, I was—”

“You know better than to lie to me.”

She swallowed a lump down her throat and dropped her gaze to the checkered table cloth. 

She knew if she was going to do this, it had to be smooth and straight to the point. No bumps, or she would have to spill the truth in a very different and unpleasant way. 

“He asked me to do a story on him.” The lie slipped out, smooth as butter on her tongue. 

Soren nodded, his gaze fixed on his meticulous effort to slice his steak. “For the last time, sweetheart,” he lifted his head and met her gaze, “stay away from him.”

Hana nodded repeatedly, goosebumps scattering across her skin. “Y-Yes, father.”

Meanwhile, a deathly, suffocating silence hung in the air around the table. The Blackthorn brothers ate their meals like they were not present at the table with their father and sister. 

“You've messed up once, already,” Soren added as he wiped the corners of his lips. His eyes were as blue as hers and Ryker's. Deep blue and electric. Captivating. But there was a darkness in them that Hana did not inherit. “You know I won't tolerate another.”

She nodded, her heart racing. “Yes, father.”

*****

Around noon, Hana showed up at work in a simple turquoise blue suit and white stilettos. 

Greetings were tossed her way as she breezed through the hallways. 

“Are you all better?” 

“We heard you got caught in the crossfire the other day!”

“Sorry you got hit but damn, tell me you covered some serious action on the side."

Hana grimaced at all until she walked into her boss’s office. 

“Mr. Takashi, please hear me out.”

Takashi Hiro leaned against his swivel chair and observed Hana with hawk-like, simmering eyes. “How did you mess up the news coverage and get your shoulder shattered all at once?” 

She chewed on her lower lip a moment before she answered. “It's complicated, sir. But I can—”

“Fix this?” A dark chuckle tumbled past Takashi’s lips. “Hana, there is mind-blowing news out there about our subject of interest, Ren Carter, and his inhuman abilities and power. Videos of him pulling a lamppost out of the ground. Getting hit by multiple bullets and never dropping to the ground. And we covered none of them!” He slammed his palm on the desk. “Not even the story about how he rose from intern to hospital director! All we have is the crumbs dropping from other stations’ big catch.”

He paused, breathing hard. After he caught his breath, he added in a quieter, more composed voice, “what in heaven's name were you doing out in the field, Hana?”

Hana swallowed and tried to breathe through the pain that burned the walls of her chest. Through the humiliation. Her fists curled at her sides. 

“I'm sorry.”

He shook his head, observing her with hooded eyes. “This is not one of those silly mistakes you apologize for. Your salary will be sliced in half.”

“Mr. Takashi!” Hana was horrified because her salary had been reduced to peanuts already. And it was the only thing that kept her from depending on her family.

“Sir, please…you can't do this.”

“You're dismissed.” Takashi Hiro pushed out of his seat and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, turning his back on her. 

Hana was devastated. She could not take this—

Not from her boss too. 

Life was already tough with her family—

Adding Takashi to the pile would break her. 

“Why are you still here?” Takashi asked as he returned to the desk and turned on the TV. 

Hana was about to respond when the news came on. 

A blonde broadcaster sat with her back straight in a burgundy background, reporting the three o'clock news.

~The New Director of OakHills General Hospital is presently holding a press conference to apologize for the inconveniences recently caused, and clear the air around some questions the public have~

Hana's jaw locked tight as a live video of the press conference came on the screen. To the bottom left end of the screen, there were videos of Ren doing…extraordinary things. Jumping in the air and kicking the guns out of his attackers’ hands. Running on rooftops.

Her head was aching from the difficulty of comprehension as she watched the videos. Takashi had gone silent, completely absorbed by the news.

The press conference seemed to have just begun.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Good day,” Ren started in a small, unclear voice. “T-Thank you for being here.” He looked meek and repentant, the fire gone from his eyes.

Impatient reporters immediately jumped at him. “Please can you speak louder, Mr. Carter? We can't hear you from the back!”

“Use your mic, please!” 

“Silence!” The chief security guard thundered. “Observe decorum, please.”

Ren cleared his throat and tried again. “I would like to start by apologizing for every inconvenience my recent actions might have caused the public. As the hospital director, I take responsibility for my actions and—”

Hana squinted at the screen, waiting…curiosity stirring in the depths of her mind. 

“I would fix every damage caused,” Ren continued with a stronger, confident voice. “And I would take whatever questions you have for me.”

“Mr. Carter! I have an interesting one for you!”

“Mr. Carter, over here! You're yet to explain how you became the director!”

“Can you tell us how you survived those bullets fired into your body? We all saw you get shot, yet you're standing tall and deliciously refined!”

A mixture of laughter and murmurs rang through the hall. 

“Actually, and luckily for me,” Ren started in a careful tone, “I happened to have a bullet proof vest on that day—”

He choked on his words and doubled over on the podium stand, head to surface. 

Moments later, when he lifted his head, his eyes blazed brighter. A spooky grin was painted on his face. “Nope, scratch that. He's wrong. I'm just that powerful—”

“No! Shut up!” Ren slapped both hands on his face. 

Shocking everyone, including Hana. Maybe everyone else that watched the live broadcast. 

“What the hell? Has he really got some screws loose? Or he's just a clown?” Hana mused.