Chapter 143 - Where Were You Earlier?

"Nana, your doctor told us that you were fighting an inner battle inside your mind. Can you tell us what it was?"

"Why are you so scared of speeding cars?" 

Lina heard the two questions that were thrown at her, so she looked at her Uncle Ace first.

"A battle inside my mind?" She tilted her head and asked in reply.

"Yes, the doctor said that there was some kind of barrier in your mind that was stopping you from waking up." He tried to explain it to the best of his abilities.

Patrick nodded when he heard how Ace had put it across to Lina.

"You were trapped in your own dream. Can you tell us what it was?" Pat asked as he held her palm and rubbed it.

Lina turned to her other uncle and tried to comprehend his words.

'A dream?' She furrowed her brows and tried to recall what this dream was.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on it.

She saw the dark space, the wet feet, then the garden with lush green grass.

The loud commotion that made her turn around and then… 

Everything disappeared and she opened her eyes once again to look at her uncles.

"I only remember a dark and wet place. Nothing like a dream or even a nightmare." She shook her head in disappointment.

"I'm not even scared of the dark for it to be a nightmare." She tried to crack a joke when she saw their sad faces.

"I'm sorry, I am so useless." Her head drooped and she stared at the bandaged hands from where the nurse had removed the IV drips.

"Don't force yourself, kiddo. You'll remember it soon enough but I hope that you will trust us enough to share it with us." Ace rubbed her head and said with a sad smile.

Lina just nodded because she too would like to know what it was that made her stay comatose for three whole days.

"What about your fear of cars? Why are you so scared of them?" Patrick interrupted another silent moment which made Ace glared at him.

'I feel like I need to gag his mouth sometimes!' He signaled him to shut up.

Lina looked at her uncle in hesitation and then turned her head away.

"That is something I cannot tell you." She laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.

"What is more important than your family that you cannot tell us what happened, Nana?" Patrick was pissed when he heard her refusal to let them know what had happened in the past.

"Every time we watch you faint, do you know what we go through? Do you even care about us?" He yelled at her and clenched his fists.

Ace quickly moved towards him and rubbed his back to calm him down.

"Pat, calm down. Don't agitate her right now. We can discuss this some other time." He turned Pat's face towards him and looked him in the eye.

Patrick instantly calmed down but he was not willing to look at Lina again.

"I need to leave." He declared and strode out of the room.

Ace watched Pat leave without turning back and then turned towards Lina.

The tears in her eyes stung his heart but he too was disgruntled with her answer.

"Think of what we actually mean to you. I will come back tomorrow morning." Ace lectured her with a stern voice and after picking up his jacket, he too followed after Patrick.

Staring at his back, Lina wiped the tears and turned her back to the door.

"I cannot tell you what happened because you mean a lot to me." She whispered and shrunk her body into a fetus position.

It was already late in the night and Lina's tired body went back to see in no time.

---

In the parking lot of the hospital.

Patrick punched the hood of his car after he had strode out in such a hotheaded way.

He knew that she must have her reasons for hiding whatever it was but he was still hurt to hear the proof of her lack of faith in them.

"Always fleeing when things get tough." He turned around when he heard that sarcastic statement.

Facing his Wally, Patrick smiled and then held his hand.

Opening the passenger door for him, Patrick made him sit inside the car before he entered through the driver's door.

"Where were you when I called you earlier?" Ace asked after Pat was comfortable.

Pat's face was awkward and he rubbed his nose.

"I was at Yang Manor and those two were making a fuss." He confessed and observed Ace's expressions.

'I thought that I had heard a woman's voice!' Ace gnashed his teeth.

When Lina had woken up for the first time, Ace had first given him a call before updating Diane.

He had heard a woman's voice in the background but he did not have enough time to investigate it so he let the matter go for the time being.

Now that they had sufficient time, Ace would make sure to get a reasonable explanation for why his man was with those annoying women and not in his office in the middle of the day.

"Want to tell me what happened?" He raised his brows and waited for Pat to speak in his defense.

Patrick thought back to what had happened in the afternoon and retold his side of the story.

---

Patrick was in his office, rubbing his tired brows when his secretary, Erica knocked at his door.

"Yes?" He allowed her inside and asked when he saw the awkward look on her face.

"Sir, she has called thirty times already. My ears will start bleeding if I have to hear her bitch and moan one more time." She stuck her finger in her ear and wiggled it around.

If anyone outside would see the look on the beautiful blonde's face and her mannerisms they would do a double-take. 

Her face and her actions did not match each other in the least bit. No one would have guessed that under this angelic face was a rude and devil-may-care attitude.

"What does she want this time?" Patrick sighed and looked up at the woman.

"Apparently, her card was declined and now she is crying for her daddy." Erica rolled her eyes and avoided Patrick's scowling face.

"How much did she spend? You know what? I don't even care. Just pay it from my card and ask her to stop calling." He waved his hand and sent Erica away.

He was already worried about Lina in the hospital and the last thing he needed on his plate was that brat who was hell-bent on not letting him live in peace.

A few minutes later, Erica was back in his office with a pissed off face.

"Sir, your daughter just warned me to keep my lusty claws away from you." She scoffed and handed the phone over to him directly.

Patrick glared at her and then glanced at the phone that was already connected.

"Daddy! When will you come home!?" The loud voice was heard before he could even bring the phone to his ear.

"I am busy at the office. All the money that you spend does not grow on trees. I work hard to earn them and you are disturbing me right now." He spoke in a single breath without caring about what the opposite person felt.

He had received the complaints from Butler and Mrs. Ping about the many problems that the mother-daughter pair had created in his house.

"Daddy! Come home this instant if you don't want everyone to know how badly we are being treated in your house!" He heard Mandy commanding him with a loud voice.

'Looks like I did not deal with them properly. How dare she raise her voice at me?' Patrick was fuming, he shut the laptop that was on his table.

"I will be there in a few minutes." He uttered in a monotone voice and then hung up.

"Erica, cancel my appointments for the day. There is a pest problem in my house that needs my urgent attention." He spoke while wearing his jacket and then strode out.

Erica glanced at the man who was walking away and smiled triumphantly.

'Finally, he is going to kick those clowns out of his house! I don't ever want to hear that obnoxious voice anywhere near me!' She sauntered back to her table.

Patrick reached Yang Manor faster than usual and caught the sight of the two women being served by the young man.

'I haven't seen him before.' Pat observed his face and then decided to ignore it for now.

"What exactly is your problem?" This was the first thing he said when he entered the Main Hall.

"Daddy! You are here!" Mandy pranced towards him to give him a hug but Patrick stretched his hand out to stop her in his tracks.

"Why have you called me here?" He spoke with an expressionless face.

"Oh! I just wanted to discuss how I will be introduced to everyone on Sunday and also can I invite my friends?" She directly asked the questions that had been in her mind ever since she had watched his press meet.

'So she did misunderstand the meaning behind my words!' His anger had cooled down a little when he saw the happy look on her face.

"You can invite whoever you want. Just ask Butler Ping to give you a few extra invites." He nodded at Butler Ping who bowed his head.

"Anything else?" He glanced at his watch.

'I can spend the rest of the day with Wally if I leave now.' He planned and was about to leave when he heard Lucille speaking after a long silence.

"Master? You have not been home for so many days. Won't you eat with us today?" Lucille's submissive voice and her blushing face made Patrick's body freeze.

"I still have work to do." He bluntly rejected her and turned around.

"Work with that slutty secretary of yours?" Mandy's furious tone made him turn around once again.