Riley was about to apologize even though they were both at fault, but another man dressed in a suit cut her off with an angry voice.
"Watch where you go, young lady," his voice snapped, sharp and rude as he pushed the blame on her. From the way he stood, it was clear he was the blond man's bodyguard.
Riley was taken aback. He didn't even consider that it was both of their fault since none of them were paying attention. Annoyed, she pulled herself out of the blond man's hold.
"You should watch where you are going as well," she hissed, giving the guard a full look from head to toe.
The blond man didn't say anything. He didn't correct his guard or even try to stop him. He just kept staring at her like she had confused him. He could have said the truth but he stayed quiet, and that silence only made her angrier.
"Riley..." it was Lilian calling, waving at her from a short distance. She must have been waiting and watching everything.
Riley took one last look at the blond man before turning away to join her friend. As soon as she reached Lilian, her friend leaned closer and asked with a spark in her eyes, "Do you know who that is?"
"No," Riley shook her head and glanced back. The man was still staring in her direction, which made it even more awkward.
She didn't waste more time and walked into the pharmacy. The pharmacist, an older woman, attended to her at once since Lilian had already explained her condition.
"The guy you were staring at is none other than Alistair Blackwood," Lilian announced.
Riley's eyes widened. She was shocked that she had bumped into one of the Blackwoods. The family was well known, one of the founding families of Mistvale. There were two founding families, but the other one, the Varksons, had gone into isolation long ago.
No one saw them in public. The Varksons were said to be the richest and strongest, living in the most hidden part of Mistvale. No one really knew anything about them because they were so private. The Blackwoods were different. They were everywhere. Business, charity, politics, helping the society. They were always involved.
"I heard Alistair Blackwood is running for mayor this time," Lilian said in a low voice while the pharmacist cleaned Riley's wound.
"Good for him," Riley whispered as the cotton soaked in saline touched her bruise. It stung, but she forced herself to endure it.
"You know he is the most eligible bachelor. Women have been tripping for him and did you see the way he was staring at you," Lilian went on. "It's such a pity that you are getting married to Scott... like Scott of all the bachelors in—"
"Lilian," Riley cut in before she said more. "Can we not talk about men right now? I just want to go to the hospital and see my mother. I want to know if any of my family survived."
"I am sorry," Lilian muttered, finally realizing she had gone too far. She only wanted to cheer her friend up.
The pharmacist finished cleaning Riley's injuries. She applied the ointment carefully and Lilian made the payment. Without wasting time, they both left for the hospital.
In less than thirty minutes, the car stopped in front of the hospital. Riley got out at once, not even caring that she might hurt herself more.
People stared at her like she had lost her mind but she didn't care. Her head was filled with too many thoughts and fears.
Lilian followed closely behind as the receptionist guided them to the ward. When they reached the upstairs floor, they were told that her mother had been taken into the Intensive Care Unit.
"She passed the golden hour so I believe she will make it," Lilian whispered, pulling Riley into a hug as they waited outside.
"I can't lose her too," Riley cried, leaning into her. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared at the red light above the ICU door. All she prayed for was that her mother would survive this.
An hour later, the ICU door opened and a nurse stepped out with two doctors in green scrubs.
"What's going on?" Riley rushed to them, her eyes moving from one face to another. Her heart pounded hard. Did something happen again?
"Hello Miss Stones, I am Dr. James, the cardiologist surgeon. I learnt that you are also a surgeon, so this will be easy for you to understand," he said, stopping for a moment to watch her face. She stayed calm, even if her eyes showed the fear she was fighting. "The accident caused serious damage to her heart, and she is bleeding inside. We need to do an emergency heart surgery to repair the damage and keep her stable."
"We have seventy-two hours to start the surgery. You have to make a payment of one point seven million dollars as soon as possible," the other doctor added.
Riley opened her mouth but nothing came out. Her chest felt tight. How was she supposed to raise that kind of money? If her father was still alive, she wouldn't be standing here like this. He would have handled everything. But he was gone. And she had no idea where to start, or who to turn to.
Her hands shook as she held on to the wall for support. Everything felt like it was slipping out of her control, and all she could think was that she might lose her mother too.