Twenty minutes earlier...

Kiko rushed toward the hospital's exit as soon as she hung up the phone. On the way, she bumped into the emergency department's head nurse, who stopped her. "Student! Where are you going? Why are you in a rush? I wasn't informed of a new trauma call."

But her head was still digesting the news of Violet's condition, and it distracted her from giving the head nurse a proper explanation of the situation.

"I—My friend is... Yes! There is an emergency. I need to go! I'm sorry, Ms. Mok, I have to go check on my friend. I promise I will explain later." Then, without further ado, she dashed outside, leaving the head nurse dumbfounded.

She could still hear the head nurse shouting a warning. "Student! You're still on-call! You'll get in trouble if Dr. Gao finds out!" But she didn't care. All Kiko cared about at that very moment was reaching Violet.

Violet, the best friend who had been there for her after she lost her sister. It was when she had been in her most vulnerable state. Violet, who had stared into the beast within the dark void that sometimes her soul was. The beast had been in so much pain that it would lash out to anyone who'd gotten too close. But instead of running away or trying to cage the beast, Violet guided it into the light with her gentle soul and took its pain away.

Violet, who was the most important person in the world to her.

And the man on the phone had said she was drugged...

Kiko ran toward her car, but a realization dawned on her. Arai Oncology Center. The number one cancer hospital in the city. A prestigious private hospital that was ranked top ten in the whole Asia-Pacific region. It was also an affiliate hospital of the Queen Mary hospital, the hospital where she was at. Most importantly, it was just two blocks away in another direction.

She checked the traffic. The road looked a little congested. She figured it would be faster to go there by foot than by car. She turned around and sprinted toward it.

***

Kiko ran at full speed toward the private hospital and was out of breath when she arrived at its main entrance. A tall woman, who was even taller than her 1.70m self, greeted her. "Good evening, Miss Kano, I'm Lauren Ng,  Miss Violet's bodyguard. Follow me, please."

She wasn't Violet's old bodyguard; a herculean man whose look could probably intimidate even the toughest of villains. Kiko knew Violet's father had hired a new bodyguard to protect Violet, but she had never seen the person before. The woman in front of her had a robust but lean built, one that reminded her of a painting she had once seen of Joan of Arc. Despite this, her face was round and fresh, reminding her of a young child.

Such an odd combination, she mused. But it wasn't unsightly.

Lauren led her toward a quiet corridor where two men were standing.

"Over here, Miss Kano. There's the doctor."

She dashed toward the two men and demanded, "Where's my friend? Which one of you talked to me on the phone?"

Kai recognized her immediately. This was the friend who had barged into the restaurant yesterday to give Violet's cheating boyfriend an earful. Sweat beaded her forehead, her raven bob hair clung to her skin, and her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. It looked like she had run all the way here. She was evidently frantic with worry.

"It was me. I talked to you on the phone, Miss Kano."

Kiko turned her full attention to Kai. "So, what happened? Where's my friend? What did you mean by drugged? Is Violet okay? Please, I want to see her. Now! Wait, how did you know my name?" Again, just like on the phone, Kiko bombarded him with questions.

"Please calm down. Lauren told us about you. Miss Lee was drugged with GHB, but I've administered the activated charcoal with success," Ren chimed in.

"Are you a doctor?" he asked, glancing at her damp coat. "Did you just run here from Queen Mary? Or Duchess of Kent?"

Those were the only other hospitals in the vicinity.

"Huh?" Kiko asked with a furrowed forehead.

Ren pointed to her body and said, "Your attire."

Kiko looked down at her clothes and realized she was still wearing her white coat and a pair of indoor crocs that she only put on at the hospital. She looked back at Ren and answered straightforwardly, "No, I'm a med student. And yes, Queen Mary. I'm doing my clerkship there." Then she inquired in a concerned voice, "How did you administer the charcoal procedure? Orally? Or did you have to perform a gastric lavage first?"

"Well, she's unconscious, so she couldn't take it orally. It warranted intubation."

"Intubation!?" Kiko blurted, her eyes widened. "Then please tell me you performed it carefully?" They could clearly detect a tint of uneasiness in her voice.

Ren narrowed his eyes and countered in a manner that showed off his superiority. "Miss Kano, do you doubt my capability?"

"No. I'm just making sure—"

"Does she have a bleeding diathesis?"

"No, but she's a cancer survivor. Leukemia. There's a higher risk of DVT [1], so I need to make sure you administered the procedure carefully and didn't cause some internal bleeding."

Ren looked at the worked-up young woman before him. Although her qualms about his competence irked him, he understood her intensive questioning. Then he sensed another pair of watchful eyes and flinched when he saw it was Kai's disquietingly sharp gaze. The askance look on his brother's face made Ren even feel more aggrieved. His mouth fell slightly open in disbelief.

"What!?" he hissed at Kai. "Of course I did it carefully! And well, too! What do you think of me?" This woman might call his skills into question, but how dare his own brother doubt his capability!

Ren shifted his gaze to Kiko and sighed. Keeping a professional attitude, he explained calmly, "Don't worry, Miss Kano, her condition didn't require a gastric lavage procedure since the dosage of the drug itself was not that high. It was the act of taking the drug with alcohol that could have led to disaster. But fortunately, she ingested the drug less than an hour before they brought her here. Therefore, I only had to use a nasogastric tube. There is no internal hemorrhage. Your friend is fine."

Kiko was comforted upon hearing that. "Where is she? I need to see her."

They all entered the room where Violet was, and Ren signaled the nurse to leave the room. Kiko immediately rushed to Violet's side and examined her vital signs. After making sure they were good, she turned around to face Kai and Lauren.

"What happened?" she asked. "How did she get drugged? Who did this to her?" Her voice shook with anger.

Kai went to Violet's side. Seeing that her cheeks had regained a bit of their strawberry pink shade, he sighed out the relief that flowed through him. Subsequently, he turned to Kiko and filled her in. It was a detailed account of what happened, from the moment he saw Violet in the corridor of the karaoke bar, to now. He also asked Lauren to tell Kiko what happened from her point of view, recounting what she had told Kai before.

Kiko recalled Violet's message at noon. She realized Violet must have wanted to ask her if she would accompany her to the party. "Duncan Lo? I don't know who that is."

She tilted her head toward Lauren and squinted her eyes. "Whose birthday party was it again?"

"Grace Cui, miss," Lauren said simply.

Kiko frowned. She knew Grace Cui, who was also her senior in medical school. She also knew that Violet was acquainted with Grace through Adam. But she had never expected them to be this close—enough for Violet to go willingly to Grace's party by herself.

Kiko knew her best friend well. As much as Violet wanted to do things by herself, she could still lack the courage when it came to exploring an unknown territory on her own. Kiko thought it was rather odd for Violet to attend a birthday party of someone she didn't even know that well by herself.

Then she was reminded of something else. "Have you notified her family?" she asked in an apprehensive voice.

"Not yet," Lauren answered. She took out her phone and added, "I will notify my superior now, and he will notify Miss Lee's family."

"No, don't!" Kiko exclaimed, holding up her palm in a stop sign.

Everyone was staring at her in confusion, so Kiko drew in a deep breath and carefully explained, "You see... her family has a tendency to be protective of her, hmm how do I say this..." Her eyes darted impatiently as she looked for the right word. "Excessively. So, please don't tell them!" she pleaded, clasping her hands.

The room was silent.

"Please!!!" 

"But I failed in protecting her, miss. I have to report this, otherwise..." Lauren hesitated, while both Kai and Ren gave Kiko a blank look.

"Why shouldn't we inform them, Miss Kano?" Kai asked. "If anything, considering how concerned they are about their daughter's well-being, it's all the more reason that we should notify them."

"You don't understand..." Kiko said, drawing in a deep breath. "If they find out about what happened this evening, they won't let Violet out of their sight anymore."

She was aware she was taking a risk with this request, but she knew the Lees through and through. All hell would break loose once they were notified of tonight's incident. Of course, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  After all, Kiko would love to see the jerk who did this to Violet feel the wrath of the Lees.

But as much as she wanted it, she knew Violet wouldn't want her family to find out. They would restrict her even more. 

All throughout her childhood, Violet had always lived a confined life. She didn't have any friends of the same age other than Kiko because she had never gotten the chance to socialize and interact with her own peers. When she wasn't being treated at the hospital, she was restricted to her home. All of her schoolings were also done by private tutors at home.

Her family had never let her out of the house without making a big commotion. A driver, a bodyguard, and a nurse always had to be present following her everywhere she went. Even when she did her volunteer work at the hospital, her bodyguard and nurse had always been near. She really had only tasted freedom in the past few months of her life, after she started attending university.

Violet was very important to Kiko, and she wanted to protect Violet at all costs. But as much as she wanted to do that, she also wanted to respect Violet's wishes.

She then heard someone laugh. It was Ren.

"You don't want us to report this to her family because they would otherwise not let her out of their sight?" Ren scoffed.

"Sorry, miss," he added, still speaking in a derisive manner. "But that sounds a lot like a luxury problem. She's the only daughter of the Lee family. Of course, she'll be heavily protected. Complaining about restricted freedom sounds very trivial when limitation just means that she'd be confined in a fancy mansion."

He then pointed to Lauren. "Look, she already has a bodyguard who's keeping a constant watch on her. At most, her parents would increase the number of bodyguards around her if she needs to go out. I'm sure she's used to that kind of lifestyle."

Kiko's forehead creased, and her chin raised. She jutted out her hip as she retorted, "Oh, you're sure, aren't you? What makes you so sure? You're not her!" Her defiant eyes bore into Ren's. "So someone's grievance is a trivial matter just because they're rich? My friend's unhappiness is unimportant because others have it worse? Then, going by your logic, are people not allowed to feel good because others have it better?"

Ren's mouth twitched. "That's not what I meant! You're twisting my words."

Kiko could see the doctor's glare directed at her and was ready to hurl back. But she quickly reflected on the fact that this man had actually just helped her friend survive a calamity. She swallowed her riposte, took a deep breath, and apologized. "Okay, I'm sorry, Dr....?" Kiko realized she didn't even know their names.

"I'm Kai Wu, and this is my brother, Ren Wu," Kai answered for the both of them.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Wu. I didn't mean to do that," she said, "but please understand I've also deliberated over this. If her condition was worse, I wouldn't have asked this of you. But I can see that she's fine now. The procedure seems to be working. She's still unconscious, but her vitals are good, thanks to you, Dr. Wu."

She then turned to Kai. "And didn't you say your subordinates have arrested the asshole, Mr. Wu?"

"Yes, I instructed them to bring the perpetrator in for further inquiry at the bureau. But he could have succeeded in sexually assaulting your friend, Miss Kano. I believe her family has the right to know what happened to their daughter."

"Indeed, that asshole would have gotten away with it if you weren't there..." She had to pause a bit from the searing anger at the thought of Violet being drugged by some jerk. "And you'll always have my gratitude for being there and saving her. But you don't understand... Violet—well, she just started university this year, and for the first time in her life, she finally gets to experience a normal life like most other people," she explained. "It took her months to convince her father to allow her to live in the dormitory. She really loves her current life. She's making new friends and learning new stuff—stuff that she wouldn't be able to do if she were confined to her family residence."

She then looked at Ren and sighed. "I admit, her issue must sound very trivial to other people. But if you knew how small her world had always been, up until just a few months ago, you'd understand why I'm asking this. She's really enjoying her freedom, Dr. Wu. But it will all be over if her family finds out about this incident..." Kiko turned her head back to Kai and clasped her hands tightly together. "So, please, heed my request." 

Kai pondered over Kiko's words but said nothing.

"But miss..." Lauren hesitated before asking, "what if it's a targeted attack because she was the daughter of the Lee family?"

"Was it?" Kiko immediately asked Kai with widened eyes.

"We don't know that yet, so we can't eliminate the possibility. That's why we've brought the perpetrator in for further questioning," Kai answered.

"Then, can you please investigate that without informing her family first?" Kiko asked. "If it's proven that it was a targeted attack on the Lee family, I'll take the responsibility and I'll explain everything to them. But before you could confirm that it's really the case, can we please keep this from her family for now? Or at least wait until Violet wakes up, and you can ask what she thinks. I'm sure she would say the same thing."

Kai looked at Kiko with contemplative eyes.

He shifted his gaze to Violet. Although her eyebrows were slightly knitted, she was sleeping rather peacefully. He suppressed the urge to extend his hand to straighten her eyebrows because of the other people's presence in the room.

Quickly shoving his hands into his pockets, he veered his gaze back to Kiko. "Alright. We'll do as you suggested, Miss Kano," he conceded. "My brother said she will need to be monitored even after she regains consciousness. Since she can't go to her family home, please bring her back to your place and look after her."

Kiko's eyes twinkled as she nodded profusely. But before she could utter any words, her phone buzzed.

♡──── ❝ Author's Note ❞ ────♡

[1] Deep Vein Thrombosis; a blood clot in a vein.

Do you agree with Kiko? Or, just like Ren, do you think Violet's dilemma is a luxury problem too? If you were Violet's best friend, would you or would you not tell her parents?

It would mean a lot to me if you could share your thoughts about this chapter in the comment section. And please consider voting if you liked it.

Thank you so much for reading!

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