CHAPTER 422: SYLVIA’S APOLOGY

Roger finally came out of his state of unconsciousness and heard the beeps of the monitoring machine. He was in the hospital. The last he knew was entering the elevator to save himself.

"Varya," the first name he whispered after waking up.

Lucius entered the room with the doctor, who earlier left to fetch the doctor when Roger’s eyes and fingers showed the movements in them.

Lucius stay at the lower side of the bed as the doctor examined Roger’s vitals. "Do you feel too much pain?" the doctor asked.

"Not much, but slight," Roger replied.

"Hmm. The nurse will inject a drug in your body shortly. The pain may intensify soon that’s why, so to reduce," the doctor informed him.

Roger nodded his head and he looked at Lucius, whose eyes carried the unexplainable concern for him.

After the doctor left, followed by the nurse, Lucius walked over him.

"I sent Varya to the home with Aiden. Layla is also there, so don’t worry. They will be here soon," Lucius said, his hand moved to Roger’s head to give it a gentle pat.

Taking out the phone from his pocket, he called Zayne, informing him that Roger was awake.

As he hung up and slid the phone back into his pocket, Roger said, "I didn’t want to bother any of you."

"I get it. What happened exactly?" Lucius asked.

"I was heading to my car when I sensed a presence. Before I knew, a knife was shoved into my lower abdomen. I punched the guy and ran straight to the elevator to save myself," Roger briefed the incident to Lucius.

"Hmm. Did you perhaps see the face?" Lucius inquired.

"Yes. I think I’ve seen him somewhere, but I was unable to recall at that time. Even now, I can’t recall," Roger replied.

"If you’ve seen the attacker before, it’ll make tracking him much easier," Lucius said calmly. "Zayne is already on his way. We’ll find out who’s behind this soon."

Roger gave a small nod. "Varya must be worried about me... Boss, can you call her? Please."

"Of course," Lucius replied. He pulled out his phone and dialed Varya’s number.

As the call connected, they waited for the call to be picked.

"Varya," Lucius said gently, "Roger’s awake. He wants to speak with you."

He passed the phone into Roger’s eager hands.

On the other end, Varya’s eyes welled up with tears. The moment she heard Lucius’s voice, her breath hitched in relief. Now, as Roger brought the phone closer, her heart pounded with anticipation.

"Varya..." Roger said softly.

Their conversation began. Lucius gave them space, settling into the chair beside the bed.

Just then, he heard a familiar voice outside the room. He turned his head and saw Sylvia entering. She was still on her phone, a modest bouquet cradled in one arm. As her eyes met Lucius’s, she gave a gentle nod and stepped inside.

Roger looked up, mildly surprised to see Sylvia. Still, he continued speaking with Varya until she gently ended the call from her side.

"Boss, your phone," Roger said, handing it back to Lucius.

Lucius took it and slipped it into his pocket just as Sylvia approached the bedside.

"I heard from Aiden about the attack," she said softly. "Thank goodness you’re alright." She placed a bouquet of fresh flowers on the side table.

"Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you for coming," Roger replied politely. An awkward silence hung between them.

"You’ve shown yourself after a long time," Lucius commented, rising from his seat. Sensing the tension, he added, "I’ll give you two a moment," and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Sylvia turned to Roger. He looked at her but didn’t speak right away.

Then, suddenly, he asked, "Are you still seeing Josh?"

The question caught her off guard. Her brows drew together. "No... Why are you asking me that?"

"He’s the one who attacked me," Roger said bluntly.

Sylvia froze. "What?" she whispered, her eyes widening with disbelief.

Josh had appeared at her new apartment complex only a day ago, trying to win her back again. She’d turned him down, firmly. But she never imagined he’d go as far as to hurt Roger.

"I—I’m so sorry," she breathed, her fists tightening at her sides. "He again found out where I moved, and we had a confrontation a day ago. I rejected him again. But I didn’t know he’d go after you..."

She lowered down her eyes, feeling guilty.

"You must tell this to Zayne then," Roger said. Unlike the earlier times, his voice carried a certain coldness toward her. Sylvia knew the reason behind it but she no longer cared. They were two people, who were never meant for each other despite once having strong feelings for each other.

"Of course, I will," Sylvia assured him. "I will wait outside till the police arrives," she asserted and turned to leave.

"I’ve moved on from you a long time ago. I always thought it would be tough for me. I hope you don’t hate me for what I did to you. While living with Varya, I realized a lot of things. You weren’t wrong at your place. I was the one, who never understood you. I am sorry for keeping you in dark during those times. I hope you live your life well. I always wanted to say these words to you, but I–I was too angry... At myself," Roger stated, expressing his genuine forgiveness.

Sylvia turned around to face him.

"And I am sorry too. I always looked down on you and never respected you," Sylvia apologized. This time the apology was sincere as Roger could feel it. "I am happy for you that you moved on with Varya. You two look good together," she pronounced with a smile.

Roger smiled and nodded his head. "I accept your apology this time. You don’t need to feel sorry anymore for what you did. It was just a rebellious girl, who wanted the attention and love, which all of us failed to give you. I realised it late and always thought the problem was you. But you weren’t the problem."

Sylvia hummed and felt at ease upon hearing those words.