CHAPTER 287: THREATS

Emily glanced up, and shot to her feet. "What are you doing?!" Her voice shook. "That’s my phone!"

Gasps rose from the nurses nearby. Everyone froze.

Mack ignored her and carried the phone straight to Ryan.

She froze when she looked at him and met his gaze narrowed on her like a hawk. Her stomach dropped when she realized he must have been watching her and had given Mack the order.

Emily’s heart slammed in her chest as Ryan took the phone from Mack and looked down at the screen.

Her heart raced as she tried to replay the entire chat in her head to see if they’d said anything to give away the fact that Callan knew Ryan was his father.

She immediately started to rack her brain to come up with reasonable explanation to give him. She couldn’t tell him ever that Callan or the rest of them knew already that he was his biological father.

Ryan’s eyes moved slowly over the screen then his brow lifted and his lips curled into a knowing smile when he saw the contact was saved as ’Cal The Jerk’.

He read through the chat to see what Emily might have told him, and he wondered why Callan kept asking if she was safe and what seemed to have been wrong with Callan for Emily to have kept asking if he was alright.

His eyes narrowed when he saw the line about Callan needing time to process everything. What did he need to process?

Before he could figure it out Callan’s message came in again.

Callan : I guess you’re busy right now. We’ll talk when you arrive. Stay safe. I need to go.

He looked up at Emily. "How much does Callan know?"

Emily managed to keep her expression blank. "About what?"

Ryan tilted his head, voice cool. "What were you two chatting about? What did he mean by you being involved in his mess? Why did he keep asking if you were safe?"

Emily drew a deep breath. "We fought the night before he left," she lied easily without batting an eyelid. "One of his crazy girlfriends thought I was his side piece. She tricked me into opening the door and attacked me when he wasn’t home. Let’s just say I handled the situation, but I was mad at him, and we didn’t talk about it before he left. That’s what we were discussing."

Ryan studied her carefully. She didn’t flinch. "What did he need time to process? And why were you worried about him?"

"He has been informed I’m coming with you to Ludus because you want to see him. He was upset, knowing that he’s connected to you. He is Jamal’s best friend after all," Emily said with a shrug.

"Why don’t I believe you?" Ryan asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I don’t have the answer to that. I’m sure you know best," Emily said, unbothered. "But I honestly do not understand why you’d have your minion snatch my phone this way," Emily said, eyeing Mack with annoyance and hoping her referring to him as Ryan’s minion would hurt him.

"I should know what you’re up to, shouldn’t I? For all I know you’re giving the Hanks information about me."

"Do I need to remind you that I’m here only because you said you know Callan’s biological parents. I don’t think it’s fair of you to treat me this way considering that I was polite and treated you with respect despite knowing about your connection to Dawn," she said stiffly.

"Talking about Dawn, is she in Ludus now?" he asked.

Emily frowned. "Where else would you expect her to be if they is running away from you?"

Ryan hummed. "You’re right. I’ve thought about it. I don’t think I can trust you. I will rather go to a different hospital. You’re close to Jamal and I’m sure your father is close to the Hanks. Why would he let me stay at his hospital considering everything? There is a possibility that this is a trap and I might not even get to see Callan. I don’t know what I was thinking earlier when I agreed to that. I guess the drugs muddled up my brain."

Emily rolled her eyes inwardly. "Isn’t it a little too late for you to be thinking of this now when we see halfway to Ludus already? Besides, whether you go to my Dad’s hospital or not, it makes no difference. The Hanks are among the top one per cent in Ludus. They practically own Ludus," she pointed out.

Ryan’s mouth twitched wryly. "Then maybe I shouldn’t go to Ludus at all, seeing as I’d be at a disadvantage there."

Emily’s heart skipped a beat but she maintained her calm. "If you want to see Callan or your daughters, that’s the best place to go."

"I doubt my daughters would want to see me. I don’t care about them right now. It’s Callan I care about."

"Whether you decide to go to Ludus or somewhere else, that’s entirely up to you, sir. I’ve done my best for you. I’ll accompany you to wherever you choose to go, and then I’d return to Husla. You’re free to do whatever you want. But I want my phone back."

Ryan gave a slow smirk. "You have a smart mouth, and it makes me wonder why you’re not scared of me..."

Emily lifted her chin, refusing to be bullied. "I’d be if I wasn’t your only doctor here," Emily cut in with a dry smile. "So, the way I see it, if anyone should be scared here, it should be you."

Ryan suppressed a chuckle, amused by her threat and foolish boldness. "This is my jet. The crew members are my people and Mack is here. They already have instructions to make sure none of you gets out of the jet alive if anything happens to me."

Emily’s face blanched. "You can’t possibly mean that."

"I do. And you should know that I don’t intend to let you out of my sight until Callan comes to me. I’ll hold on to your phone until then," Ryan said, slipping the phone under his pillow.

Emily watched as he lay down, shutting his eyes as though he was tired and needed to rest.

"How do you think Callan is going to feel knowing you treated me this way? And made such threats?" Emily asked, and his eyes opened again.

"You’re unharmed, aren’t you? I feel exhausted. Let’s stop talking now. Thanks for the company," Ryan said as he shut his eyes again, shutting her out so he could think.