An Unexpected Favor

Harsh, blinding fluorescent lights assaulted Kendall’s vision the moment she cracked her eyelids open. The stark white ceiling of the hospital ward swam into focus, accompanied by the sharp scent of antiseptic and the dull, persistent throb radiating from her bandaged arm where the shattered glass had sliced her. She blinked away the heavy grogginess, turning her head slowly against the crisp pillow.

A face loomed mere inches from hers.

Kendall startled, her breath catching in her dry throat. She snapped her eyes shut, her heart hammering against her ribs, and tentatively opened them again. The face remained, but now a rakish, exhausted smile curved its lips. Gavin Brooks rested his forearms on the edge of her mattress. His skin was striking, yet marred by deep, dark purple circles bruising the delicate skin beneath his narrow, almond-shaped eyes. He looked half-dead. His usually immaculate clothes were rumpled from a long, uncomfortable night spent hunched over her bed.

The realization hit her like a physical blow. This billionaire playboy had stayed awake all night. He had kept a loyal, uninterrupted vigil by her bedside.

Panic clawed its way up her throat. A man like Gavin equated his corporate time to millions of dollars an hour. The amount he could charge her for his personal nursing services would be astronomical. She pictured the sleek red Ferrari he drove and the terrifying invoice he might hand her the moment she was discharged.

"I don't have the money to pay for your nursing fees!" she blurted out.

Gavin froze. He stared down at her, his jaw going slack. He searched her face, dumbfounded by her sudden, obsessive fixation on cash mere moments after waking from a near-death fever.

"Wait a second," Gavin said. A curious smirk played on his lips as he straightened his posture. "Is Declan's company going bankrupt? Why are you acting so stingy with your cash?"

Kendall bit her lower lip. She refused to confess her impending, messy divorce proceedings to him. If she told him the truth, he might turn his powerful back on her out of loyalty to Declan. She could not risk losing a potential ally, or worse, having word get back to her controlling husband.

"I'm sorry you went through so much trouble for me," she offered carefully, masking her racing nerves. "Once I recover, I'll treat you to a nice meal. My treat. Whatever you want."

She reached blindly toward the bedside table, her fingers fumbling to find her phone so she could search for an expensive restaurant.

Gavin waved off the offer with a dismissive flick of his wrist. He turned around and dropped his large frame onto the cramped hospital couch, crossing his long legs. "Forget the food. Why don't you do me a business favor instead?"

Her hand paused. She cast a wary glance his way. "Tell me what it is. I'll see what I can do."

His eyes glinted with opportunity. "Could you utilize your connections to help me talk to Celine? My subordinates are driving me crazy. They keep insisting I need to do something about our lack of a designer and seek her out immediately. They almost wore a hole in my floor pacing around my office."

Inside, Kendall’s heart leaped. She was thrilled. Her best friend Tessa had been devastated over losing the massive Nova Zenith Talent contract earlier. Now, the same golden opportunity had walked right back into their laps.

Yet, she forced a pained, hesitant expression onto her features. She needed to flawlessly protect her guarded cover as the elusive designer.

Mistaking her calculated reluctance for genuine difficulty, Gavin sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair. "Look, I know she's still trapped in a terrible mood. It makes sense she's mourning the death of her late husband. You don't have to force it if it's too hard. I can wait for another chance."

Kendall refused to let this multi-million-dollar deal slip through their fingers again.

"It's fine," she assured him smoothly, dropping the hesitant act. "The strict mourning period is over. There's no problem at all."

She grabbed her phone and dialed Tessa's number. As soon as Tessa heard the financial implications of the call, she promised to be there.

Thirty minutes later, the hospital room door swung open. Tessa marched inside, panting slightly. Her short blue hair bounced as she walked, armed to the teeth with heavily revised legal contracts and several physical design samples.

Gavin was in an impatient hurry to resolve his corporate headache. He skipped the usual pleasantries. The business deal was negotiated, finalized, and signed right on the rolling hospital tray table in under ten minutes.

The ink dried on the paper. A major complication arose.

Gavin possessed a quirky, observant childhood habit. He loved admiring, analyzing, and comparing people's handwriting. He skimmed his sharp eyes through the freshly signed legal documents. His keen gaze snagged on a glaring discrepancy.

He flipped to the back of the design samples, then looked at the signature on the contract. The stylized, beautiful signature stamped beneath the sketches mismatched the sloppy handwriting Tessa had just rushed onto the legal contract in front of him.

A playful, dangerous curiosity lit up Gavin's eyes. He slowly lifted his head. He scrutinized the two women sitting before him, his gaze shifting from Tessa's tense posture to Kendall's calm demeanor. His intelligent mind quickly connected the dots, calculating exactly who the true Celine in the room actually was.

He smirked. He stood up from the couch and buttoned his jacket.

"I'll take my leave now then, Ms. Celine," he said. His smile was wide and knowing. He looked far too smug.

Kendall gave him a polite, measured nod from the hospital bed. Tessa froze in sheer panic at his tone, not daring to budge an inch.

Gavin took careful mental note of their guilty, stiff reactions. He turned on his heel and strode out of the hospital ward, his footsteps echoing down the corridor.

The literal second his broad shoulders disappeared and the door clicked shut, Tessa's composed professional facade shattered. She spun around to face the bed.

"When in the world did you get intimately involved with Gavin Brooks behind my back?!" Tessa demanded, her voice echoing in the small room. Her eyes were wide with utter disbelief. "Did that scumbag Declan threaten you again and force you into this?!"

Kendall looked back at her friend with a puzzled, innocent expression.

"Isn't he just your brother's friend from the club?" she asked blankly.