Chapter 3: Sorry, angel

Ilveria, 00:40;

As the senior surgeon stepped out of the O.T., his face gave away more than he wished. Tension suffocated the air around them as Lu Wei, his expression a mix of dread and steely control, immediately stepped forward. "How is she?" he asked, his voice laced with worry, though he tried to suppress the tremor behind his words.

The surgeon hesitated, a grave look crossing his face. "She is... alive." he finally managed, though the uncertainty in his tone was quite evident.

Zhi Xi, standing rigid beside his brother, instantly stiffened. His eyes flashed with bubbling rage as he took a step closer to the doctor. "Clarify.", he scowled, his voice crackling with barely restrained fury, "What do you mean by 'alive'?"

The doctor shrank under Zhi Xi's piercing gaze but remained silent, probing for the right words. The heaviness of the situation hung heavily in the corridor. He could feel the anger radiating from both brothers, the intensity of their protective instincts making it clear that they would not entertain ambiguity or half-truths.

Lu Wei's voice cut through the tension like ice, calm but dangerously cold, "We need to know the honest status. How is our angel, doctor? Now." he demanded, each word dripping with the promise of frightening consequences if the truth was withheld from him.

The surgeon gulped hard, his hands shivering slightly as he faced these men who had the power to make or break entire empires. Knights of the business world—untouchable by most—but at this moment, their only concern was the frail life of the little girl who had been mercilessly pushed down from a running train. The horrendous reality of her condition weighed heavily on the doctors' minds—operating on her had been anything but easy, her body wracked with agony from the deep, relentless wounds—but they were more terrified of the wrath her brothers might incur if they tried to soften the blow for them. Yet, delivering the truth in its rawest form felt worse than committing a sin.

"She… she sustained multiple fractures, and her internal injuries are severe. We've done everything we could, but her condition remains critical.", the surgeon stammered, visibly sweating now.

Lu Wei's eyes darkened, his fists clenching at his sides. Zhi Xi let out a sharp breath, barely able to contain the storm brewing inside him. The two brothers exchanged a look—one filled with unspoken anguish and uncertainty.

The doctor stood before Lu Wei and Zhi Xi, both men radiating an aura of power and cold strength, their eyes trained on him like hawks waiting for their prey to make the wrong move. He swallowed, summoning every bit of courage he had left before resuming, "Um... Mr. Lu, Mr. Zhi..." His voice staggered slightly, but he forced himself to continue, "Ms. Rong has lost a lot of blood throughout the night due to a severe and extremely traumatic wound on her back. Her condition is extremely fragile now. She's weak... incredibly weak. On top of that, she hit her head hard, possibly on some sort of metal, which caused dilation in the blood vessels in her brain. It's possible she'll suffer from migraines, if... when she wakes up."

He hesitated, eyeing their faces, knowing full well that every word he uttered felt like a death sentence to them, "Her legs... were critically injured as well. There's fierce damage to the muscles and nerves. Whether she'll be able to walk again depends entirely on her willpower and her body's recovery process."

Zhi Xi's jaw clenched, his breath coming out in sharp bursts. Lu Wei stood deathly still, but his knuckles were white from how tightly he was clenching his fists. Both men were already teetering on the edge of their own composure, and it was clear the doctor wasn't finished yet.

"And...?", Lu Wei's voice was strained, the last thread of his composure fraying as he demanded the rest. The word seemed to hurt him physically.

The doctor looked away briefly, closing his eyes, unable to face the catastrophic reality he was about to disclose, "She's in a vegetative state now. Her body is alive, but... only because of the medical support we've provided her. The odds of her waking up are uncertain, and the duration she would remain in this state... could be indefinite. We... we'll need the family's consent regarding—"

"Keep her alive.", Zhi Xi cut in, his voice laced with venom. His eyes blazed with wrath, his hands curled into fists. "Don't you dare even think about turning off that ventilator.", there was no room for negotiation on this point. It was an order—a threat, to be truthful.

The doctor froze, feeling the weight of Zhi Xi's words like a physical blow. He could hardly breathe under the pressure of their scrutiny, the intensity of their emotions threatening to consume him. The guilt of being the bearer of such awful news paled in comparison to the terror of offending these two men, known as Alphas in their world—men who could dismantle lives as easily as they created empires.

Lu Wei's voice, now cold and distant, was the final blow. "Out.", the command echoed through the long corridor, as if the walls themselves were shaking at his authority. Everyone in the hallway—including nurses and other doctors—immediately dispersed, not daring to remain within earshot.

:::::::::::

The moment the people walked out of the corridor, a defeated and terrified expression washed over the faces of Lu Wei and Zhi Xi.

"They know nothing!", Zhi Xi hissed, his voice filled with exhaustion, "They're just trying to scare us, Wei. Our Kiddo would never leave us, right?"

At that moment, Zhi Al emerged from the shadows at the end of the corridor, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes. He had always found solace in showing his vulnerable side only to his elder brothers. Beside him stood Zhi Bo, his face mirroring the same fear that clutched their hearts.

"Can we see her?", Zhi Bo asked, his voice almost inaudible, trembling with helplessness.

"Hmm.", Lu Wei responded, a tight nod conveying both resolve and despair. The four men moved as one, entering the room where their little angel lay, the silence around them making it harder to breathe.

As they stepped into the dimly lit room, a sliver of moonlight crept through the drawn curtains, gently touching the soft, tender skin of their 13-year-old sister, now bruised and battered. Oh, what had that monster done to her? The view of her visible injuries, coupled with the medical tubes and beeping machines keeping her breathing, was unnerving.

The girl who would have leaped into their arms at the mere sight of any of them now lay motionless, the spark of life in her eyes extinguished.

It pained them.

It pained them deeply to witness her in this state. Their hearts twisted with anguish as they imagined how many times she must have called out their names through the long, tormenting night, her voice engulfed by agony as she groaned and sobbed, fighting against the excruciating pain.

"Sorry, angel.", they all begged in unison, a collective expression of guilt and regret flooding their chest. The words felt inadequate, yet they were the only thing they could offer. A wave of pain washed over them as they wrestled with the overwhelming feeling of weakness, wishing they could take away her suffering, wishing they could turn back time and protect her from this nightmare.

In that moment, surrounded by the sterile scent of antiseptic and the sounds of machines, they pledged silently to do whatever it took to bring their sister back. She was their light, the brightest star in their sky, and they would rather die if that's what it took for her to open her eyes and shine again.