Saved and Saving: The Single Daddy CEO

Chapter Eleven

Tiselle

I awoke to the sound of a steady beeping noise that just wouldn’t stop. My side hurt like crazy, and I could feel the weight of the cast on my arm, reminding me of my current predicament, but I couldn’t figure out that beeping noise.

Despite the heaviness of my eyelids, I forced them to open, but had to immediately snap them back shut when my eyes were met by the bright sunlight filtering in through the window blinds. I opened them again, this time a little slower, and had to blink a few times to adjust to the light, then I was able to look around and see where in the hell I was at.

To my dismay, I was lying in a hospital bed, and Asralyn was asleep in one of the chairs next to the window. The memories of what had happened to land me there came flooding back, and there was no holding back the anger or the tears. The realization that I had lost what was probably my only real chance at making it as a designer hit me like a ton of bricks.

“f**k!” I screamed out in rage, then I broke down in loud, shoulder-racking sobs that could be heard all the way down the hall.

It felt like my life was completely crumbling, and there was nothing I could do to stop the wall from coming completely down. How did everything get so messed up so fast?

I had worked so hard. I’d gone above and beyond during college and while working for Seth. And for what?

Arms suddenly engulfed me, but I kept sobbing. It didn’t matter that the crying was making my ribs hurt worse. A good cry was needed at that moment.

Asralyn sat down on the hospital bed, but she kept her arms around me. “It’s going to be okay, Mon Cherie. The doctor says your ribs aren’t any worse. Or your elbow. He said that you must have passed out from the pain and overall exhaustion of everything that’s happened in the past twenty-four hours.”

“It doesn’t matter. Nothing matters anymore,” I cried, feeling nothing but despair.

“Don’t say that, Cherie! It does matter! You matter,” Asralyn insisted, now moving her hands to give my shoulders a gentle shake to get my attention.

I opened my eyes to meet hers and angrily spat, “You don’t know s**t. You have this perfect life with your perfect husband running your perfect hotel. What do you know about problems and what really matters?”

The hurt she felt from my words was apparent in her ice-blue eyes, and that made me instantly regret saying that. Feeling utterly ashamed of myself, I dropped my head and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Asralyn. You didn’t deserve that. I really am a hopeless cause. You should just leave me be and go live your happy life.”

“Ca suffit!” Asralyn demanded in a stern tone, but I had no clue what those words meant. Of course, that didn’t stop her from continuing. “Tiselle, you have tremendous potential to make it in the design world! I don’t know where all of this is coming from, but I won’t just stand back and watch you self-destruct.”

“Why do you care? You hardly even know me,” I asked, not hiding the weariness I was feeling about this woman I had so recently met trying to help me.

“What can I say? When I come across real, raw talent, I do what I can to turn that talent into a success,” she responded with the twinkle returning to her eyes.

That twinkle reminded me of the diamond necklace that had been yanked off of me and thrown to the floor at the banquet. I felt my eyes widen, as I rushed to say, “Oh s**t! I’m so sorry, Asralyn! Your necklace got ruined, and I couldn’t prevent it from happening. I don’t care how long it takes me, I promise I will pay you back for any damage and repairs.”

“Don’t worry about that, right now. It’s just a necklace. There are plenty of necklaces where it came from. Plus, it was a little too gaudy for me anyway,” she admitted with a little shrug of her shoulders.

“Asralyn?” I mumbled.

“Hmmm, Cherie?” she responded.

“Why are you being so nice to me?” I simply had to know if she really thought I was talented or just felt bad for me.

“To be honest, at first, I was being extra nice, because my brother is infatuated with your designs. I thought if I got on your good side, you might be more likely to sign a contract with our family’s apparel company. Then I spent time with you, and I actually like you, Tiselle. I think you have an amazing eye for detail; your designs are truly spectacular; and well, you deserve credit for your accomplishments,” she answered, making sure to maintain eye contact with me.

“I appreciate your honesty,” I responded, then we both fell silent, getting lost in our own thoughts.

A few minutes passed, then I was struck with a thought and felt inclined to immediately ask, “Is it possible to keep my name from being mentioned in connection to your family’s business for the time being. I don't want that asshole who caused all of this to know anything about what I’m doing or how things are going for me.”

“Of course! I’m going to step out in the hall and make a few calls to ensure your privacy. Do you need anything? I can run over to the vending machines and grab you a sweet treat if you want,” Asralyn offered, but I declined, since I was not feeling hungry at all.

By the time she returned, I had dried up the tears and almost got the sniffling under control, but I was still feeling a lot of anxiety. I no longer had a home, or a person to lean on, and I had no clue what the future held for me.

The clutch I had carried to the banquet suddenly started buzzing on the table beside me. There wasn’t much in it, so I knew it must be my cell phone.

After pulling the phone out of the purse, I looked at the screen and read… Giselle Wagner. A round of tears sprang into my eyes, but these were happy tears.

Not wasting a second, I accepted the call and greeted, “Giselle, I’m so happy you called!”