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Whilethe blood stains on my pitch-black shirt weren't visible, the unmistakable stench of iron wafted through the air.Ienjoyed the occasional ripe, acidic scent of blood, but not when spilled from my favorite cousin.
Meanwhile,DamonMaxwell, standing across the hospital hallway, was a sight for sore eyes.Therewere no signs of gore, his all-black attire also concealing any bright red liquid spilled on him.Notone perfectly styled strand of hair was out of place.Damoncasually propped himself against the wall, looking every bit like the reigning hero he had been branded.Darkblond hair with flecks of brown, sky-blue eyes, a six-foot-four athlete's body, and a model citizen who loved his community.Hewas the all-Americanboy.
Inadvertently,Damoncaused quite a ruckus.Nursesand doctors walked by, slowing on approach to take pictures from their phones sneakily or outright fussing over him.Theywere swiftly put down by dismissive hand waves.Eventually,Damon’ssecurity emerged out of thin air to stop the brave souls from approaching him.Histeam was deceptively inconspicuous.Ididn’t notice we were followed to the hospital, and they were sporadically spread out to keep lunatic fans at bay.Nota big surprise since bothMaxwellbrothers had become well-known over the past several years.Damonwas a junior whenIstarted college, and women were overly eager for his attention back then, too.Inan unforeseen turn of events, his attention was singular tonight.
Anotherpair of giggling nurses walked by, only to realizeDamonwas watching me.Withhis hands tucked in his pant pockets, his well-known adaptability to complicated situations remained unparalleled.Thesilence stretched in the hallway, butDamondidn't seem bothered by it.Hewas unfazed by the events from tonight, as if we didn't find my cousin in a gruesome state.EvenIwas rattled, andIexcelled at being unperturbed.
Damondidn’t converse during the short drive to the hospital or disclose how they managed invites to the party.Afterrushing to the university hospital and countless hours of waiting, we found outRosehad been placed in a medically induced coma.Thedoctors expected her to make a full recovery if the brain swelling could be controlled.Itwas good news, considering the severity of the situation.
Noone else seemed to agree.Mycousins were running rampant on male testosterone, adamant theMaxwellbrothers were behind the attack.Rose'sfather,Dev, flew in fromChicago.Heraised hell upon arrival, insisting on pressing charges.Thenews of her fall was trending on social media, turning it into a public spectacle.Damon’sfather,JoeMaxwell, rushed over to protect their brand in case the press showed up.Cadenexperienced some sort of trauma bond withRoseand slipped into doctor mode, which further aggravated everyone involved.
FearinganotherAmbani-Maxwellshowdown, the dean preemptively showed up to do damage control and keep the press at bay.Whilethe accident didn't happen on school property, it was the second grim incident involving his students under the dean's leadership.Thedean also wanted to appease the two most prominent families and the largest donors of his university.Playingmediator between them was a dangerous role.Istepped out of the office and into the hallway, fully aware nothing good would come of it.Damonwordlessly followed suit.Foronce, my enemy andIagreed.Mediationwas pointless.
Shoutingfrom the office vibrated into the hallway.Nickled the charge. "Ithad to beDamonMaxwell.Itexted everyone at the party.Thebartender recognizedJasperandXanderat the bar.AndRosepractically hitCadenwhen she fell.Onlyone person was missing.”
"Damonpushed my daughter off the second floor," my uncleDevangrily summarized.
"Readthe incident report before throwing out wild accusations,"Joebit back. "Thepolice spoke to everyone at the party.Theysaid she fell out of thin air; no one saw her being pushed.Thereweren't any signs of a struggle, but the girl's blood alcohol level was off the charts.Eventhe doctors agreed she stumbled and fell.I'msorry if you didn't teach your daughter how to be responsible about holding her liquor, but we should hardly be blamed for your incompetence."
"Areyou kidding me?"Devscreamed. "Damonwas the only person unaccounted for for at least an hour.Hesnuck in for a reason.Ifhe didn't do it, where was he when it happened?"
Iglimpsed atDamonto assess his reaction.Ina disturbingly fleeting moment,Irealized he was still watching me and reclaimed my famously unruffled pose.
Technically,Damonhad an alibi.Ifanyone discovered who it was or what he was doing with them for an hour, my career would be over before it began.Theboard ofAmbaniCorpwas made up of my family, and none of them would speak to me again.Istared atDamonexpectantly to set the record straight.
Meanwhile, the screaming match intensified in the office. "Justbecause something bad happened doesn't automatically make it our fault."
"Exceptsomething bad only happens when one ofyouis in the picture.Whatreason could those boys have had for breaking into ourparty if not to commit a crime?I'mgoing to have your son locked up."
"Thisis ridiculous,Chad,"Joeaddressed the dean. "Damonhad nothing to do with this.”
"Mr.Ambani," the dean cooed. "Thedoctors did a thorough inspection of the injuries, and we have pictures of the positionRosewas found in.Ifsomeone shoved her off the second floor, the force needed to push her would have caused different bruises and impact.Weare all emotional, but we urge you to read the report.Rose’sBACindicates an impaired state.Thepolice will suggest putting her in rehab, and our doctors are considering a psych evaluation once she’s awake."
Dev’stemper threatened to break. "Mydaughter isn’t suicidal,Chad.Thiswas attempted murder, and it wasn't the first attack on our family.Thesame man was involved in both instances."
Myhead snapped inDamon'sdirection at the mention of attempted murder. "Theythink you tried to kill my cousin,"Iannounced, breaking the suffocating silence.
Assoon asIsaid it, a soft chuckle slipped from him, and his gaze flickered to the wall beside me.Ifollowed his line of vision.Aframed picture ofDamonhung on the wall.Underneathit saidDamonMaxwell,Humanitarianof theYear.
Abarely-there smirk grazed my lips at the irony.Evenif he weren't with me at the time ofRose'saccident, this man campaigned against violence, drugs, and suicide.Topeg him as a killer was beyond ridiculous.Beforereturning for hisMBA,Damonreceived multiple awards for the charities he initiated on our campus.Asthe most respectable alumnus of this university, he was bestowed the honor of the keynote speaker for my upcoming graduation.
However, there was no arguing with emotional fools.Insteadof acknowledgingDev’saccusation,Damonsaid, “She’llbe okay.”
Myhead skewed into a questioning look.
“Rose,” he explained. “Therewere no indications of major damage.She’llrecover.”
Damonwas the only person to utter words of reassurance other than the doctors.Everyoneelse was focused on thewhodunitinstead ofRose’shealth.Fora moment, there were no more sides or alliances.Therewas only us, without them.Thetwo people who understood this juvenile feud were distracting us from the real concern,Rose.
Witha curt nod of acknowledgment,Iasked, "Aren'tyou going to tell them you have an alibi?"
Ashadow crossedDamon'sface, and he returned to his silent composure.
"I'llbe obligated by law to back up your claims,”Iclarified in case he thoughtI’ddeny it.Sure,Iwanted to keep our tryst a secret, but this escalating madness needed to end.
IexpectedDamonto march inside and set the record straight, only he didn't move.Therewas only one logical reason behind his reluctance.Hewas willing to take his chances, knowing no jury on earth would indict him on a trial remotely resembling attempted murder.
Onthe other hand, his position asCEOwould be in jeopardy if they found out about our recent sexcapade.Sleepingwith the heiress of your rival company violated numerous morality clauses.ItwasDamon'sdecision if he wanted to entertain a criminal charge for job security.However, he needed a reality check becauseDevdidn't make empty threats.
