Chapter 68: I WIll Fucking Kill You.
Kyle found the situation strange. This conversation certainly hadn’t gone the way he had planned—not by a long shot—but strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to complain about it. He didn’t quite understand how something so seemingly insignificant affected him so deeply. There was no reason for it to have such an emotional effect, yet Kyle was beginning to realize that he might need to revisit his past to understand why he felt so moved.
"There we go, all done," Kyle said, breaking the tension and diverting attention from the current conversation.
The waiter came over with the bills to be paid, but before Kyle could even reach for it, Jane quickly took the check.
"What are you doing?" Kyle asked with a polite smile on his face, genuinely puzzled. Jane, however, was confused as to why he was asking such a simple question when the answer seemed obvious.
"I’m paying for our meal," Jane said with a nervous chuckle, slightly embarrassed. Kyle couldn’t help but smile in response.
He wasn’t about to make her feel bad for doing something most women didn’t do. In fact, this was just another reason why Jane was so special in his eyes.
"I took you out for a treat, and I’m the one being treated..." Kyle said, teasing her lightly. Jane flushed red, a little caught off guard by the compliment. She took it to heart, even though she hadn’t realized it would be such a big deal.
After paying, Jane grabbed something for Ella, and they made their way to the hospital. Kyle held her much smaller hand in his, and they attracted a few curious stares from people passing by.
Jane wanted the ground to swallow her whole. She could feel all the eyes on them, and though she was nervous, she couldn’t deny that she secretly loved the feeling. It was as if Kyle was showing the whole world that she belonged to him. But as they walked, Kyle noticed that something was off.
"Hmmm..." Kyle thought to himself. He wasn’t going to mention it, but he could tell something was bothering her. Instead, he simply allowed Jane to head into the hospital while he remained outside.
As he stood there, however, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following them. And sure enough, with a swift turn of his head, he spotted Mike staring right at him.
Mike quickly tried to avert his gaze, but Kyle had already caught him.
Kyle clicked his tongue in irritation, his patience thinning. He walked directly toward Mike, who pretended to be surprised to see him.
Kyle wasn’t foolish; he knew he couldn’t get physical with Mike. He lacked the physique and experience to take on the more muscular man in a fight. However, he also knew that Mike had his own tricks up his sleeve, and Mike would never want to cause a scene in public. Kyle understood the dynamics and realized it was time to set some firm boundaries. This kind of behavior couldn’t be allowed to go unchecked.
"Call me crazy, but I think you’re following me," Kyle said with a direct and stern tone.
"That’s crazy talk, man," Mike fired back. He slowly took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, clearly trying to maintain his cool. "I just happen to be in the area. You don’t own the hospital, you know?"
"Right, you’re right," Kyle responded smoothly, but his voice remained firm. "I don’t own the hospital, but I do own Jane, and it seems like you’ve got your eyes on her."
Mike raised an eyebrow, clearly taken aback. "Are you trying to insinuate something?" he asked, his voice growing more hostile by the second.
"Oh? You misunderstand me," Kyle said, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "I know you’ve got your eyes on my woman, but I also know you can’t have her. But hey, you can keep trying. A woman needs an orbiter or two to do the heavy lifting. What I want to know is why you’re following me."
Mike gritted his teeth, anger rising in him. Kyle’s arrogance was getting under his skin, and he didn’t like it one bit.
"You talk a lot, you know that right?" Mike sneered. "You better have some evidence before you go around accusing people."
Kyle chuckled darkly. "Hahaha! Don’t mind me, but there’s something I want you to know..." he said, leaning in just a little closer.
"If you keep this up, I’ll put a fucking bullet between your eyes." Kyle’s tone was dead serious now, and the weight of his words hung in the air. He wasn’t joking. If anything, his voice and demeanor had turned stone cold. Anyone would have believed him, especially with the fire in his eyes.
Mike took an involuntary step back, his face draining of color. He wasn’t sure if Kyle was bluffing, but something about the way Kyle looked at him told him otherwise.
"I’m just kidding, just kidding," Kyle quickly downplayed the threat, sensing Mike’s unease. But even with the quick reversal, Mike wasn’t sure it had been a bluff.
"Y-You are a crazy man," Mike stuttered, but Kyle noticed the way he was regaining his composure, trying to mask his fear.
"That’s not very nice," Kyle responded in a playful tone, making a mock frown. He hoped the exaggerated reaction would dissuade Mike from pressing any further.
Mike, however, was clearly rattled. His earlier bravado had faded, and he didn’t know what to do next.
Kyle glanced around, wondering about Mike’s intentions. From what Jane had told him, Mike’s focus on Ella’s family seemed too coincidental to be random. There was something chaotic about that family dynamic, and it struck a chord with Kyle. But if what Jane had said was true, it was only a matter of time before Ella relapsed into her old habits.
Jane was no longer a strong enough anchor to keep Ella sober—if she were, Ella would have never made the mistakes she did. Kyle couldn’t let Jane know what he was thinking; it would break her to hear that he doubted Ella’s ability to stay clean.
That’s why Kyle decided to help Ella build a new anchor, one that didn’t rely on Jane. It wasn’t going to be him either—it was going to be her career. Kyle had the influence to help her, but he first needed to hear her sing.
He had a gut feeling that she wouldn’t disappoint. He didn’t need to worry about her talent, or so he hoped.
Kyle’s life was full of a bit of drama, and he knew he had to be careful, especially around women like Cassandra. However, there was one thing he knew for sure: he had to get into better shape. He needed to have the physique of a Greek god, just like Collins. That man intimidated him, and Kyle realized that was what was missing from his arsenal.
The problem now, though, was figuring out where to hit the gym. That would be something to tackle later. For now, he knew his priority was to be there for Jane.
