The Contracted Stripper

Ivy sat beside Ryan’s hospital bed after Bella left to go and rest at home, Ivy’s eyes red and swollen from days of crying. The room was eerily silent except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor, a sound that had become a cruel reminder of her brother’s fragile state.

She reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Ryan’s forehead, her hands trembling.

“Ryan, you have to wake up,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “You’re all I have left now. Please, just… wake up.”Her thoughts drifted to their father, Mr. Kendrick, who lay in a coma just a few rooms down the hall.

The news of Ryan’s accident had been too much for him, and now, the two men who were her entire world were hanging on by a thread. The weight of it all was unbearable. Ivy buried her face in her hands, her body shaking with silent sobs.

Mrs. Rose stood by the window, staring out into the bleak hospital courtyard. Her face was a mask of composure, but inside, she was unraveling.

The empire she and her husband had built, the carefully crafted image of power and perfection, was crumbling around her.

“Mum,” Ivy’s voice broke the silence, “what if they don’t make it?”Mrs. Rose turned to face her daughter, her expression softening slightly. She crossed the room and sat beside Ivy, taking her hand in hers.Copyright by Nôv/elDrama.Org.

“They will,” Mrs. Rose said, her voice firm, though it wavered slightly at the end. “We have to believe they will.

The Kendricks don’t fall easily.”But the truth gnawed at her. She had always believed in the strength of her family, in the invincibility of their legacy.

But now, as she looked at her children, she felt that belief slipping away.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and Luca rushed in, his face etched with concern. Ivy had called him in a moment of desperation, and he had dropped everything to be there.

“Ivy,” Luca breathed, hurrying to her side. “Are you okay?”Ivy looked up at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Luca… they’re not getting better. I don’t know what to do.”Luca wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

“You’re doing everything you can, Ivy. You’re being strong for them.”Mrs. Rose watched the exchange with a mixture of relief and suspicion.

She had noticed the growing closeness between Ivy and Luca, and while she appreciated that Luca was there for her daughter, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to his presence. The Kendrick family had enemies, and she wasn’t about to let anyone take advantage of their vulnerability.

“Thank you for coming, Luca,” Mrs. Rose said, her tone polite but distant. “Ivy needs all the support she can get right now.”Luca nodded, still holding Ivy.

“Of course, Mrs. Rose. I’m here for anything you need.”Mrs. Rose forced a smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s very kind of you.”

Luca pulled back slightly, looking Ivy in the eyes. “Why don’t you take a break, Ivy? Go get some air. I’ll stay with Ryan.”Ivy hesitated, glancing back at her brother.

“I don’t want to leave him…”

“He’ll be okay for a few minutes,” Luca assured her. “You need to take care of yourself too.”Ivy finally nodded, her exhaustion overwhelming her.

She allowed Luca to guide her out of the room, the weight of the past few days pressing down on her. As they walked down the hospital corridor, Luca gently squeezed Ivy’s hand. “Ivy… I know this is a terrible time, but I want you to know that I’m here for you. Not just as a friend, but… more.”Ivy stopped, turning to face him. Her heart skipped a beat at the sincerity in his eyes.

She had felt the connection between them growing stronger, but she hadn’t allowed herself to dwell on it, not with everything else going on.

Now, with Luca standing before her, his feelings laid bare, she felt a surge of emotion that she had been trying to suppress.

“Luca, I…” Ivy began, but the words caught in her throat. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. Everything is so… uncertain.”I understand,” Luca said softly, “but just know that I’m not going anywhere. I care about you, Ivy. More than you know.”Ivy’s eyes filled with tears once more, but this time they were tears of gratitude. She leaned in and hugged Luca tightly, finding comfort in his presence.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“You don’t have to find out,” Luca replied, holding her close. “I’m here. For as long as you need me.”They stood there for a moment, the chaos of the hospital fading into the background as they found solace in each other.

Meanwhile, back in the hospital room, Mrs. Rose stared out the window, lost in her thoughts. The empire she had fought so hard to protect was in danger, not just from outside forces but from within.

The secrets she and her husband had kept were threatening to surface, and she wasn’t sure if they could withstand the fallout.

As she watched Ivy and Luca walk down the corridor, a nagging suspicion gnawed at her.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, that there were forces at play that she couldn’t control

. But for now, all she could do was wait. Wait for her husband to wake up, wait for her son to recover, and wait for the storm she knew was coming.

Back in Ryan’s room, Luca sat by his bedside, his expression serious.

“Ryan, you need to fight. Ivy needs you. We all do.”He paused, glancing around to make sure they were alone. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I promise you, I’m going to find out. Whatever it takes.”

As Luca spoke, Ryan’s hand twitched slightly, a faint sign of life that sent a surge of hope through Luca’s heart. He leaned in closer, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Hold on, Ryan. Just hold on.”

Ivy returned to Ryan’s room, unaware of the danger that was closing in on them. As Ivy sat by her brother’s side, she whispered a silent prayer, hoping against hope that he would wake up and that everything would be okay.

But as the minutes ticked by, a sense of foreboding settled over her. Something was coming, something that would change everything.

And she wasn’t sure if any of them were ready for it.

A mysterious figure listens in on the three men’s toast to the fall of the Kendricks, hinting at deeper betrayals and a looming threat that Ivy, Luca, and Mrs. Rose are unaware of.