The Accident

It was nighttime and Emma was taking a stroll through central-downtown, Las Casa, the central trading hub of the city. She walked slowly, taking in the atmosphere.

Nighttime never seemed to exist in a place like this. It was basically day here, everyday. Even at night.

Everywhere was bustling, population on the streets was at its peak, as well as the noise that came with it.

As she strolled, she looked around, letting the various emotions in the air influence hers. She smiled when she came across a happy family, frowned when she saw a pickpocket successfully take an old woman's wallet, and nearly cried when she saw the last scene of a very sad movie she had watched once before.

Her stomach grumbled, reminding her she had not eaten dinner yet.

"What do I want for dinner?" Emma asked herself. She had steak in mind.

"But I have to watch my weight. I've been taking in a lot of calories without enough workouts." She shook her head. Maybe meat was a bad idea at the moment.

"Veggies it is."

She turned around and proceeded towards her favorite Cantonese restaurant. Their vegetables were the best. Not just because they tasted great, but because they were dirt cheap as well. It made her wonder sometimes if the restaurant actually made any profits selling at the price they did.

As she neared the place, a car moving super fast, screeched not far from where she was. It veered off the road, and hit a pole with its side. The car's right side bent into itself.

"Geez! That car was moving in fast." A high school student yelled behind her and ran past her with his phone camera on. 

He wasn't the only one though, almost everyone around had taken out their phones and were already live streaming.

*Hey guys, it's me again. I know you missed me. You won't believe what just happened…*

*Oh my God! You won't believe…*

*Yo, broganators. Did you see that…*

*… That car is beautiful. Too bad the driver had crashed it…*

*The car was moving crazy fast, like damn..*

There were tens of live streamers and onlookers at the scene in less than a minute, but not a single one of them thought to check on the driver.

Emma had gathered with them as well. She looked at the license plate. It was customized 'TayCon05'.

"Oh my!" She gasped. That car belonged to her late father's company. She must know whoever the driver was.

As she wondered how to get to the car without getting any attention, the pole that the car had hit, creaked, grabbing everyone's attention. Then it groaned and tilted a little, chasing those near it away. Then it fell on the road.

A lone biker was riding on the other side of the road. He was late for an appointment and was moving at the highest limit allowed by the road regulations. He glanced at his watch and exhaled. He would arrive just in time. As he relaxed,

Crash!

The long, heavy pole fell on him. Directly. Sending him crashing into a building wall.

The onlookers gasped collectively, then, looking at one another, hurried to the new, gory accident scene, their phones held out as they engaged their viewers.

With these people out of the way, Emma dashed towards the car. She looked in through the broken window. She saw who it was and immediately considered just walking away and leaving her to die.

It was her wicked, foolish cousin whose father snatched the company from her after her father's death. Needless to say, she hated them all- her uncle, his witch of a wife and her spoilt cousin.

But, as much as she hated them, she was not dark-hearted. She slowly moved the driver out of the driver's seat.

"You better hope it starts." She muttered at her cousin in the backseat, who she was almost totally sure was suffering from internal bleeding at the moment.

Emma turned the ignition. It started.

"Curse these quality engines." She silently raged. A part of her was mad that the car was in still in a good enough shape to move. Another part of her, that retained her humanity, was relieved that her cousin could possibly be saved. Regardless of what she felt, she still turned the steering, moved the gear and drove off to the nearest hospital she knew.

William Taylor, the CEO and current owner of Taylor's Constructs entered the hospital, closely followed by a plump, flustered woman. She ran in in high heels and rushed to the counter. Her husband still got there before her. Neither her weight nor her heels allowed for high speed movements.

"Nurse!" He called to the nurse, making her look up from her tab. "Caroline Taylor, twenty-five, car accident, an hour ago. Where is she?"

The nurse blinked. This was the first time she was meeting with someone that managed to explain the details of whom he was here for within six seconds.

"Are you deaf? Where is my baby?" Katie Taylor, wife of William Taylor and mother to Caroline screamed at the nurse.

"Oh, sorry!" the nurse apologized, slightly flustered. She looked into the tab, typed out Caro and immediately clicked on the first name that came out.

"Oh, there she is…"

"Where is she?" Katie snappily interrupted her.

The nurse frowned slightly, not amused by the woman's rudeness. Katie must have a lot of enemies. Still she remained professional and responded.

"She's in the operating room at the moment. She should be out in another twenty or so minutes."

"Oh my God!" Katie gasped, grabbing her chest. Her husband took her to sit. He then returned to the nurse.

"That bad?"

"I can't say more, sir. That's the doctor's job." The nurse said.

"Who brought her in?"

"A beautiful young lady. She left just before you entered."

"What's her name?" William inquired.

"I'm afraid that is private information, sir."

"I am the victim's father. I deserve to know who brought her in and signed for her surgery." William raised his voice a little, making himself more assertive.

The nurse shook her head. She could not do that. It was simply against hospital policy.

William sighed, showed her his card and told her,

"I can't give you anything right now because of the cameras around. But that is my business card. You call it later tonight, after your shift, give the receiver your account details and you will instantly receive an alert of ten thousand dollars."

The nurse took the card, gasped when she saw the name and position of the man in front of her, and looked down at her tab again.

"Her name is Emma Taylor, sir." She looked up. "Said she's her cousin, and even left her details to prove it."

William face darkened. He had a bad feeling in his stomach.

"Emma, huh?" He scoffed and looked at Katie who was wiping tears off her face.

The doctor came out at that point and immediately identified William.

"Good evening, Mr Taylor." He greeted.

"Good evening, Doctor Anderson."

William greeted back.

"My office, please?"

"Absolutely!"