Chapter 293 A Truce

Day Thirty-Three…

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[ At Syphiruz Mafia's Medical Facility… ]

~ 7:15 am ~

Axel was still sound asleep when Chantha dropped by to visit him. She had been worried about him for the past three days. He only regained consciousness two days after his surgery. Spider worked as Nathan's assistant in Axel's absence.

Axel needed complete rest so Nathan gave him one month to recover. He felt somehow guilty for coming late. He failed to protect his men and they got injured. With that, Nathan wanted everyone to focus on their recovery as compensation for their bravery and loyalty to him and to the organization. He also gave them a high bonus for their job well done.

But Chantha didn't care about the bonus at all. She cared about Axel more than anything else. She was shaken when she saw Axel getting shot in front of her. Though they argued often, Chantha would never wish for Axel to get hurt.

She felt grateful to him as he protected her. But part of her was so afraid… afraid that Axel would die. She couldn't get over it. The scene kept replaying in her mind through flashbacks. She had sleepless nights. She hadn't talked to Axel yet. But she always stayed at night, watching over him.

But yesterday, Violet urged her to go home and rest. So she hadn't seen Axel waking up. After receiving a message from Violet this morning, Chantha immediately drove and rushed to the medical facility to see Axel.

Chantha slowly traced her steps toward Axel's sick bed. She made sure not to create loud noise so she wouldn't disturb his sleep. Her eyes became teary as soon as Axel's sleeping face came into her view.

"He sleeps like a baby," Chantha softly mumbled, holding her giggle. She felt relieved knowing that Axel's condition was now stable. She rubbed her eyes, clearing her vision.

"Sigh. You scared me to death, Axel…" Chantha spoke in a low voice. She grabbed the chair and quietly sat down. She was facing Axel and contemplated whether she would touch him or not.

After staring at him for several seconds, she just found herself moving her hand closer to his face. She caressed his face. She didn't want to touch his cheeks for so long because she was afraid Axel would wake up.

But to her surprise, a strong hand caught her wrist when she was about to retract her hand away from his face. She gasped when she met Axel's eyes. He was now wide awake.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to wake you up…" Chantha apologized, looking away. She was embarrassed since Axel caught her in the act.

Axel just stared at her for a long moment, not saying a word. It seemed like Axel was still absorbing this sight in his brain. Meanwhile, Chantha felt a little bit uncomfortable. She could sense his penetrating gaze directed at her.

"You look like a panda. Did you cry? Didn't get enough sleep? Your eye bags are swollen and dark circles appear under your eyes." Axel slowly sat up but he didn't let go of her wrist. He thought Chantha would flee once he released her hand. He wanted her to stay.

Last night, he felt disappointed not seeing her. He thought Chantha didn't even care that he got shot and almost die for her. But Violet explained to him that she told her twin sister to go home and rest since she had been watching over him for the past two days without enough sleep.

Chantha just pouted her lips and raised her head to meet his gaze. She squinted her eyes at him and said, "What? Are you happy now that I look ugly and miserable? I rushed here as soon as I heard that you regained consciousness. I didn't even get the chance to put on my makeup because I was dying to see you."

Chantha raised her other fist, punching his chest. She got carried away that she forgot that the person she was hitting was a patient. She just felt annoyed since she thought Axel was teasing her once again.

"You shouldn't have done that! Why put yourself in danger because of me?! You should have let the bullets hit me. I'm your mortal enemy, right? You hate me, right? You are annoyed by me, right? Then why? Why did you do that? To make me feel guilty?" Chantha began to nag at him, still punching his chest.

Axel could only sigh helplessly, watching Chantha. It did not take long before he caught her other hand. Then he pulled her, making Chantha fall forward and she landed on his body. Before she could complain, Axel immediately wrapped his arms around her body, hugging her.

Chantha stopped ranting. She was stunned for a moment, blinking her eyes in astonishment. She didn't expect Axel to embrace her. But she loved to feel his warmth so she didn't struggle.

Axel began tapping her back and spoke once again, "I'm alright now. No need to feel guilty or feel sorry for me. Don't blame yourself. I made that decision." Axel ended up comforting her because he knew her well.

When Chantha heard those comforting words from Axel, she began to burst out. The tears she was holding in suddenly fell from the corners of her eyes. She started to cry… sobbing in his arms.

"Y-You… I hate you so much! I hate you for making me worry too much…" She sniffled.

Axel just smiled inwardly while looking at the woman in his arms tenderly. He continued stroking her back and her hair.

"Hmm… Yes, I hate you too. You are right. You are my mortal enemy so I am the only one who has the right to hurt you. Not others." After saying that, Axel erupted into peals of laughter. Then he ended up groaning. His wound ached when he laughed. He just endured it a while ago because Chantha was the one punching him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Chantha asked him worriedly. She was about to struggle from his embrace but Axel pulled her closer, tightening his grip around her body.

"Don't move… I feel cold. Just let me feel your warmth for a few minutes," Axel requested.

"Fine. I'll only do this once… since we are on a truce."