Chapter 6: A touch, A whisper, A miracle

Meanwhile…

Lian sat alone in her apartment. The TV played in the background, and just as she reached for the remote, the news hit.

News spread like wildfire.

"Alaric Vance's Grandson Hospitalized Again."

"Wedding Ends in Emergency."

"Public Concern Rises Over Vance Family Health Crisis

"Alaric Vance's grandson collapses during wedding reception. Sources confirm he is in critical condition."

Her heart sank.he was the same boy she helped. She was overwhelmed and confused

"The hospital… it's close." She ran.

The crowd outside the hospital was overwhelming. Security tightened access, letting only family through. Lian tried pushing her way in but was stopped.

"I'm sorry, miss. You're not family."

But fate gave her a window. A nurse, who had been with them from the beginning recognizing her from a previous visit, looked away just long enough for her to slip inside.

She found him in the ICU, asleep. Quietly, she approached and sat beside him. He still wore the bracelet she'd given him.

 She believed it wasn't over

Someone who sacrificed himself for some one didn't deserve this. 

She touched his hand gently and whispered, "You don't deserve to leave like this."

She prayed, long and earnestly. When she finished, she stayed behind, quietly moving to a far chair. The rest of his family was there too. No one noticed her just how she wanted it to be

---

Inside Salim's mind…

Darkness. The weight of water pulling him down.

He was underwater

"I'm falling deeper," he thought.

"I'm glad… but I owe a lot of people an apology—Jena, Mom, Elian… Rayzel, Karina, Grandpa."

"It's too late"

" I'm in over my head and there's no way out"

" The harder I fight, the deeper I fall. "

"Not even the tide can save me now"

His eyes slowly shut when

… light. A warm, brilliant light spread across his face.

And a voice sweet, heartwarming, not human but comforting.

"Go on living, Salim."

Then came a touch gentle, familiar. He didn't know who it was.

And suddenly, he opened his eyes.

Reality.

He turned his head. Slowly. His fingers twitched.

Then he sat up and removed the drip from his hand.

"Salim?!" Karina screamed.

He stood.

And fell.

But this time, he laughed. There was no pain.

Everyone rushed to him tears, joy, disbelief. Jena cried the loudest, hugging him tightly. His mother fell to her knees. Rayzel was speechless.

Salim, still weak but alive, smiled.

In the far corner, Lian watched. Her chest rose and fell. She was over joyed 

And she smiled too.

This was a miracle

Then quietly, she left.

He was fine. That was all she needed to know. 

The hospital was filled with stunned silence.

He was awake.

And not just awake , alive in a way that made even the most skeptical staff whisper about miracles.

One nurse gasped when she saw him swing his legs off the bed.

"Sir Salim, please don't"

But he stood. Slowly. Then straighter. Then without pain.

His balance wobbled, but he didn't fall.

Not this time.

Rayzel stared from the door, his surgical coat flung over his tuxedo. He had barely changed after the wedding chaos. His perfect smile from earlier had long faded. He looked like a man who had sprinted across the edge of death and just witnessed the impossible.

Salim's lips trembled as he whispered, "Rayzel…"

His brother rushed in and hugged him, tighter than ever before.

"You scared the life out of us, idiot," Rayzel muttered, voice cracking.

"I'm sorry." Salim's voice was hoarse

---

Back at home, the air was light for the first time in weeks.

Salim walked into the family living room to cheers and hugs and tears.

Jena screamed and jumped into his arms.

Karina squeezed him till his ribs ached.

Their mother sobbed openly. "I thought I lost you."

They made him dinner. Real dinner. Not hospital food . 

Salim hadn't eaten so well in months.

And for the first time in forever—he laughed.

Not a tired smile or a polite chuckle. A full laugh.

Midway through dessert, he asked, "Where's Grandpa?"

Everyone paused.

"He left before you woke up," Karina said quietly. "Didn't want to crowd the room."

Salim nodded slowly and stood. He walked to his room, grabbed his phone, and made the call

"Salim?"

"Hi, Grandpa."

Silence.

Then laughter. Full, hearty, chest-shaking laughter.

"My boy. You're back."

They spoke for thirty whole minutes. Laughed. Teased. 

Later that night, Salim sat on Elian's bed. Both twins were silent at first.

"I saw light," Salim finally said. "And a voice… It said, 'Go on living.'"

Elian looked up. " my believe for miracles had long gone until I saw what happened to you today. I'm glad your back"

 " Your such a cry baby for the man you claim to be "salim teased

 " Trust me I didn't mean half of the things I said to you at the hospital "

And they both burst out laughing

Then his eyes drifted to the bracelet on his wrist.

He hadn't noticed it before.

He held it up. Simple. Threaded. Familiar

---

The next morning

Lian was up early so early, even the birds hadn't started chirping.

This wasn't just another day. It was the first real day.

She didn't want to mess it up.

She made her bed, showered quickly still amazed at the lavender-scented mist in the bathroom, and took a second to look around the apartment again.

It was unreal.

The walls were spotless white, the floor soft and warm under her feet. The apartment had a fully stocked fridge, a washing machine, a sleek grey couch, and a television that practically glowed like the sun. Everything smelled like lemon and new beginnings.

She wished her brother was here.

He would've gone wild over the TV and the giant fridge.

Grabbing her cereal, she sat by the window and Googled:

"Mr. Alaric Vance."

She was curious, how did he own all this

And how did he find it easy to give it to interns. 

The results stunned her.

He owned 108 yachts. Fleets of planes. Luxury cars — Ferraris, Teslas, airlines were in his name and islands she couldn't even pronounce.

Hotels. Fashion labels. Private schools. Gold mines.

And now... an internship program that had chosen her.

Lian felt her heartbeat drum with a mix of excitement and nerves.

"I will not be average," she whispered. "I will be remarkable."

She arrived at the company just as the orientation session had started.

The hall was huge, with wide glass windows, an LED screen wall, and dozens of interns in suits and skirts. Some were typing already, others scribbling notes.

Lian walked in quietly and joined the back row.

She didn't want to stand out — not today.

"Late?" a girl beside her whispered.

"Just by a minute," Lian whispered back. "But I'm catching up."

The trainer up front spoke fast and clear. "This internship is not just for resume building. It's for legacy. Mr. Vance's empire is built on value, purpose, and vision."

Lian nodded quietly.

She would live up to that.

Lian sat in her room after orientation, exhausted but proud.

She had made it. She was starting something big.

Then the news buzzed across her phone again: "Salim Vance survives coma and walks again. Miracle recovery shocks nation."

She stared at his face on the screen, the faint bracelet still visible on his wrist.

She smiled softly.

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered, even though he couldn't hear her.

 She didn't need him to.