A smile crept across Leonel's face, tinged with sorrow.

How could such memories have slipped his mind?

News of the accident was downplayed, the severity of it kept from public knowledge.

Reports claimed minor injuries all around.

Contrary to whispers of the magnate Douglas, already on the mend and off to seal a monumental deal in Livebop, the truth was far grimmer.

Inside the sterile walls of the operating room, the urgency was palpable.

Leonel was fading, his blood loss significant. His left leg, badly broken, would soon be pieced together with metal, and the doctors warned of a possible future bound to a wheelchair. The damage was that grave.

His thigh, a jigsaw of bone fragments, bore the brunt of the trauma.

Rena lingered outside the surgery room, her eyes brimming with sorrow.

Marcus was by her side, offering silent support as he held her arm, sharing the weight of her grief without uttering a word. He recalled the moment when Leonel, clinging to the last threads of awareness post-accident, implored, "Keep this from Alexis. I've promised to let her go."

Leonel had braced himself to be the one who endures a lifetime of hardship if it had to be so.

The Leonel of old had dreamed of a Life anchored with Alexis, but he recognized the fragility of his current state, contemplating a future marked by his injuries. Marcus, confronted with Leonel's resolve, was initially taken aback.

Time passed before he could respond, finally nodding in silent consent.

"Alright," Marcus whispered. "We won't tell her."

No sooner had the promise been made than Leonel slipped into a coma.

The hospital's blood bank was running low on rh-negative blood.

Waylen, himself still on the mend, arrived to contribute, giving 400 milliliters of his own. As he emerged, his pallor was evident, his complexion ashen.

Marcus sprang into action to assist Waylen, guiding him to a seat.

Olivia and Elva came quickly, their faces drained of color. “How is everything?"

In hushed tones, Marcus responded, "Alexis and the baby are safe. Leonel's hurt though, with a severe fracture in his left leg." He had witnessed the chaotic scene firsthand and it had left him reeling.