C8 Two cases

Nisha’s Pov

When my order arrived, I returned to the hospital, and as I opened the door to Dum's room, I observed someone else in the room besides him. When they heard me open the door, they all looked at me, and I spotted Shmue Izik Flammia, one of Dum's pals who is a Detective whom I once met when I was Nyx.

He won't recognize me, right? Because Shmue has the capacity to sense someone who is known to him even if you are wearing a disguise, while I was Ranie, he almost learned that I am Nyx, but I prevented him from learning the complete truth.

So, when I walk in, I simply lower my head to avoid him from sensing anything from my face and proceed to the table to place the food I ordered earlier.

"Ruv, is this your new secretary, who Lionel compelled you to hire?" " Shmue questioned, still staring at me.

It made me wince a bit, but I didn't show it and simply kept unpacking the food on the table one by one. While secretly praying to God that Shmue will not notice anything unusual about me.

"Yes, but why are you having trouble with the squirrel?" Dum questioned solemnly, and hearing Dum refer to me as a squirrel.

Squirrel? I was irritated when I heard Shmue bust out laughing at what he heard Dum call his secretary. Dum, how could you compare me to a squirrel? As though I'm much more attractive with that ridiculous animal.

"My God Ruv you and your bad habit of calling bad nicknames through animals, in the past you called Ranie as red panda RP in short I remember how Ranie was so angry about that and so you changed into much cornier which is Hedgehog and she was still angry about it" Shmue getting nostalgic about the past and bringing up me.

My motions were halted when I heard Shmue speak my name, and I waited for Dum's reply. To be honest, I'm still mad at him for calling me such names in the past!

"Yes, and as vengeance, she labeled me naked mole rat, and because it was too long, she just abbreviated it to Rat," Dum said affectionately.

I was so taken aback by the tone Dum used that I lost my hold on the food, which caused me to let go of the food container that was filled with hot soup on the table, which burnt me when it spilled, and the agony I felt caused me to come back to reality and respond to how painful it was.

"Hey, are you alright?" "When Dum realized what had transpired, he questioned in a concerned voice,

I just forced myself to endure the pain and smiled at him “Y-yes I am alright “Replied lying to him.

Stupid Nisha why were you affected when you heard him use that that tone! Get your grip together okay. I just get some tissues and cleaned what had spilled on the table and finished placing all the food the in the table.

"Anyway, be careful next time," Du warned me.

“Yes I will” I replied at him feeling embarrassed.

Dum returned to Shmue with a solemn expression. "How did the investigation into the guy who fired bullets in the other building go?" "Dum questioned Shmue.

They were looking into it for me?! My entire body felt like it was made of ice while I waited for Shmue's response. No they won’t see any trace about who I am because I cleaned it before I left the scene.

"The person is really excellent, this guy cleared the area carefully before leaving, I can't detect any evidence or hint who would that gunman be, so we can't tell if he was there to murder you or just happen to be there to save your life?" Shmue elaborated on his investigation.

Well, he is somewhat accurate in his idea that I was there to murder Dum, but I couldn't and only spared him when my grandmother warned me that someone else would kill him beside me. Which drove me to resolve to save him rather than witnessing Dum being slain by another person and dying in front of me.

"Ruv, you should pay me twice as much for the two separate cases you assigned me to investigate; it's not simple to actually study both at the same time!" "Shmue demanded that Dum pay him twice as much.

When I heard Shmue talk about the two cases he's looking into, I became intrigued about the second case he's looking into besides the gunman who shot Dum last night. So, I attentively listen while pretending to clean the table as they continue to converse.

"Don't worry, I have a lot of money to spare anyhow, what about the guy who attacked me last night?" " Dum inquired once again about the man who had attacked him the night before.

“That guy? I am still looking for information who is he but I saw the guy had a tattoo in his back” Shmue replied to Dum.

Tattoo??

“What kind of tattoo?” Dum asked

Shmue looked in the bag he was carrying for something and then gave Dum a photo. "Here, I know I'm going to forget what tattoo it was, so I surreptitiously snapped a picture with it," Shmue said slyly to Dum with a mischievous smile.

I attempted to see what type of tattoo it was, but I was so far away that I couldn't see it. I have no option but to approach towards them and summon Dum in order to fully view the tattoo.

"Sir, the table is ready," I told Dum, sneaking a peek at the photo he was still clutching.

Dum returned the photo to Shmue before I could completely view it. "Okay, just like last time, keep me updated on the new leads you find regarding the two cases when you can see additional leads," Dum instructed to Shmue.

Oh, no! If that's the case, I can just do my own investigation.

"Roger, Ruv!" " Shmue answered with a wide-eyed grin.

Dum eventually got out of bed and walked toward the table, where I set the food, he had requested that I buy for him, and sat in the chair in front of the table. Dum has a look at the items I set up on the table before he begins to eat them.

I heard Shmue clear his throat and come toward Dum, returning the photo to his bag and standing in front of Dum at the table. "Dear buddy, you're not inviting me to lunch with you? "Shmue wondered, puppy eyes on Dum.

Dum arched an eyebrow at Shmue, perplexed, "Why would I since I bought this with my money? Go get your own meal, Shmue," Dum replied coldly, refusing to share his lunch with his friend.

"Damn, you're as greedy and cold as ever!" "Shmue feigned to be upset by Dum's rejection and smiled sheepishly at me.

"Anyway, great meeting you squi-I mean, may I know your name?" "Shmue almost named me squirrel when he noticed Dum glaring at him, so he asked me my name instead.

"My name is Nisha Ebony Damore Sir," I said as I introduced myself.

Shmue seemed amazed when he heard my name, which made me a little uneasy. "Your entire name means Night, Ms. Damore, it's a fantastic name you have the first time I hear someone's entire name signifies one thing" Shmue commented how beautiful my name is.

I was taken aback because this was the second time someone had noticed what my name meant, but I quickly concealed my astonishment and simply smiled at him, "Yes and thank you sir."

"Hey, when are you going to leave?!?" Dum demanded angrily at Shmue.

Shmue simply pouted at the enraged Dum, teasing him, "Tsk, I'll leave immediately, so bossy! Anyway, great meeting you, Ms. Damore." Shmue looked at me and suddenly grabbed my hand, kissed it, and winked at me discreetly.

"Leave now, Shmue Izik Flammia!" " Dum yelled angrily at Shmue, demanding him to leave.

"All right, I'll leave!" Shmue remarked as he dashed out of the room.

I was about to walk to Dum's bed to organize the papers he was reading when he grabbed my arm, which shocked me and caused me to stare at him with concern on my face.

"Seat," he said to me.

Huh?

"What do you mean, Sir?" "I questioned Dum in a puzzled tone.

Dum groaned and stepped in front of me, taking both of my shoulders and pushing me to the chair, forcing me to sit. With even greater confusion, I gazed up at Dum.

"What are you doing, Sir?" I questioned once again.

"Wait here," Dum urged, telling me to stay put.

It made me more concerned about what would happen next because of how Dum is acting strangely towards me, as if many things had gone through my head, making me more uneasy, and since Dum hasn't returned yet.

After a few minutes, I noticed Dum return with a first aid box, which he placed on the table, and sat next to me, looking at me. "Give me your hand," he ordered.

Huh? What would he do to my hand?

"Sir, what do you want with my hand? Are you going to propose to me, but sir, we just met and-Ouch! " I didn't complete my rumblings since Dum had struck my head hard.

"Silly, I was asking about your hand that was burnt by the hot soup you spilled at the table minutes ago," Dum said, clarifying what he meant by what he said to me.

My cheeks flushed after hearing the explanation of Dum, foolish me, why did I assume things so quickly! I'm too humiliated over what I said to Dum.

"I-hick, I'm so-hick sorry," I tried to say while hiccupping since I was ashamed.

Dum just chuckled on my situation “Anyway I am too loyal to one woman only and won’t bother to look at any other woman” Dum declared at me.

When I heard him say it in front of me, my heart constricted, and I tried to hide the look on my face so that Dum wouldn't notice. Was he talking about Isolabella? That bitch is ugly, and I know he despises her based on what I saw while she was here, but what if it was all a ruse and he was actually in love with her?

"You certainly loved your wife sincerely, sir," I remarked, trying not to be upset by referring to Isolabella as his wife.

But I deserve to feel heartbroken because I abandoned him without giving him an explanation. I was doomed to be forgotten and despised by Dum for the rest of my life, but at least I can watch him content with his existence without me.

“Yes of course she is my wife I will love her” Dum said agreeing at what I said with affection on his voice.

Thank God Dum isn't staring at my face right now, or otherwise he'd see how pained my face is right now as I struggle to keep my tears from streaming down my cheeks. I despise this, I want to get out of here, I'm suffocating, and I started to rise up but Dum stopped me.

“Where are you going?” He asked me in a serious voice.

I tried not to look at him and pretended to be normal. "I can't make my boss treat my wound since it's improper; I'll simply go to the nursing station and have them treat it sir," I said, making reasons to leave the room.

"No, I'll cure it on my own," Dum said, and dragged me back down to the chair, forcing to hold my hand that was burned.

I stopped protesting and simply let him do what he wanted.