Chapter 488 Reuniting With Alicia
“I must compensate you, for it’s my fault for damaging your car. Furthermore, as long as the amount is fair, I don’t want to cause you any more trouble.”
Although I had proposed to the driver that we resolve it with the insurance company, I didn’t feel like going through all that hassle. After all, I simply felt that he was asking for too much. Now that Alicia appeared to be very polite, I decided not to make things any more difficult.
“There’s really no need to. Meeting you today is the happiest thing to have occurred to me.”
At that moment, Alicia alighted from her vehicle and smiled ear to ear at me.
Knitting my brows curiously, I didn’t understand why she was reacting that way. After all, we didn’t know each other at all. Also, I wondered what she meant when she said that meeting me was the happiest thing to have happened to her.
“Mrs. Campbell, how do you know me?”
I cleared my throat awkwardly due to the uneasiness I felt from her words. The way she looked at me was so affectionate that I didn’t know what to feel.
“I have known you since a long time ago and thought that I would never see you again. But today, I didn’t expect fate to be kind enough to have reunited us.”
Just as Alicia was speaking, she held my hands and looked at me with tears welling up in her eyes.
When I saw how emotional she was, I anxiously wanted to console her but didn’t know what to say. The way she looked at me felt so intensely familial that she could’ve been mistaken for my mother.
As she held my hands tightly, I felt a little uncomfortable. After all, I wasn’t used to making physical contact with strangers.
“Mrs. Campbell, in that case, why don’t I call the insurance company? it will be fairer that way.”
After I awkwardly retracted my hands, I didn’t feel like talking to her for some inexplicable reason. Hence, I brought out my phone and gave the insurance company a call.
Given how efficient they were, the insurance company’s men arrived after ten minutes. Subsequently, they took pictures of our cars and recorded all the details.
After they were gone, I bid Alicia goodbye and attempted to leave quickly. Before I did so, she gave me a look so intense that it made me feel ill at ease.
With that, I dropped my car at the closest mechanic before calling for a taxi. Along the journey home, my mind was constantly thinking about who Alicia was and why was she so friendly to me.
However, those thoughts had disappeared by the time I reached home. When I arrived, I saw Josephine happily playing with Amaury in her arms.
Ever since she woke up, she felt like a different person and treated me like her daughter. It went without saying that she treated Amaury even better.
“Mom, I’m home,” I greeted plainly before walking up to her.
Josephine turned around and asked, “Welcome back. How was your job search? Did you find anything suitable?”
“Mmm-hmm, I met with one company today. Although it’s different from what I imagined, it’s still acceptable to me.”
To be honest, the companies that I had recently interviewed with didn’t seem to offer great career prospects. Therefore, I wasn’t really keen on them. Nevertheless, I didn’t have much of a choice, for there weren’t that many companies available in Avenport anyway.
“If you can’t find anything suitable, just get Michael to appoint you as a manager at Joyful Success. After all, our family doesn’t really need the money,” Catherine suggested when she saw the frown on my face.
Even though I didn’t agree with what she said, her words still warmed my heart.
“Mom, I don’t want to rely on my relationships to get a job. Now that everyone knows that I’m Michael’s wife, people will gossip if I’m appointed as a manager.”
Although I was more than capable of taking over the role, the employees at Joyful Success wouldn’t share my sentiments. They would feel that I got the job due to my relationship with Michael and consequently doubt my abilities. Naturally, I wouldn’t feel good being in such a situation.
“So what if they think that way? As the daughter-in-law of the Shaw family, we can appoint you as the CEO if we wanted to. Thus, what’s the big deal about being a manager?” Josephine remarked nonchalantly, as she felt that my worries were unfounded.
“Mom, thank you.”
Cognizant that Josephine was showing her concern, I was grateful to her for it. Despite our differences in the past, she now treated me better than Michael. I was naturally moved by her change of heart.
“I just ordered the kitchen to prepare some nutritious soup. Hence, you should have some advance. After all, a girl needs to constantly take care of herself, do you understand?”
When Josephine read my emotions, she pinched my face and gave me an affectionate look.
“All right, thank you, Mom.”
At that moment, I was filled with bliss, for Josephine had treated me better than my mom ever did.
Over the next few days, I stayed at home since I couldn’t find a suitable job. Even since I reconciled with Michael, the Shaw family cherished me like the apple of their eyes. Andy in particular would always chat with me and get me to play chess with him.
As I never felt the warmth of a family when I was a child, I enjoyed how they treated me very much.
When they heard about the car accident I was involved in, they became so anxious about it that they forced Michael to take me to the hospital for a checkup. I felt nonplussed, as I barely had a scratch on me. Nonetheless, the concern they showed warmed my heart.
Finally, Saturday arrived. Michael and I slept in, for it was the weekend and he didn’t need to go to the office. Moreover, he promised the night before that he would take me shopping.
After I washed up and headed downstairs, the sight of a familiar figure greeted me. It was Alicia.
Caught off guard by her sudden appearance, I wondered why she was there to see me. After all, the insurance company had taken over the paperwork for the accident.
Holding that thought, I hurried downstairs.
“Mrs. Campbell, why are you here?” I asked softly upon entering the living room.
“Oh, you’re home! I thought you were out. Mrs. Shaw and I were just talking about you.”
The moment Alicia saw me, her eyes seemed to sparkle. She smiled at me so vibrantly that it made me feel out of place.
“Mrs. Campbell, are you here to see me?” I broke into an awkward smile as I returned her gaze.
For some reason, I felt as if she was being too friendly to me.
“Yes… No, I’m here to chat with your mom and mentioned you in passing. If you have time, do come and join us.”
Alicia walked up to me and settled me down on the seat next to hers.
Against her self-declared familiarity, I was simply helpless. After all, Alicia looked more like a reserved and distinguished lady instead of one that’s warm and affable.
