“I’m the owner!” I then showed them my identity card and land title. “This lady entered my house without my permission. Look, she even broke quite a number of valuable items. Please help me, officers.”
“All right, Ms. Stovall. Are you hurt anywhere?” one of the cops asked as he gave me back the documents.
I shook my head.
Perhaps, Rebecca had never experienced this kind of humiliation. Her eyes glowed with a towering rage as she snarled, “You b*tch!”
The cops hurriedly took her away.
I looked at the mess in the living hall and let out a deep sigh. Instead of cleaning the broken vases, however, I simply went straight back to my room.
I jumped right into bed after taking a shower.
All of a sudden, I heard the doorbell ring loudly. At first, I ignored it, thinking that my mind was playing tricks on me.
However, the doorbell rang for the second time a few moments after.
I got out of bed and headed downstairs, wondering who had come to disturb me at this hour.
I looked at the surveillance camera and saw Jared dressed in a black suit, standing outside the door.
What’s he doing here at 2 a.m.?
I opened the door and gave him a confused look. “Anything of importance, Dr. Crest?”
He looked at me and heaved a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
I was taken aback by his crude question. “Oh, I set it on silent mode and went to sleep. Is there anything urgent?”
He entered the villa and collapsed on the couch, looking exhausted. “Ashton wants you to bring some soup to the hospital. He wants to eat something.”
I did not know how to react to such a ridiculous request. “There are so many restaurants in the hospital. Why can’t you just buy something for him?”
The man massaged his forehead and answered, “He wants you to cook for him and deliver the soup to him personally.”
“Now?” What the hell is wrong with that man? Is he trying to torture me?
Looking at how tired Jared was and the dark circles beneath his eyes, I sighed and said, “Fine. I’ll cook and bring the food to the hospital. Why don’t you stay here for a night? Pick one of the guest rooms and get a good rest.”
Poor guy. How can Ashton torture him like this?
Jared, who was already half-asleep, nodded gently and dozed off on the couch right away.
After making sure he was comfortable, I went to the kitchen and began cooking. The second time I walked out to the living hall to check on Jared, he was already sound asleep.
Since I alone could not carry him up to the guest room, I went upstairs to get him a pillow and a blanket instead.
Soon, the soup was ready. I took a glance at my watch and realized it was already 3 a.m. After pouring the soup into a container, I went straight to the hospital.
Ashton was still awake when I reached, lying on his bed in the ward. He was wearing the typical blue patient uniform and had a bandage around his head. All the wounds on his body seemed to have scabbed over.
The man might look a little disheveled, but he was still as handsome as ever.
Upon noticing me in the ward, his expression changed, but he kept staring at the container hungrily.
In a casual voice, I said, “You just had an operation, and Dr. Crest told me you have to watch your diet. So I made you soup. Here you go.”
Ashton responded with a low grunt. His expression didn’t change as he did so. I knitted my brows when I realized he was staring at me. “What?”
“Did Jared wake you up?” he asked before lowering his head and drinking the soup.
His question rendered me speechless. I told myself to calm down so as to not yell at a patient before replying to his query with a single word. “Nope.”
Are you kidding me? Jared came all the way to the villa because of you and your fricking hot soup!
While waiting for him to finish, I sat on a chair, shut my eyes, and took a nap.
“Are you still mad?” the man asked aloofly.
I was too tired to open my eyes as I replied, “About?”
“Parker has helped me a lot. Since I can’t repay his kindness now, I have to treat her well.” He spoke calmly, but I could tell that he was in a difficult position.
I opened my eyes and looked at him. “So? Does that mean you have to repay his kindness for the rest of your life?”
He gazed deeply into my eyes. “No. This is the last time I do such a thing.”
I let out of a cold snort, cupped my chin with my hands, and stared back at him. “Old habits die hard.” Ashton was so used to taking care of Rebecca. I don’t think he will ever get used to being around her.
Before he could say what was on his mind, I peeped at his bowl and said, “The soup’s getting cold.”
A line formed between his brows. He shot me a pointed look and finished the soup right away. He then turned his attention to me once again. “I got injured in an accident. Don’t you feel sorry for me?”
What a weird question. I stood up, grabbed the bowl from his hands, and said in a tired voice, “It’s late. You better sleep early.”
Do I feel sorry for him? I don’t know. After having been through so much, I guess I’ve become emotionally numb.
When I was about to leave, he immediately said, “Someone has to be here to take care of me. It’s the hospital’s instruction.”
I nearly wanted to give Rebecca a call and ask her to come, but she might still be stuck at the police department.
Since there was no one else to take care of him, I reluctantly agreed. “All right.”
I’ll stay. It’s just one night anyway.
I returned to my seat and decided to continue sleeping.
