âI was having lunch with Ben,â Emmeline said. âWe were already at the entrance of the Ryker Group when you said you were at the hospital, so we left.â
âWhere are you now?â Abel asked.
âIâll be back to RetroWave Advertisements in a little while.â
âTell me where you are.â
âI just want to have a quiet lunch. You can go ahead and do your thing!â
âEmma..
Beep. Emmeline hung up the call.
In the hospital corridor, Abel was a bit confused.
Her voice sounded distant and cold. It was completely different from her previous demeanor, which had been sweet and tender, filled with endless reliance on him.
Did she get angry after hearing Alanaâs voice just now!
âAbe, why are you so far away from me?â Alana asked with a hint of grievance.
Abel frowned in annoyance. I have something to do!â
âCome over and help me down. I canât walk! Alanaâs eyes were teary. I lost the tea I bought for you. Iâll buy some again another day. Please donât be angry.â
âYou donât have to do that,â Abel said. âI also take responsibility for todayâs incident. I was the one who sent you out.â
He took out 300 dollars from his wallet and placed it on the chair. âBuy some supplements for yourself.â
âI⦠Before Alana could finish her words, Abel had already turned around and walked away quickly.
âLook at what youâve done, Scott reproached Alana in a low voice. âHow can you be so careless?â
âI did it to get closer to Abel, Alana pouted. âIsnât it your idea?â
Scott trembled with anger. I didnât ask you to get hit by a vehicle!â
âWell, what did you expect me to do?â She was on the verge of tears. Should I just throw myself at him? Will he even give me an eye?
âWhy arenât you leaving?â Scott raised his voice in a low tone. âDo you want him to leave us here? Get into the car and say some kind words to appease him!â
Upon reaching the parking lot, Abel got into the driverâs seat. He lit a cigarette as he frowned.
Then, Scott and Alana came over. They opened the car doors and took their seats, displaying a sense of selfâawareness. Scott sat in the passenger seat while Alana sat in the back seat.
âAbe, I didnât mean to cause you troubleâ¦â Alana said with a hint of grievance.
âNo need to say anything more. Iâll take you home.â Abel started the car. âAlana, with your current condition, itâs better to take a few days off from work and rest.â
âItâs okay,â Alana said with a sense of panic. âItâs just a minor injury. It wonât affect my work.â
âThese days, the company is quite busy.â Scott came along. âThereâs no need for Alana to rest.
âThen, Iâll send you back to rest first,â Abel said with a cold face. âItâs already late.â
âItâs fine, Abel, Scott said. âLetâs find a place. Iâll treat you to a meal.â
âI have something to do. Letâs make it on another day. Abel rejected. He wasnât in the mood for a meal since Emmeline was angry with him.
âNothing is more important than having a meal!â Scott commanded. âLetâs go to a restaurant!â
âIâm really up to somethingâ¦..
âYouâre not following my orders now?â Scott frowned. âIs it because Iâm getting old and useless?â
Abel was speechless.
âFind a place, Scott said. âIâm treating you today!â
Abel had no choice but to turn the car around. They headed to a restaurant named Alley Kitchen.
They ate quickly during the meal, but Abel barely said a word throughout the entire time. Meanwhile, Alana diligently served him some food on his plate. Abel neither refused nor ate, simply focusing on his own dish. Even though the plate was full, he paid no attention to it Initially, Scott had ordered a bottle of white wine. After seeing Abelâs attitude, he felt too embarrassed to drink it himself.
As there was no air conditioning in the private room. Abel started to sweat. Alana picked up a tissue and intended to wipe it for him. Nevertheless, he turned his head and avoided it.
âAbel,â Scott said. âFrom now on. Alana will work with you. Please cooperate well. In that way. Iâll feel my consideration toward you over the years is not a waste.â
âOkay,â Abel replied casually.
She smiled happily as she said, âAbe, you should try these delicious dishes.â
âIâm done eating. You guys enjoy it,â he said. He made an excuse to go to the restroom and settled the bill in advance.
After the meal, the three of them walked out together. Scott couldnât help but bring up the matter of Abel paying the bill while combining reprimands with polite words.
âThank you for treating us, Abe: Alana pulled Abelâs arm, but he avoided her.
As they came out of Alley Kitchen, they saw two people come out of the restaurant opposite themâthey were Emmeline in white and Benjamin in a uniform.
Standing on opposite sides of the road, Emmeline and Abel locked eyes on each other. Both of them froze.