Chapter 166

CHAPTER 166 Benjamin came to Jane’s apartment, but she wasn’t waiting outside. “I knew it.” He wanted to leave, but then gave a call, not wanting to look bad.

Jane answered it pretty quickly. “Hey, where are you?”

“In front of your apartment. Come to the window, and you’ll see me.”

“That’s great. I’m on my way, but keep talking... I like how your voice sounds on the phone.”

“Huh, don’t be too shrewd, Jane,” Benjamin raised his voice, emphasizing his feelings. “The only reason I’m here is because you are Rebecca’s best friend.”

“How cold of you to say that,” she pouted. “Did you already forget how much I helped you get closer to Rebecca’s heart?”

“Hmph, didn’t you also try to kiss Rebecca’s husband’s lips?”

Jane went silent. She then hung the call because she was already standing at the entrance of the apartment. She could see Benjamin, and he could also see her.

She went and sat on the public bench. He came over at his own pace. She patted the bench twice, telling him to sit down.

He shook his head.

“I’m not going to eat you, so settle down,” she showered a friendly yet cheeky smile.

Benjamin hesitated for a second and then sat down.

“Benjamin, you’re maybe the sweetest, but you’re not the sharpest guy in the city. You’re far from it,” her voice was soft and convincing. “It’s taking you so long to sleep with your own wife. I won’t be surprised if outsiders think you’re impotent or something.”

“If I wanted to just sleep with her, I could have tricked her or forced her,” replied Benjamin. “But what I want is for her to hold my hand in public and not be afraid of how her family members or anyone else thinks. I just want her to come out of her shell and be herself. It’s not gonna happen overnight, but I’m willing to wait. If others take it the wrong way and think I’m stupid and useless, that’s not my problem.”

“You’re willing to wait even if it takes three to five years?”

Benjamin was silent.

“How about ten years?”

“Time doesn’t matter to me, Jane,” Benjamin’s voice was steady. “Don’t you know about the rabbit and tortoise story?”

Jane ended up chuckling a little.

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but Rebecca is going through a lot lately,” the corners of his mouth curled down slightly. “I wish I could be with her, but the circumstances are against me. That’s not the case for you, though. You can go in and come out of the Sterling villa whenever you want. So, why don’t you talk to her about coming out of that villa and living with her husband?” he thought they would move out after selling the villa, and maybe his wife would choose to be with him, but to his shock, the entire Sterling family was still staying in the villa after it was sold. “Isn’t she already at that age where she should prioritize her husband more compared to her parents?”

Benjamin kept on talking, and Jane was sort of impressed as to how Benjamin was trying to flip the tables on her. She called him here to have fun with him, yet he was trying to convince her about bringing his wife closer to him. Her envious eyes glittered with the glow of stars. Her heart began racing; it shook like a cocoon, as her feelings sought freedom like a newborn butterfly. Her body craved to roll with him. Her imaginations yearned to fly with him. She didn’t know what was happening to her. She never felt her bodily passions burn this much before, and she wanted a quick fix.

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

Benjamin quickly stood. “What was that for?”

“I’m not feeling well,” Jane touched her forehead. Can you take me to my room?”

“Seriously...” Benjamin shook his head in disappointment. “Your room isn’t in another country, so why don’t you go there by yourself? I wanted to know what exactly happened between you and Rebecca, but if you don’t want to say it, I will just ask Rebecca then. She’s tight-lipped, but I will soften her lips with a kiss and then ask.” Saying that he was walking away.

He heard a loud thud, causing him to stop and look back. Jane had fallen sideways to the ground. He bared his teeth in annoyance. “Geez, going to such lengths... are you crazy?” he asked aloud, but she didn’t respond. Frowning slightly, he approached her. “Hey, you are stretching your act too far. You should get up.”

Despite his efforts, there was no response. He squatted down and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. It was burning hot. He put his finger under her nose, and her breath felt hot, too. He opened one of her eyes and observed for a little while.

“This is...” he pulled her sleeves up. There were blister-like rashes on her skin. The spots were just beginning to appear.

“Chicken pox.”

He immediately picked her up into his arms and took her to her room, given he knew in which room number she lived.

She wasn’t even conscious. He wanted to care for her until her parents came home, but he had no idea that her parents went abroad. He came out of the building and brought neem leaves, and aloe vera, then locked the room and didn’t tell anyone in the apartment about her condition, probably not to cause unnecessary panic.

Time passed, and night fell.

Jane woke up to find herself on bed, surrounded by a lot of neem leaves on all sides, with Benjamin sitting on the chair next to the bed. She would have jumped in shock and screamed in fear if she had been healthy, thinking someone was conducting a ritual on her, but she felt too weak to do that now. The headache was making it hard for her to just speak, and there was indescribable pain all over her body.

When she sat up with effort, Benjamin gave her coconut water and explained to him her situation. She wanted to call the doctor, but he assured her that there was no need. His confident words somehow convinced her. Moreover, if Benjamin was going to be here, tending to her, she thought going to the hospital was a bad idea.

Afterward, she changed into a set of loose cotton clothes as per his idea. She put on a one-piece short skirt to tempt him, but he forced her to wear loose pants. She said she didn’t have any loose pants, but then he found her mother’s pants and gave them to her. She could only pout and wear those baggy clothes.

As hours passed, spots appeared all over her body and face. He moved the neem branches on her face. Her mood grew so dull she didn’t even have funny thoughts anymore. She was just grateful that he was there to help.

“It’s already eight o’clock. When are your parents going to come home?” Benjamin finally asked the question that had been in his mind for hours already.

Jane’s heart trembled. If she were to tell him, would he leave her?

At the same time, elsewhere in the city.

Veronica took her friend’s car and headed to the Sterling villa. “He fell from the balcony and died?” she was driving fast. “Nothing is going right for our family these days. Dad’s movie failed. Brother Shawn and Rebecca are having big career troubles. And right after Dad sold the villa, this happened. It’s like someone put a curse on us.”

A black cat suddenly ran across the street, forcing Veronica to turn the wheel fast so she wouldn’t hit the damn cat. However, the car went out of control and ended up crashing into the flow meter of a petrol station at a great speed. Flames erupted.