Melissa stood nervously in front of Debbie. The previous night, Janice and the others had stayed outside the hospital ward until one o'clock in the morning, before Janice had found a nearby hotel for Rita and the other band members. But Melissa hadn't dared to leave Debbie's side in case Justin appeared, as he would be furious if she wasn't there to take care of her.
She had been extremely scared. She never would have thought that Debbie knew Justin Ambrose so well. She was so nervous that her palms started to sweat profusely again as she recalled the excessive things that she had done to Debbie back in New York. She was afraid that she would complain to Justin.
"Debbie? Are you still awake?" Melissa looked at her with an awkward smile. The person lying in front of her was not just Debbie, but someone who knew Justin well. How could she not be scared?
Debbie realized that Melissa had never spoken to her in such a soft voice before. Thinking about how she had framed her the previous evening, she was confused and angry.
"I'm sorry Debbie. I was in the wrong yesterday. Please forgive me. I know when I do something wrong, and I won't do it again," Melissa said. But Debbie's angry gaze scared her so much that she kneeled on the ground.
Debbie was stunned. She never thought that Melissa would kneel in front of her one day. Then she remembered that Justin had said he would beat up anyone who bullied her.
"Did Justin slap you in the face?" Only then did she notice that Melissa's face was swollen. There were still bruises on the corner of her mouth.
Melissa used her hand to cover up the bruises, and tears started flowing down her cheeks. She looked at her, nodded slightly, and muttered, "Not only my face, but—" she said as she stood up.
She turned around and slowly pulled down her pants.
At first, Debbie didn't know what she was going to do, but when she saw her purplish-red buttocks, she was so frightened that she closed her eyes. It was too horrible to look at.
Melissa pulled up her pants, looked at her, and said, "My boyfriend, Charlie Mason, doesn't want me anymore. I've already been punished enough. Please forgive me?"
"All right… I'll forgive you," Debbie whispered. She already looked miserable, and Debbie wasn't the kind of person to hurt others.
"Thank you, Debbie… thank you," Melissa said, as her tears turned into smiles. She kept bowing and thanking her.
"You don't have to be so formal with me," Debbie said with a faint smile. "How are your injuries? Did you let the doctor see them?"
"It's fine, don't worry about me. You are the most important thing right now. Do you want a drink of water? Do you feel hot? How about I buy you a couple of buns to eat?" Melissa treated her well due to her connection with Justin.
"Don't fuss over me. I'm okay now. Sit down. I don't need you to take care of me," she said as she realized that Melissa was being quite cute.
"All right, thank you." Melissa was tired after a sleepless night. She leaned against the windowsill and fell asleep.
Debbie picked up her phone, found Alex's number, and called him. She missed him. Right now, she wanted to hear his voice.
"Beep, beep." The sound of a busy signal came over the phone.
The previous night back in New York, Suzan was the only one who had not been drunk. She had called a few classmates, and then she had sent Alex and the others back to their dorm. At that moment, four people from his dorm were still lying on their beds snoring.
Alex's phone was in his pocket, but he couldn't feel it vibrating.
"Hello, the user you have dialed is temporarily unable to answer the phone," a digital voice said.
Debbie felt slightly disappointed. When she needed him the most, she couldn't reach him.
Maybe he's busy? she thought as she put her phone down on the cabinet beside her.
A nurse appeared to check on Debbie's condition.
"You've recovered very well. There aren't any symptoms. You'll be able to go home and rest after a week," the nurse said with a smile after checking her over.
"Great!" Melissa looked at her and nodded with a smile.
The nurse gave Debbie some water to drink and reminded her, "Right now you're still receiving antibiotics, glucose, etc. You may be feeling more tired than usual. Don't worry, as that's a normal reaction to your treatment. You should get plenty of rest and switch off your phone. That way it will be quieter when you sleep."
"Don't worry. I'll take good care of her," Melissa reassured the nurse.
After saying that, the nurse picked up the report and record book and left.
"Debbie, listen to the nurse and get a good night's sleep. I'll be watching over you from over there by the window," Melissa said while standing beside the bed smiling at her.
Debbie nodded slightly and closed her eyes. After a while, she fell asleep.
Melissa was about to rest by the windowsill when Debbie's phone rang from its spot on the cabinet.
Only then did Melissa remember that the nurse had told Debbie to turn it off.
She picked up the phone and was about to turn it off, but she casually swiped it. The phone didn't have a locked screen, so she opened it easily.
When she saw the call log, she found that Debbie had just called Alex, but she hadn't been able to get through. Her mind started whirring.
Debbie knew Justin, and Alex was Debbie's boyfriend. They both had the last name of Ambrose.
Melissa suddenly realized that Alex was Justin's brother. Previously, she had been worried about what Justin would do to her, but she hadn't even thought about such a simple connection to Alex.
She looked again at the phone, then she looked at Debbie, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. A trace of craftiness appeared in Melissa's eyes, and she came up with an idea.
She took out her phone and turned her back to Debbie in case she happened to wake up. Then, she started doing something with the two phones.
**
Alex woke up in a daze. As usual, he picked up his phone and checked the time. It was already half-past nine in the morning, and his head was still dizzy.
With another glance, he saw that there were four missed calls. He opened them and saw that Debbie and Justin had called.
He halfway sobered up at the sight of Debbie's name and called her right away.
[Alex.] His name appeared on the screen. Melissa was shocked and muted the phone. She kept the phone on until the name disappeared.
What's going on? Alex wondered, Why isn't she answering my call?
He was about to try again when a text message appeared.
[I'm busy right now, so I'll call you later.] He stopped when he saw the message. He imagined there were still a lot of things that she needed to do for the Chicago talent show.
Why did Justin think of calling me? He thought for a while and called him back.
Justin's phone lit up under the artificial lake, where he had thrown it in anger the day before. Of course, no one would be able to pick it up.
Alex tried three times, but nobody answered. Although he was a little suspicious, he had no other choice but to give up.
This brat must have gone crazy somewhere again, he thought. He put his phone in his pocket and went to the bathroom to wash up.
His head still felt dizzy after drinking all night, even though he had splashed cold water on his face. He walked out of the dorm and decided to have a bite to eat out on the street to help clear his head.
Walking from the dorm to the campus gate and breathing in the fresh air, he started feeling a bit better.
"Hello, Alex!" A beautiful lady walked over as he was about to step out of the gate. It was Kelly Phillips. She waved at him with a sweet smile.
Looking at Kelly, his heart moved. He realized that he was happy to see her again. This was not a good sign. He subconsciously reminded himself to keep his distance from her.
She walked toward him and smiled.
"Hello." He greeted her distantly with a slight nod and continued to walk, which made her feel a bit embarrassed.
"Alex—" she called after him, but he didn't even turn his head. She sighed softly, took two steps forward, and followed behind him. "Wait for me!"
She increased her pace to keep up with him. She looked at him and tried to get closer. She asked, "Have you eaten? What are you planning to do?"
"No. Let's eat," he said, but he didn't even look at her as he walked forward.
Why is he so cold? Really! she thought.
But she was happy that at least he had agreed. However, with her intelligence, she could see that he was intentionally staying distant from her. Why did he want to do that?
Because he had already sensed that if she continued to interact with him, she might fall in love with him.
Her eyes flashed, and she thought, You want to keep your distance from me, but I won't let you.
"How have you been these past few days?" she asked.
"All right," he mumbled.
"I ate pasta last night. What did you eat for dinner?" she bantered.
"I went out for dinner," he mumbled again.
"I haven't seen you with your girlfriend. Is there a problem?" she casually asked.
He stopped walking and looked at her speechlessly. Kelly, who had been smiling happily as she trotted along, felt embarrassed when she saw him stop and stare at her. Her lips trembled, and her smile gradually turned awkward.
Alex shook his head helplessly and continued walking forward.
What? Why are you glaring at me like that? What are you planning to do? she wondered.
He doesn't know how to respect beautiful women at all, she thought. She felt a pang in her stomach and quickly followed after him.
If she took the initiative to talk to him, he would ignore her.
"Alex, I was wrong, all right? Please be nice and speak to me, okay?" she begged pitifully, but he remained indifferent.
They had just walked out of the gates. A Cadillac CCT6 was parked right outside. The car had a bottle of mineral water on the roof, and a man of about thirty years of age was leaning out the window. He had often come to Preston University to fish for girls. Just at that university alone, he had already spent over a hundred thousand dollars.
As he was playing with his phone and waiting for a potential pickup, he saw a beautiful girl coming out of the gate. His eyes lit up. She was too perfect. She was just like a model.
For a girl like that, he would be willing to spend any amount of money.
Seeing that she was walking in his direction, the man opened the door and got out of the car.