Kelly's gaze was fixed on Alex, who had just walked past the Cadillac. She didn't notice the other man standing next to the car at all.
"Hey, beautiful, why are you in such a hurry?" The man stepped out in front of her. Seeing her at such close range made him even more excited. She was far from average, with her bright eyes, white teeth, and magnificent figure.
Kelly looked at the man speechlessly. She wanted to dodge to the side, but he stood directly in front of her.
"Beautiful woman, don't go! Get in the car," the man said as he was looking at her face.
"Scram!" she snapped at him. Looking at his lewd smile, she took a cautious step backwards and cursed at him fiercely.
"Even your voice is so nice!" he said, while shamelessly smiling. His brain and body were already very excited. He only had one thought in his mind, which was to get this girl into his car.
"Beautiful girl, come on. I'll buy something for you when you get in the car," he said in a soothing voice. The man's mind was completely occupied by her. He opened his arms and pounced at her.
"Aaah!" she covered her ears and screamed.
"Whack!" The man was about to grab her when a large fist landed on his head.
"Ahh!" He staggered to his right, and his ears buzzed. He was angry! He turned around to attack his assailant and found Alex staring at him. Alex punched the man again with his big fists.
He grabbed the man's hair and kicked him back into the Cadillac. The man's two front teeth hit the side of the car, covering his mouth with blood.
"Get out of here!" Alex shouted at him.
He was completely confused by Alex's demand. He ran into the car in a panic, then drove off like a wisp of smoke.
Only then did Alex look at Kelly to see if she was hurt, but he found that she seemed to be staring at him with loving eyes. He was stunned for a moment before he turned around and left her standing there by the gate.
She followed after him.
"Alex, thank you," she said as she rushed beside him. He was, indeed, the hot-blooded man who had saved her that day.
"Can you stop following me?" He stopped to look at her as he spoke. She stared quietly into his eyes.
"I won't disturb you. If you find me annoying, I won't say anything either." She felt more and more that Alex was the right person for her.
"What are you following me for!" he exclaimed.
"You should know that I like you," she said boldly.
"I'm telling you—I don't feel anything for you," he said worriedly.
"Nonsense. If you don't like me, then why did you save me just now?" She didn't believe that he had protected her only out of a sense of justice.
Her words made Alex's mind freeze. He knew that he had been really worried about her a moment ago when he had heard her scream. That was not a good sign. He had to stop this.
"Miss Phillips, you have such a good family and life. I'm just a poor student who is worth nothing. I really don't understand. Why do you insist on following me?" he asked with a frown.
"That's right. You've already said it very clearly. My conditions are good, but you're only a poor student. Why do you look down on me?" she said, as she gazed directly into his eyes.
Alex didn't know how to reply to her. He just looked at her angrily for a second, then turned around and walked ahead of her. She was determined to follow wherever he went. Talking to her now would only make him more disgusted with himself.
He walked up to a stall on the street and asked for a plate of fries.
She silently sat beside him as he pretended that she didn't exist.
"What would your girlfriend like to eat?" the food vendor asked him. Alex was speechless. He tried to explain to the vendor that he had nothing to do with Kelly, but she spoke first. "I'll have the same as him."
The vendor prepared a plate for her. She smiled lightly, but Alex's face had grown dark.
Two plates of fries were served at the same time. Alex grabbed a few mouthfuls. He did not care about Kelly at all, so he paid the bill and left.
"Miss, you two had a fight, right? This won't do," the vendor said to Kelly while she was still eating.
She smiled faintly at the man. Then, her gaze shifted to Alex's figure as he was leaving. She stopped eating and stared at his back until she could no longer see him.
**
Debbie was still at the Chicago General Hospital. She had slept for more than three hours straight, but she started to wake up slowly.
"Debbie, you're awake!" Melissa, Janice, and Rita were all next to her bed. Katie and Olivia stood off to the side of the room.
"What are you all—" Debbie was not used to so many people looking at her. She wanted to sit up, but the others held her arms back down in the bed.
"Don't be like this… I'm fine. You guys are busy with your own things. Don't worry about me," she said as she looked at them.
"We're all fine. Right now, it's your wellbeing that's the most important," Katie said.
"That's right Debbie. If you need anything, just tell me. I'll make sure you eat properly. When I came up, I brought some pineapples. I'll give some to you to eat," Olivia said.
Rita looked at Katie and Olivia with displeasure. While Debbie slept, the two of them had been anxiously walking around and mumbling to each other, writing drafts, and practising how to talk to her when she woke up.
"No need!" Debbie smiled faintly. She was not a vengeful person.
"Janice, when are we going back to New York?" she asked. Before they had departed for Chicago, she had heard from Janice and a few others that they had already booked their return flights.
"Don't worry about that," Janice replied, holding her hand. She felt very sorry for what had happened the previous day. "I'll return the plane tickets later, and we'll all be here with you. Just take care of yourself."
Originally, Janice had been prepared to stay with Rita to take care of Debbie, but Melissa and the others also took the initiative to stay. If they were to leave now, it could impact Debbie's recovery.
"Don't do that!" After hearing Janice's intentions, Debbie rejected her idea without a second thought. She never wanted to delay other people's plans because of her matters. "Don't return the plane tickets. We'll go back according to our original plan."
"Don't be willful. You're not in any state to travel just now. You don't need to worry about us. And you haven't got much to do in New York right now anyway. What's your rush to get back? We'll all stay here while you recover," Janice said because she wanted her to get better as soon as possible.
"That's right! Debbie, don't think too much about it," said one of the girls.
"We're all part of the same group. How could I leave you behind?" said another.
"If we don't see that you're getting better, we won't feel good about it," said yet another.
They were all trying to persuade Debbie.
Debbie smiled as she shook her head. Being cared for by so many people made her heart feel especially warm. However, she still couldn't accept it. She wasn't willing to sacrifice the interests of others to accommodate her concerns. Janice was only a manager with the Sunshine Music Company. The funds for the trip to Chicago were limited, so Janice would have to pay out of her pocket to change the plane tickets. They would also need to cover their expenses while they stayed in Chicago. And that would cost a considerable amount of money.
"Janice, I appreciate your kindness, but I really don't need to stay here. Don't look at the bandages on my body. It's actually a very small injury. Plus, Chicago is not far from New York. When I get back to New York, I'll go to the hospital to see a doctor. Just listen to me this time, okay? Let's go with our original plan," said Debbie.
Everyone looked at her in silence. Janice's gaze was filled with tenderness. She had been with her for so long over the past few weeks, how could she not understand her thoughts?
"All right, let's do as you say." Janice could only agree to her request.
"It's fine, Janice. What time is our flight?" she asked softly.
"Tonight, at eight o'clock," Janice replied.
"Okay, then we'll go back to the hotel after dinner. We'll pack up and rest for a while. It's almost time," Debbie said after thinking for a while.
After the discussion, Rita went to the cafeteria to get herself some dinner. The girls rarely enjoyed a meal together in one room.
When they finished eating, Janice went through the discharge procedures for her. The doctor told her that Debbie must visit a hospital as soon as she returned to New York.
The six women squeezed into two cabs and drove to the hotel.
As soon as they arrived, Melissa, Katie, and Olivia took the initiative to pack for Debbie. Soon, her luggage was ready to go.
"Thank you," Debbie said gratefully.
"Please don't. This is what we should do. Okay… Debbie, you lie on the bed for a while. We'll come and get you at half-past six." With that, Melissa and the other two left.
Debbie sat on the bed and took out her phone. Alex should be fine now, right? After mulling over it for a while, she pressed his none in the contact list. She had decided that she would not tell him about her injuries yet. She didn't want him to worry.
"Beep, beep, beep, beep." A busy signal sounded. She couldn't reach him.
A digital voice came over the phone. "I'm sorry, but the call you have made cannot be answered at this time."
Debbie was a little disappointed and thought, Maybe he's busy right now. But when he sees that I called, he'll call me back. It's good if I can't reach him. Then I don't have to hide this from him.
After thinking for a long time, she finally texted Alex. [I'll be at New York International Airport at around nine o'clock tonight. Do you want to come and pick me up?]
What Debbie didn't know was that his phone didn't ring at all. The phone that did ring, and that had received her message, was Melissa's, and she was next door to her!
**
Looking on her phone screen at the missed call that Debbie had placed, the corner of Melissa's mouth curled into a smile.
Earlier at the hospital, she had secretly changed Alex's phone number on Debbie's phone for her own. She had also saved his number on her phone.
Alex was Justin's older brother and part of the Ambrose family, so how could she not be tempted to do that?