"He gave me his personal card..." Sharon exclaimed in excitement, flashing the little rectangular card in Nara's face.
"Yeah, now all you have to do is call him later and ask him out without screwing it up," Nara replied, grabbing her bag as she prepared to leave the hospital.
"I don't screw things up," Sharon retorted with a smile. "That's a Nara thing."
"Screw you," Nara chuckled, playfully hitting Sharon with her bag. "By the way, thanks for coming with me today."
"Of course. I wouldn't have missed it for anything," Sharon replied warmly, pulling Nara in for a hug.
Exiting the hospital, both Nara and Sharon walked towards the underground parking lot. Sharon had to return to work, so she bid her goodbyes to Nara.
Nara then began walking towards her car, fumbling with her bag in search of her keys. As she found them, she attempted to bring them out, but they slipped from her hands.
"Argh..." she groaned, bending down to pick them up. As she rose to her feet and tried to walk, she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she quickly apologized.
"It's alright," Charles said with a polite smile, looking at Nara. His heart skipped a beat at first glance before he recognized her. "You must be Nara," he added softly, still smiling politely.
Nara frowned. How did this complete stranger know her name? "And how do you know that?" she asked him.
"I know your husband," Charles stated, the polite smile fading from his face.
"Oh..." Nara managed to say.
"We were old friends," Charles added, but his tone hinted that the friendship ended on sour terms, a fact Nara keenly noticed.
"Ah... Well, I don't think he's ever mentioned you. But then again, we only argue, so I don't think he ever got the chance," Nara replied with a shrug. "So what's your name?"
"Oh, I'm Charles. Charles Snow," he said, stretching out his hand for a handshake.
"Snow?" Nara frowned. Why did that last name sound so familiar?
"Yes, I'm Rebecca's older brother," Charles stated, his demeanor shifting rapidly to a darker personality that made Nara uneasy.
"Rebecca, Oh..."
"You really look like her, don't you?" Charles said to Nara, his eyes examining her with disgust.
"Not by choice," Nara answered flatly.
"Ah..." Charles replied with a smirk. "So how's Nathan doing these days?" he asked.
"Why don't you ask him yourself when you see him? I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear from an old friend. It was nice meeting you. Excuse me," Nara said, attempting to walk away.
For some reason, she didn't feel safe around the guy, no matter who he claimed to be.
But as she tried to leave, Charles grabbed her arm roughly, taking her by surprise.
"What the hell!" Nara exclaimed.
Tightening his grip on Nara's arm, Charles's fingers dug into her skin, sending a jolt of pain up her arm. His voice was low, menacing.
"You're not my sister. You're a fucking copy of her. Nathan thinks he can just replace her, but he can't, not with the likes of you."
Fear and shock gripped Nara as she struggled against his hold, her heart pounding in her chest. "Let me go now, you insane asshole! Let go!"
Charles laughed. "Or else what, clone?"
Nara's fury boiled. With a swift, calculated move, she drove her knee into his groin, causing him to double over in pain.
Taking advantage of his momentary weakness, she swung her fist with all her strength into his face. There was a sickening crunch as his nose broke under the force of her blow. Blood spurted as he held onto his nose in pain.
"Bastard," she spat, her voice dripping with venom and disgust.
Charles staggered back, clutching his broken nose, a mixture of pain and fury in his eyes. Blood trickled down his face, staining his shirt red.
"You'll pay for that, you little bitch," he snarled, his voice filled with rage.
But Nara wasn't backing down. Her adrenaline surged, also fueling her with rage. "Try me," she challenged, her eyes burning with fury.
Charles lunged at her.
But she quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding his grasp. With a swift movement, she delivered a powerful kick to his abdomen, causing him to stagger backward, gasping for air.
But Charles wasn't about to give up. He lunged at her again, this time his fists swinging wildly. Nara ducked and weaved, evading his blows until finally, with one last decisive blow, she delivered a powerful uppercut that sent Charles sprawling to the ground.
Breathing heavily, she stood over him, her heart still racing.
'What the fuck just happened???'
Summoning her remaining strength, she grabbed her bag from the floor, took out her phone, and took pictures of the insane idiot who just attacked her.
"Say cheese, Asshole," Nara said as she took the pictures. "And also, I'm not your sister's fucking clone or copy. I'm the original," Nara added before delivering a final kick to Charles's abdomen, making him grunt in pain.
She turned and quickly made her way to her car, still stunned about what had just happened before hurriedly driving away.