A pin-drop silence shrouded the entire ward following the unfamiliar man's declaration. Both Lariette and Damien were too stunned to react immediately.
The crimson-haired man smiled softly at the speechless Lariette before looking at Damien. His expression changed the second his emerald eyes fell on the man in the trench coat.
"A cheater like you no longer has any business with her," uttered the man, his strained voice lacing with mockery, "Throw yourself out, trash."
Damien forcibly pulled himself out of his shock. Ignoring the man who claimed he was Lariette's husband, he screamed at the woman sitting on the hospital bed.
"What's the meaning of this? I'm your partner, Lariette! Have you been cheating on me? What nonsense this lunatic... argh!"
"Don't shout at her like that," said the man firmly, his voice rising above Damien's yelling, "Did your parents teach you to yell at women?"
"L-let go of me! Bastard!"
Her mouth parting, Lariette gasped once she saw the red-haired man yank Damien's collar from the back. The cheating dirtbag squirmed to free himself but, the man's strong grasp didn't falter.
Who was this man?
Why did he say he was her husband?
"L-Lariette! Are you... argh! Just gonna watch?!"
Damien's continuous screaming pierced through Lariette's stupor. Blinking, her blue eyes darted from the pitiful-looking Damien to the red-haired man behind him.
The stranger was taller and bulkier than Damien. He remained unmoving as if the latter's strength was something measly compared to his.
The man's green eyes shifted from Damien to Lariette. Curling up his lips, the languid tone of his voice asked her a question.
"Do you want me to throw this trash out or not?"
"Throw him out."
"LARIETTE! ARGH!"
Lariette was more surprised at how smoothly she answered the unfamiliar man than witnessing him kick the back of Damien's right knee. She felt no pity for the trash.
Before the scumbag fell to the floor, the crimson-haired man dragged him to the door.
"He has been harassing the patient," declared the man to the people outside, "Get him away."
"BASTARD! Who do you think you..."
"Bye."
The red-haired man swiftly closed the sliding door before locking it from the inside.
"OPEN THE DOOR! BASTARD!"
Damien continued screaming and banging on the door but, his actions were abruptly stopped. Most likely the people outside had dragged him away for being a nuisance.
The raging storm abruptly vanished, leaving an awkward silence in the private ward.
Lariette quietly watched the stranger's broad back, her mind was still blank by what had just happened. Her eyes followed the man's movements as he slowly turned around to face her.
"I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't mean to appear like this."
Blinking, Lariette silently let the man's apology sink into her mind. The sinister smile he showed to Damien earlier faded as his countenance expressed his remorse.
"You..."
"How much did he hurt you? Should I call the doctor?"
The man unintentionally cut Lariette's attempt to speak. Realizing what he had done, once again he apologized.
"Sorry... You should speak first."
Lariette was still at a loss on how to react. She was grateful for this unfamiliar man's sudden appearance but, she couldn't deny everything still surprised her.
The chaos erupted by Damien prevented Lariette from having a good look at the man until now. Her eyes wandered from the man's wavy, deep red wine hair to his face.
The man gathered his locks into a small messy bun, seemingly his signature style.
Half of his crimson strands covered his forehead, falling just above his striking green eyes. His high cheekbones and straight nose added regal allure to his countenance.
Devilishly handsome.
The two words crossed Lariette's mind. Flustered with herself, she quickly pushed the thought away.
"Mister, who are you?" asked Lariette after thinking she should learn his identity first, "And why... did you say you're my husband? Are you a staff at the butler cafe?"
The word 'husband' uttered by this man led Lariette to wonder if he was sent by Madeline. But, her good friend hadn't said a word about this.
Was he a new staff? She hadn't seen him before.
Lariette often went to Suit & Tie. She knew most of the staff working under Madeline, from the manager, the group of waiters to the kitchen crews.
The red-haired man blinked. He took two steps forward, his posture straight yet with a casual air, "I'm Ruediger Alvord. Have you heard of me?"
"...huh?"
Her eyes widening, Lariette's brain seemed to freeze for a moment. Her blue eyes were locked onto the man's green ones.
Ruediger Alvord.
Wasn't he...
Tilting his head, Ruediger uttered, "This sounds corny but, people call me the Alvord family's outcast. Well, if you ever heard of me, I believe everything was unpleasant."
"..."
Having nothing to say, Lariette neither nodded nor shook her head. Distant recollections of memory resurfaced as she repeated the name in her mind.
Ruediger Alvord – commonly known as the outcast of the Alvord family. Despite not mingling much with the people in high society, Lariette had heard about him before.
The current patriarch of the Alvord family despised his eldest son. Ruediger was supposed to be the heir but, an incident in the past stripped him of the position.
He was one of the laughingstocks in high society despite keeping a huge distance from it. It was one reason she had never seen him before.
But...
"You do know someone will be mad if you call yourself that, right?"
Ruediger blinked. He was stunned for a moment before an amused chuckle slipped between his lips.
"I know."
Lariette smiled faintly. The lingering confusion from before vanished. Parting her lips, she directly asked, "Did Maddie choose you?"
Madeline Alvord and Ruediger Alvord were cousins.
Sometimes, Lariette heard her friend fondly talking about the man who was deemed the family's black sheep. The cousins were close to each other.
"They're all fools! Especially my uncle. How can he blame his son when someone else was at fault?"
Madeline didn't shy away from calling Ruediger's father foolish. Aside from the young man, she had a bad relationship with her other paternal relatives.
Once, Lariette asked Madeline if she could see Ruediger's photo. She had been curious about the infamous gentleman.
Unfortunately, Madeline had to turn Lariette's request down. She said Ruediger preferred not to be known by anyone easily.
Not wanting to put Madeline in a tough spot, Lariette quickly dropped her request. She knew how much her friend cared for her older cousin.
"I persuaded her to," replied Ruediger without a pause, "I heard of your plan. Don't you want to piss your family off? I believe I'm the best candidate."
Lariette frowned slightly, unable to think why picking Ruediger would be the best one. Realization dawned on her as she was reminded of something.
"I forget... Your father and mine are arch rivals."
Grinning, Ruediger's eyes glinted with mischief, "If you're up to it, let's play this game together."
Blinking, Lariette sensed her lips trembling. She pressed them together to prevent any sound from leaking but, laughter still erupted. Ruediger's last sentence amused her.
"Hahaha! The enemies become in-laws because of their children's union. I like how that sounds. But... surely there's something you want from this. What is it?"
There was no free lunch in this world.
Raising her brows, Lariette wondered what made the aloof Ruediger Alvord offer to be her husband.
What did he want?