Chapter 199
That abandoned mansion must have been rigged with surveillance gear, for sure.
Bonnie’s plan was to keep me and Russel under her thumb, so Neil would give up.
I’ve gotta thank her for that.
Now that I’ve chosen to be with Russel, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the bad press. But I do worry about my parents, especially my dad; he was in a particular line of work where all this news would bother him.
The internet was buzzing with comments. Most of them were discussing that the relationships in our circle were a hot mess.
Some folks didn’t know when to quit. They were calling out Neil on social media to come see what was going on between his ex-wife and his best friend.
Under normal circumstances, Neil should have sent someone to do some PR, but he didn’t react, as if he just vanished.
After getting discharged, I rested at home for a day and then went straight back to work.
“Ms. Finch, these are your flowers: please sign for them” Around noon, a courier delivered a large bouquet of beautiful flowers.
I was surprised, but after I signed and read the card, I realized that they were from Russel.
He had really nice handwriting.
The other employees saw this and started cracking jokes. They must have seen the news these past few days. But because of who I am, they never brought it up in front of me; instead, they were really nice to me.
This was the first time I received flowers at work. I felt a bit embarrassed but also really content.
Soon after, Russel called. “Did you get the flowers?”
“I did, thank you. They’re beautiful.” I replied.
‘Glad you like them; free for dinner tonight? Russel asked.
I was about to respond when I heard a patient asking about their condition on his end of the line. He said in a low voice, “Message me on WhatsApp.” I quickly hung up, not wanting to hold him up at work.
Later, I messaged Russel on WhatsApp, agreeing to dinner that night. It would be our first date since we made our relationship official.
After a busy day, I went home to shower and change before heading to the restaurant Russel and I had booked.
On the way, I got a call from the police. “Ms. Finch, about your previous kidnapping, we’ve made some progress and would like to discuss it with you.” “Alright.”
After speaking for over ten minutes, I felt quite down. Just as I suspected, Finn and Bonnie hadn’t been punished; instead, Finn’s underlings took the fall. I was really bummed out until I saw Russel.
“What’s wrong? Don’t feel like having dinner with me?” Russel noticed my gloomy face and pinched my cheek, asking affectionately.
“No, it’s just that Bonnie is so cunning that my accusations as the victim can’t even get her punished.” I sighed as I sat down.
Russel’s smile faded, and he comforted me gently, “It’s okay, I’ll take care of it.”
I was surprised, “How will you handle it?”
Russel seldom used his family’s influence to do things. He just wanted to be a simple doctor, which was not bad, but it wouldn’t do much if he wanted to compete with Bonnie.
The news about him and me had been all over the internet, hadn’t his parents seen it?
I once promised his mother that I’d try to avoid contacting or meeting him, but now that things were this way, I guess the Dawson family would have a bigger bone to pick with me.
This meant Russel would face even more pressure.
“Yep, I’ll handle it.” Russel said with a smile. “For now, let’s just enjoy our meal; don’t overthink.”
“Okay” I nodded slightly, choosing to trust Russel.
I don’t know what Russel did to keep his family calm and not bother me, but I really enjoyed this rare peace. I had a normal love life and a stable job. No one was bothering me, and I didn’t have to bother anyone either.
About a week later, I heard that Finn turned himself in. But he took all the blame and didn’t drag Bonnie into it.
I had a hunch that this was Russels doing
But I had no clue how he managed to make a guy like Finn turn himself in.
Then i got a message from Russel. ‘Finn’s Issue has been sorted out, but Bonnie’s situation is tricky. You’ll know why soon”
I was a bit puzzled. Why did he not just tell me?
Just then, Barbara called, “Rena, I need you to go wedding dress shopping with me again
“Huh? I was taken aback.
“Silas and I decided to get married. We’re skipping the engagement and getting married at the end
advance, so I need you to come with me for a fitting Barbara sounded very happy.remindin
But this time, Silas wasn’t just an ordinary man. He was rich and handsome, a perfect match for Barbara.
The weekend was just right for me to accompany Barbara, so I agreed.
This time, Barbara picked a high-end bridal boutique. It took three to six months to make a custom wedding dress, so she needed to order it in advance.
The brand’s quality was beyond doubt, Barbara just needed to pick a style she liked.
“Ms. Tueley, welcome!”
I followed the voice and couldn’t help but laugh. It was my second time accompanying Barbara to pick a wedding dress and also my second time running into Bonnie at a bridal shop.
What could I say? Bonnie and Barbara had similar tastes.
Bonnie was wearing the latest Chanel, with sunglasses on and bright lipstick that accentuated her lips.
When she saw me and Barbara, she stopped, took off her sunglasses, and walked towards me.
“Irene, I heard you and Russel are together now. Congratulations! Bonnie sat next to me, crossed her legs gracefully, and said with a smile.
“What are you trying to play at? Are you trying to play the saint? Isn’t this what you wanted when you kidnapped me?” I shot back coldly. “Now you can finally stop bothering me with your dirty tricks.”
The salespeople around us exchanged amused glances before wisely stepping away.
After seeing Bonnie, Barbara walked straight over, ‘Let’s go. It’s a waste of time talking to people like her.”
“Did you finish taking your measurements? | asked.
“No. Once I saw her, I didn’t want to stay here anymore. Let’s go to a different store” Barbara said coolly, her distaste for Bonnie was as clear as day Bonnie’s situation had changed from before, and it was even less acceptable to her to be looked down upon like this, so her face immediately turned
Sour
But she quickly composed herself, and a triumphant expression appeared on her face, “Before you two go find another store, I have some good news to share. I’m with Neil now.”
Then she turned to me, “Irene, you don’t mind, do you? You’re with your ex-husband’s good friend, so you shouldn’t mind that I’m with your ex-husband, right?”
