Chapter 308
“She’s bound to be suspicious, so I need you to put on a show with me. If everything goes smoothly, we can sort out both your father’s situation and that of Oscar Neil said, looking at me intently.
I was taken aback, and then I frowned. “What do I need to do?”
I chatted with Neil for a long time that night. He told me everything he knew, gradually dispelling the doubts in my heart about him.
In the end, he told me that it wouldn’t hurt to see him as a partner and to stop doubting him all the time.
Maybe he was right. My trust in him seemed to have hit rock bottom, and anything anyone around me said could increase my suspicion towards him.
But the next day. Neil and I had a big blowout.
Neil smashed an ashtray on the floor and pointed at me, saying, “If you still don’t trust me, then get out, disappear from here right now!”
His eyes were cold, without a trace of affection.
I looked at Neil in disbelief, anger flaring up in my heart. Since he already said this much, there was no point in me sticking around. I started packing, took a few clothes and dashed downstairs.
At this point, Hannah had already made breakfast, and both Ryan and Faith were downstairs.
Seeing me rush down pale-faced, they were all taken aback.
Especially Faith, she immediately came over to stop me. “Irene, what happened? Why did you guys fight?”
“Faith, I’m moving out. Neil asked me to leave,” I said to Faith, my eyes rimmed red. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to come back in the first place. There are too many irreconcilable issues between him and me. I’m sorry, I have to go.”
Faith held on to me tightly and said, “Wait! What the heck is going on? Where is Neil?”
I glanced upstairs, then broke free from Faiths grip, grabbed my luggage and rushed out.
Without hesitation, I drove off from Sterling Estates and headed to the hospital.
On the way, I made a call to Stella
“What? What on earth are you two up to? You just moved into Sterling Estates not long ago, and he’s already kicking you out. Are you two playing games? Stella asked, totally confused.
“It’s not a game, Stella. I’ve realized that once the relationship between him and me is broken, we can’t mend it. I’ve seen it clearly. I won’t expect Neil to help me anymore.” My voice was resolute, and cold.
“Really? But what about your father’s situation… Stella’s voice was filled with worry.
“I’ll figure it out myself. It might just take a little longer,” I replied indifferently.
Stella sighed, then comforted me, ‘It’s okay, no matter what decision you make, I’ll support you. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
Stella’s words moved me. Whenever I needed help, she, along with Alicia Rider and Barbara Sands, were always willing to lend a hand. Just then, I heard Mitch Hebert’s voice coming through Stella’s phone. “What’s going on? What happened between Rena and Neil?” Mitch was the one who cared most about what was going on between Neil and me. I guessed he was nearby when Stella took my call. “That’s none of your business!” Stella snapped at Mitch, clearly taking out her frustration with Neil on him.
I felt a little guilty, but I didn’t offer any explanation, and hung up the phone.
I visited my mother at the hospital. The caregiver told me that my mom woke up again last night, but it was very brief, so she didn’t notify me.
It seemed like she should be regaining consciousness soon.
“Mom, wake up. Let’s go home I softly said, holding my mom’s hand.
As if sensing my voice, my mom’s hand started to move.
I was startled, watching my mom’s trembling fingers. This time, her fingers trembled for longer than the first time.
The caregiver saw it, was very excited, and immediately went to call the doctor.
By this time, my mom had slowly opened her eyes. Having been unconscious for so long, her gaze was very confused. It took a moment before it landed on me.
My eyes welled up, and something seemed to be lodged in my throat. I couldn’t help but tear up.
“Mom, you’re finally awake,” I choked out, gripping her hand tightly.
“Please step aside, I need to check the patient, the doctor rushed over and said to me.
I immediately stood up and moved aside, anxiously and excitedly waiting for the doctor to examine my mom.
After a while, the best news reached my ears. When the doctor said my mom should be fine, the tears in my eyes finally fell.
My mom is my rock. Once she woke up, I felt a lot less lonely and isolated.
“Mom, I’m going to get you some food,” I told my mom. She had been surviving on nutritional drips for a while. The doctor said I could try getting some easily digestible food to replenish her energy.
My mom’s eyes moved, but she wasn’t able to speak yet.
I smiled at her, then left to get food.
As soon as I got in the elevator, Russel stepped in.
There were another three or four people in the elevator. Russel glanced at me but didn’t greet me.
I kept my head down, pretending not to see him. I didn’t want Russel to keep tabs on me.’
The others gradually left the elevator, leaving just me and Russel going to the first floor. I started to feel a bit uneasy, as Russel’s gaze seemed to be on me.
“Have you seen Neil yet?” He was the first to speak, seeming to expect me to cause trouble for Neil.
“I saw him, but he didn’t want to talk to me,” I said in a low, annoyed voice. “Russel, can you stop bringing up Neil and Bonnie from now
on?”
Russel was wearing a mask, showing only a pair of cold eyes. They looked aloof, but at this moment, they held a hint of a smile. “Are you mad at me? Do you think I’ve caused a rift between you two?”
“I don’t want to talk about this. I have other things to do. As soon as the elevator doors opened, I quickly said this and walked out ahead
of him.
Russel’s gaze was intense, man. Even after I’ve bolted out the front door, I could still feel him eyeballing me.
My head was a total mess, but since last night, I had made up my mind that I’m teaming up with Neil, not Russel.
So I couldn’t just flip flop now, especially gotta watch out for Russel. He was a pro at exploiting my soft spots, he knew exactly what to say to mess with my head.
