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A few hours later, Alex woke up in his ward. He glanced around at Barry and Layton standing by the bed, tilted his head, and scanned the room. “Who called the doctor?”
Barry, eyeing Alex who looked like a complete wreck from head to toe, spoke quietly, “Mr. Warren, I was the one who found you.”
Alex’s head, which had been tilted in annoyance, immediately dropped back onto the pillow. He closed his eyes and just lay there, utterly defeated.
Layton couldn’t help himself and spoke up, noticing how disheveled Alex looked. “You don’t seriously think Ellie called the doctor for you, do you?”
“Where is she?!” Alex snapped his eyes open and glared at Layton
Barry said, “Ms. Thompson is off work for the day.”
Alex slammed his fist down on the bed, clearly frustrated.
Barry and Layton exchanged a glance. Layton raised an eyebrow and said, “You were covered in cactus needles, bro. What did you do to Ellie to make her treat you like this?”
Alex met Layton’s curious gaze and slowly withdrew his own. Last night, he hugged and kissed Ellie, only to get slapped, hit on the head, and–of all things–bitten.
Alex instinctively rubbed the spot on his chest where Ellie had bitten him, still feeling the lingering pain. His chest and neck, where the cactus had pricked him, itched and stung. It was clear she must have wanted to drive him away with a cactus.
Barry cautiously said, “Mr. Warren, it looks like you’ve been pricked pretty badly by a cactus. Should I call the doctor?” “No need! Let me die!” Alex lay stiffly on the bed, his tone sharp.
Just then, Nancy pushed the door open and heard Alex’s reckless words. “Do you dare to say that to Mr. Thompson?” she shot back at him.
Hearing Nancy’s voice, Alex immediately lost all the swagger he had a moment ago. Thoughts of Ellie’s father made him wilt. “What will Ellie do if I die?” he muttered, sounding defeated
Before he could finish his sentence, Nancy sneered and said, “You can do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with Ellie.”
Layton chimed in with a smirk, “If you really died, the one who would benefit the most would be Ellie!”
“Shut up!” Alex shot Layton a warning glare, his heart aching.
Nancy said, “Your grandfather is still in the hospital, unconscious and here you are, promising to take good care of the company, but the moment you see Ellie, you’re like a lost soul following her wherever she goes.”
Nancy stood by the bed, pointing at Alex, scolding him. “Look at you now. I’m embarrassed for you!”
Alex pulled the blanket over his face, trying to hide. “Since you guys handed the company over to me, you should just leave
me to it.
“Not going to the office doesn’t mean I’m not working. The projects are in progress, the meetings are still happening, and
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I’m still getting things done!”
Nancy wasn’t having it. “What about tomorrow’s senior management meeting?”
“The meeting will still happen,” Alex replied confidently.
“How are you going to face people looking like this?” Nancy shot back.
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Alex gave a nonchalant shrug. “Why do I need to face anyone? I have my private elevator, and I’ll just run the meeting on the computer.”
Nancy’s face turned bright red with anger as she gritted her teeth “Fine! From now on, I’m done dealing with you!” With that, she spun around and stormed out.
Alex watched Nancy slam the door, and after a moment, he couldn’t help but mutter, “She’s still throwing tantrums. I’m also done with her.”
Layton just remained silent.
“Layton, call Ellie and tell her that…” Alex trailed off, struggling to find the words. Finally, he sighed and said, “Just tell her I’m dying and she needs to hurry up and come!”
Layton stared at him. “You’re so shameless.”
Alex was about to retort when he noticed Barry walking in, leading a doctor. Alex immediately recognized the guy–the one who had confessed to Ellie earlier.
Meanwhile, Ellie had just gotten off work and returned to her apartment. She was surprised to find Diana there, along with a middle–aged woman she didn’t recognize. “Enjoy your meal. I’m leaving,” the woman said.
After the woman left, Ellie turned to Joanna. “Mom, who is she?”
Aaron frowned as he went to grab some dishes from the kitchen. Diana tugged at Ellie’s sleeve and whispered, “She’s here to
with someone.” help set Aaron up
Ellie’s gaze instinctively shifted to Joanna, who quickly explained “She’s just a neighbor from downstairs.”
Ellie frowned. She had stayed here for a while before, but she hadn’t interacted with the neighbors much. Since Joanna and Aaron moved in a couple of months ago, they didn’t have any close connections either.
The four of them sat around the dining table. Ellie sat next to Joanna, unable to hold back her curiosity. “Mom, was she really here to set up a match for Aaron?”
Joanna busily served Diana some food. “I ran into her at the grocery store the other day. We chatted for a bit, and when she heard Aaron’s story, she insisted on setting him up. She has reached out to me multiple times already.”
Aaron’s expression turned serious. “Mom, I’m not interested in this right now. Next time, just visit her and politely decline. Don’t waste your time on this.”
Joanna nodded and dropped the subject. She knew her family’s situation better than anyone. While the gesture was kind, they needed to have some self–awareness.
“The fish is incredible, Mrs. Thompson,” Diana interjected, changing the subject.
Aaron glanced at Diana. “If you want to eat fish next time, just call me. I’ll buy it for you. You don’t need to go out of your
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to bring it over for my mom to cook.”
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Diana rolled her eyes, biting down on her fork. “You like tuna, and so do I. Mrs. Thompson cooks it for you because you’re her son, but I’m just a guest here for dinner. Shouldn’t I at least contribute a little something?”
Their gazes locked. Aaron frowned slightly and stayed silent.
Ellie quietly observed the exchange between Aaron and Diana, smoothly stepping in to lighten the mood. “It’s fine, Aaron. We’ll take turns buying groceries. Ms. Grant is always welcome to join us for meals.”
“Exactly!” Diana turned and dashed to the kitchen, returning with an opened bottle of wine. “Ellie, let’s have a drink!”
Aaron eyed the expensive wine in her hand. “Did you bring that here?”
“Yep.” Diana replied nonchalantly, “I brought a bunch. Enough to last me a year of drinking here.”
Aaron was speechless.
During dinner, Ellie silently watched as Diana left Aaron speechless more than once.
After the meal, Aaron insisted on driving Diana home.
“I drank too much–let me lean on you a bit,” Diana murmured as they entered the elevator. Without missing a beat, she slipped her hand under Aaron’s jacket, grabbed hold of his belt, and forcefully pulled him closer to her.
“Diana!” Aaron called her name for the first time, his tone sharp as he pushed her away. His expression was stern as he lectured her, “If you can’t handle it, then drink less next time.”
Diana leaned lazily against the elevator railing, her head tilted back. “Who told you I was drunk?” As the elevator door opened, she stepped out first. “Go back upstairs. I’ll drive myself home.”
Aaron followed her to her car and said, “You’re drunk. You’re not allowed to drive.”
Diana rolled her eyes at him. “So what? I’m not doing anything crazy.”
Aaron didn’t know what to say.
As Diana opened the driver’s side door, Aaron stepped in to block her.
