NOVPUB
Chapter 69 - 69- save my life
On New Year's morning, she was lying in bed, half asleep and half awake, when the doorbell suddenly rang loudly. She groaned, pulled the blanket over her head, and rolled around in bed for several rounds. When she finally stopped, the doorbell was still ringing.
Annoyed, she jumped out of bed, put on her pajamas, and rushed to the door, eager to find out which fool had disturbed her peaceful sleep. But when she saw the person standing outside, she froze in place.
How could it be him? Wasn't he supposed to be spending the New Year with the woman he loved? Why was he here? Besides, Bonnie had mentioned that the BlackRock people always go back to the U.S. for the holidays, so his appearance here was strange indeed!
Outside the door, he stood with a weary expression on his handsome face, a large suitcase behind him, and was weakly leaning against the wall, pressing the doorbell in a slow, almost indifferent manner.
She, wrapped in her thick cotton pajamas, paced around her room, frustrated, as the doorbell kept ringing. After hesitating for a long time, she finally went up and opened the door.
Later, Cynthia often wondered—if she hadn't opened the door that day, if she hadn't taken him in, would the outcome between them have been different?
As soon as she opened the door, he staggered and fell straight toward her. Startled, she kept retreating, trying to avoid him, but he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. His head heavily rested on her shoulder.
She tried to push him away, but it seemed like he was using her as his support, and his entire weight was on her. She couldn't move him, so she had no choice but to stand stiffly, letting him lean on her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone annoyed. She was already in a bad mood from being woken up, especially since it was someone she didn't particularly like.
This time, he didn't argue with her. He just leaned on her shoulder and weakly said, "I've been kicked out of my house!"
He had just flown to the U.S. with Geraint and the others to meet the old man. But when the old man saw she wasn't there, his face, which had been filled with joy at their return, immediately darkened.
"Where's your wife?"
"Uh... her phone's not going through..."
He stammered for a long time before finally managing to get out this sentence, only to be met with a beating from the old man's cane. He had no choice but to retreat in embarrassment.
That damn woman—she knew full well he had told her outright that she wouldn't come back with him, so he didn't bother to notify her. Instead, he bought the plane tickets himself, planning to just drag her to the airport when the time came.
However, he didn't expect that on the day of departure, he tried calling her all morning, but she had her phone off! He came to her small apartment to find her, but she wasn't there. He waited for half a day without seeing her, and just when he was about to change his ticket, he received a call from Jim.
The way he hesitated only infuriated the old man even more. He immediately ordered for his luggage to be thrown outside and instructed everyone not to let him in.
He stood outside for a long time, howling in frustration, only to be met with the old man's scolding:
"Married, yet not spending the New Year with your wife? A man like you doesn't deserve a wife!"
It was snowing heavily in the U.S. at the time, and he stood there in the snow with his large suitcase, feeling utterly miserable. Eventually, he had to take a cab back to the airport and bought a ticket to return, all in one night.
As he spoke, he inched closer to her neck, his childish and aggrieved expression softening some of Cynthia's irritation. Only that old man could control him like this.
She could tell that everyone around them had a deep respect for the old man, which was why they reluctantly agreed to even small requests that weren't unreasonable. They didn't want to hurt his feelings.
When he mentioned being kicked out of his house, Cynthia figured it was because of the old man. She couldn't help but chuckle.
"No way, really?"
"Do you think I'm joking around like this?" he grumbled, feeling aggrieved, and then took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her. As he felt her bony frame, his brow furrowed, and he murmured, "Why are you so skinny? And so cold! You're so frail and cold; holding you like this feels uncomfortable!"
Although he said this, his hands didn't loosen their grip. Instead, he held her even tighter, to the point where she could barely breathe. She had no choice but to push against him with all her strength.
"It's freezing out here. I'm wearing only my pajamas standing by the door—how could I not be cold?"
She had always been sensitive to the cold. She had been snuggled in bed and hadn't had time to put on more clothes before he held her at the door. The bone-chilling wind rushed in, and although his body gave off a lot of heat, after standing there for a while, she was nearly frozen.
Upon hearing this, he quickly released her, and seemed to gain some energy. He grabbed his suitcase with one hand and placed the other around her shoulder, saying,
"Let's get inside and warm up!"
Without waiting for a response, he led her inside, his long legs stretching behind him to shut the door.
Once inside, he let go of her and immediately collapsed onto the small couch, throwing himself onto it with a sigh. Cynthia glanced at his large suitcase, then at him lying on the sofa, and, gritting her teeth, was about to give him the cold shoulder.
"Mr. Wilson, I'm sorry, but did you—"
"I'm hungry. Do you have any food?" he interrupted, his voice muffled as his face was turned towards the couch.
She had intended to ask if he was in the wrong place, but her words were cut off before she could finish. He lay sprawled on the sofa, his long body almost too cramped for the small space, looking uncomfortable. His face, barely visible, showed exhaustion and weariness, with some stray hair falling between his brows, making him appear utterly drained.
A moment of pity crossed her mind, but she still coldly refused,
"No, I don't."
Her fridge only had two packs of instant noodles left. She had planned to cook one after waking up, and later go to the orphanage to have New Year's Eve dinner with Marc and the others.
He slowly rolled over on the sofa and sat up, clutching his stomach, looking at her with a pitiful expression.
"Isn't there anything to eat? I haven't eaten in a whole day and night. Just something, anything!"
When he returned to the U.S., he hadn't eaten much. He ate a bit on the plane, thinking he would be able to have a good meal when he got there, but before he could even sit down, the old man had kicked him out again.
On the return flight, he managed to eat something, but it still wasn't enough to last him for the ten hours. Now, his pitiful expression was like that of a beggar about to faint from hunger, pleading with her, "Please, Maureen, give me something to eat!"
He really didn't look well, his complexion a bit yellow and tired, confirming that he was indeed starving. She felt she couldn't refuse him any longer, so she calmly said,
"There's instant noodles. Do you want some?"
He immediately nodded, his dark eyes shining brightly, as though he were someone on the verge of starving, finally getting a meal. He looked at her as if he were deeply grateful.
"After you finish eating, will you leave?"
She asked again, her expression as calm as ever.
Albert Wilson was so frustrated by her words that he nearly ground his teeth. If he weren't so weak from hunger, he would have lunged at her and taught her a lesson.
She was truly a cold-hearted woman. He was starving to the point of collapse, and yet she so nonchalantly wanted him to leave? If it weren't for her, would he have ended up in such a miserable situation with no place to go?
"Just save my life first!"
He said weakly, then pretended to faint, leaning back and collapsing onto the sofa again.
Cynthia saw that he didn't seem to be pretending, so she turned around and walked to the fridge to take out a pack of noodles. Since she was going to the orphanage later, and would probably be there for the next few days, she had cleared out her fridge.
As she grabbed the noodles, she couldn't help but glance at his huge, expensive suitcase. The glaring luxury brand logo on it reflected a cold light, making it look even more out of place in her small living room.
She furrowed her brows as she entered the kitchen with the noodles. She only had two packs left, and although she knew a big man like him wouldn't be satisfied with one, she still gave him just one. She would need the other one herself after he left.
