Chapter 2

When Vanessa opened her eyes again, she was greeted by the stark white ceiling of the hospital room. She turned her head slightly and saw Alexander standing by the window, his tall figure outlined in the morning light. "You're awake?" he said, turning toward her, his voice low and cold. "Vanessa, is your life really that worthless?" She tried to speak, but her dry, cracked lips sent a sharp pain through her. As he approached the hospital bed, he looked down at her from above and continued, "I told you before that I'll never like you, no matter how much you do." Vanessa lowered her gaze, her lashes casting shadows on her face. She wanted to say that she had done these things not for him, and certainly not for his affection. However, when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them. After all, there was no right way to say it. Was she supposed to say everything she had done was just because of a promise she had made to Matthias? In the end, she simply whispered, "I understand." She knew he didn't like her, and she was more aware of this than anyone else. Alexander stared at her pale profile, feeling an inexplicable frustration in his chest. He looked away, his tone unconsciously softening as he said, "I'm giving you a week off to recover properly." After a pause, he added almost without thinking, "I'll stay with you for the next couple of days." Vanessa's head snapped up, a flicker of light flashing in her eyes. "You're this happy just because I'm staying?" Alexander narrowed his eyes at her. She looked at the face that so closely resembled Matthias and nodded. "Yeah... I'm happy." Alexander felt something stir in his chest, but his phone rang before he could say more. "Alexander..." Lucille's sobs came through the speaker. "I twisted my ankle. It hurts so bad..." Alexander glanced at Vanessa, who immediately understood his hesitation. She forced a smile and said, "Go ahead and take care of her. I'm fine." He hesitated for a beat. Eventually, he grabbed his coat and replied, "Call me if anything comes up." He didn't say another word and left without sparing another glance at her. The second the door clicked shut, the smile on Vanessa's face crumbled completely. She stared at the ceiling, eyes stinging, but not a single tear fell. ... Not long after, noise stirred outside the hospital. From the hallway, she heard the nurses whispering. "Did you hear? Mr. Hawke just rented out the entire floor at the VIP wing for Ms. Watson. He even transferred all the medical equipment and doctors just for her!" "Oh my goodness! That's next-level devotion…" Vanessa lay in bed and listened quietly, her face blank. Her wound needed redressing, but no nurse had come by. After waiting for a long time, she finally struggled to sit up and reached for the medicine on her bedside table, applying it to her wound bit by bit. The antiseptic stung her wound with a burning pain, making her hands shake terribly. Several times, she couldn't hold steady, causing the medicine bottle to fall to the floor and shatter into pieces. She bent down to pick it up, but the movement tugged at her wound. She collapsed hard, her knee slamming into the broken glass. Blood began to seep out instantly, but even as pain blurred her vision, she gritted her teeth and said nothing. Slowly, she dragged herself up and continued applying the medicine as best she could. Over the next few days, Vanessa sometimes passed by Lucille's room. Through the half-open door, she would catch glimpses of Alexander sitting by the bed, gently feeding Lucille spoonfuls of soup. His eyes were full of a tenderness he had never shown her. Vanessa would just stand outside, watching them quietly. She thought that Alexander must truly love Lucille. So, if she could help them be together, Matthias would probably be happy about it too. On the day of her discharge, Vanessa had just finished packing and walked out of her room when she ran into Lucille head-on. She reflexively stepped aside to make way, but Lucille suddenly staggered and fell hard to the floor. "Ah..." Lucille's eyes were filled with tears instantly, her voice trembling. "It hurts..." Urgent footsteps came from behind, and Alexander grabbed Vanessa's wrist with such force that she winced in pain. He hissed, "Vanessa, after all these years being my secretary, can't you even watch where you're going?" "Alexander, don't blame Nessa." Lucille looked up pitifully, her voice weak, "She's probably... jealous that you've been taking care of me these past few days, so she..." Vanessa was stunned. She hadn't even touched Lucille, and they hadn't even spoken a word to each other. How did it suddenly become her fault? "I didn't..." Vanessa began to explain, "How could I possibly be jealous of her, I—" "Enough!" Alexander snapped, cutting her off as he yanked her hand away. Vanessa was caught off guard, and her waist slammed hard into the door handle. The impact instantly tore open her barely healed wound and caused such pain that her vision went black. Alexander looked down at her from above, his gaze sharp. "This is my final warning. Stay away from Lucille." Then, he bent to pick up Lucille, his movements as gentle as if he were holding a precious treasure. As they left, Lucille rested against Alexander's shoulder and flashed Vanessa a victorious smile. Vanessa slowly slid down the wall to sit on the floor, blood already staining her shirt. She watched Alexander's retreating figure and suddenly felt more exhausted than ever before.