“What do you mean, we don’ t have to? “
Alice had already caught up to her.
She grabbed hold of Bethan’s hand and said graciously, “How can you take a taxi back when you’re so exhausted? That would be extremely dangerous.
We’ll send you home instead. Don’t worry; it won’t take us much time.”
Then, she turned around and glanced at Brettley, a smile still hanging on her face. “Isn’t that right, Brettley?”
Brettley nodded, then opened the passenger side door gracefully. “Get in.”
Bethan let out a sigh. As much as she was reluctant to do so, she had no choice but to get in the passenger’s seat while Brettley and Alice got into the backseat.
Lucas started the car.
The car ride from Ocean View Hotel to Starhill Hotel, where Bethan was staying, took almost t o minutes.
These to minutes felt like torture to Bethan.
“Brettley, are you busy lately? When are you free? I want to take you to have some local delicacies here in Sea City.”
“Brettley, we haven’t gone traveling in a long time now. Shall we go out this weekend?”
“Brettley, I’ve made you your favorite chicken soup. Let’s go back to the hotel to drink it, shall we?”
It had been a few months since she last saw Alice, but somehow, Bethan felt as though Alice was an entirely different person now. She was treating Brettley so nicely that it bordered on ludicrous.
Bethan frowned and snuck a glance at Alice through the rearview mirror.
It was the same face she recognized, along with the familiar glint in her eyes, but Alice’s personality was entirely different now. How could she possibly have changed so much in two months?
This was extremely baffling.
Finally, the car pulled up in front of Starhill Hotel. Bethan could finally escape from this living hell. She immediately flung the door open and leaped out of the car as if she was running for her life.
“Brettley…”
Alice said, grinning, as soon as Bethan got out of the car.
“That’s enough, Alice.”
Brettley interrupted her even before she could finish her sentence. “Bethan’s gone now. You don’t have to continue pretending anymore.”
Alice, who was about to say something else to please him, immediately froze when she heard this. She lowered her head and, after a long pause, finally said somewhat dejectedly, “I ‘m not pretending just for her sake…”
“That’s too much.”
Brettley closed his eyes and continued coldly. “Haven’t I told you this already? I came to Sea City for a business trip, and you shouldn’t come along.”
The atmosphere in the car fell into a somber silence.
Alice bit down on her lip and glanced at Brettley with a pained expression. “Brettley, you haven’t been home to see me in a long time now. The children are away at summer camp abroad, and you don’t allow me to work at Morrison Group either. Now that you’re not at home… I feel so lonely all by myself.
“I heard that you went on a business trip to Sea City, so I thought that since this place is my hometown, I should probably come along to show you around, and maybe spend some time and relax with you… that’s why I came here.”
Alice sniffed in a somewhat aggrieved manner. “
Don’t worry. I won’t cause you any trouble. If you don’t like me here, then I’ll leave immediately…”
Brettley let out a sigh and gazed at Alice. This was the woman he had longed to be with for years now. He sighed again and finally said, “Since you’re already here, then stay.”
A glimmer of delight flashed through Alice’s eyes. She grabbed hold of Brettley’s hand, elated, and said, “I ‘ve made you some food at the hotel. Why don’t we go back now to eat?”
Brettley squinted, then nodded his head in agreement. “I made you chicken soup and some other dishes that you like. Why don’t you have a taste?”
As soon as they returned to the hotel, Alice led Brettley into the dining room and set the table. She ladled some soup for him and handed him his cutlery.
Brettley drank the entire bowl of soup with a faint smile. “It’s not bad at all.”
A triumphant glint flashed through Alice’s eyes, and she immediately ladled some more soup into his bowl. “If you like it, you should drink more!”
Brettley took the bowl from her and finished it within minutes. Then another.
As soon as he slurped down the third bowl of soup, Brettley slumped down onto the table with a thud.
Alice finally let her guard down and sneered. Then, she went into Brettley’s room and rummaged around it.
After he had left, she had scoured both his study and office in search of the divorce agreement papers, but to no avail.
Therefore, she was certain that he had taken them along with him to Sea City!
Alice searched Brettley’s hotel room for an hour and even sifted through every single piece of paper in his briefcase, but still could not find anything.
The divorce agreement papers seemingly vanished into thin air without even a single trace.
An hour later, she heard someone knock on the door, followed by Lucas’ low voice. “Sir, it’s time to go to Larson Group for your meeting.”
“Sir?”
After waiting for a long time but heard no response, Lucas frowned and fished out the backup keys in his pocket. Then, he shoved it in the keyhole, about to open the door.
Alice immediately panicked when she heard the sound of keys jangling outside and exclaimed, “
Don’t come in! Brettley and I are in the room together! “
Lucas immediately stopped in his tracks. “Ma’am, it’s time for Sir to attend his meeting. Everyone from Larson Group is waiting for him.”
Alice frantically put everything back in their place. “
Alright! “
With that, she quickly walked over to Brettley and rocked him awake, calling his name in a gentle voice, “Brettley? Brettley? Why did you fall asleep?”
It took a while for Brettley to wake up, slowly opening his eyes at last. “What happened?”
Alice gave him a faint smile. “It’s time for your meeting at Larson Group. Lucas has been waiting for you for a long time now.”
Brettley yawned and immediately stood up, grabbing his jacket before he strode out the door.
Seeing how Brettley did not seem suspicious, Alice sighed in relief and slumped onto the sofa.
Outside the hotel room.
Brettley strolled into the elevator, still clutching his jacket. As soon as the elevator doors closed, he narrowed his eyes and said, “Lucas, prepare some medicine for me.”
Lucas froze. “What medicine?” “Alice is trying to drug me.”
Lucas’ eyes widened upon hearing this. “Why would Ma’am want to drug you?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Brettley stared straight in front of him with a steely gaze. “From its effects, I’m guessing that it’s a kind of sedative. Prepare some antidotes for me.”
Brettley was curious to see what Alice was up to, seeing that she had come all the way to Sea City just to drug him…
“Oh, and also…”
Brettley furrowed his brows as he watched the numbers above the elevator door decrease. “Help me track down all the girls in Sea City that are the same age as Gwen and played ‘Lost’ the same time she did.”
As soon as she got back to her hotel, Bethan fell into a deep slumber, not bothering to eat even as the sun began to set.
When evening rolled around, she heard someone knock on her room door.
Bethan crawled out of bed in a daze and asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me…”
Gwen’s timid voice rang out from the other side of the door. “Bethan, are you still angry at me? Can you let me in?”
The confused Bethan opened the door.
Gwen was in her wheelchair, and the nurse from the hospital stood behind her.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.