Chapter 385 A Misdirected Call
"I... I need to return home. It's getting late, and she'll worry," he stammered, his voice heavy with concern.
"Who might that be?" Mia inquired, her tone laced with curiosity.
Heaving a sigh, he shook his head in a helpless gesture.
"I need to call Ava," he confessed, "to inform her that I'm here... at my mother's house. I can't afford any misunderstandings."
With that, Alexander reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone to dial Ava's number. In his contact list, Ava's name was listed first, preceded by an "A" he had deliberately added. This arrangement allowed him to spot Ava's name at a glance.
However, Alexander was so intoxicated that he struggled to make out the characters on the screen. He fumbled with the device, flipping through the contacts before finally tapping on the screen. Unbeknownst to him, he had dialed the wrong number.
Once the call connected, he brought the phone to his ear.
A voice brimming with excitement echoed from the other end. "Alex, what's the matter? It's quite late. Do you miss me?"
Upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, Alexander felt a wave of confusion. He held the phone before his eyes, squinting at the call display.
How had "Ava" turned into Isabella?
His brows furrowed in irritation.
"Why are you answering Ava's phone? Are you with her?" he demanded.
"Alex, what are you talking about? Didn't you call me?" Isabella responded, her voice laced with confusion.
"I didn't call you. Give Ava her phone back. Don't just answer her phone. She'll be upset. It's impolite," Alexander retorted, his tone laced with accusation.
Isabella, sensing his inebriation, asked, "Are you drunk, Alex? Where are you?"
Unable to bear the spectacle any longer, Mia snatched the phone from Alexander and ended the call.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Alexander protested, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I was speaking with Ava. Why did you hang up? She'll be upset."
"You didn't call Ava, you called Isabella, you fool!" Mia retorted, her voice filled with exasperation. She wanted to grab him by the ear and make him see the number he had dialed. In his contacts, Isabella's name began with an 'I'. She used to be in the middle of the list, but Alexander's blurred vision had led him to tap on her name instead.
"Isabella?" Alexander mumbled, tapping his forehead in confusion. "I'll dial again."
As he reached for the phone to call Ava, a text message from Isabella appeared on the screen. Mia intercepted it and took the phone from him once more.
The message was insincere and nauseating.
Isabella: [Alex, if you're feeling down, you can come to me. I'm willing to listen to you vent. Don't keep it all to yourself. Even if the whole world doesn't love you, you still have me. I love you. I believe you love me too.]
Mia shuddered in disgust. 'Isabella is really disgusting.,' she thought. Without a moment's hesitation, she replied: [Who loves you? Get lost!]
After sending the message, she deleted Isabella's contact information from Alexander's phone. With a satisfied smirk, she thrust the phone back into his arms.
"Mom? What did you just send?" Alexander asked, having only caught a glimpse of Mia tapping away on his phone screen.
With a dismissive wave of her hand, Mia replied, "Nothing of importance, just expressing some concern."
"Oh." Alexander wasn't interested in Isabella. "What... what was I about to do just now?"
Alexander seemed to have forgotten everything, even how much he had drunk.
