Chapter 13 I Am a Man
By the time Amelia finished the surgeries, the light outside had dimmed to darkness.
The two surgeries had been long, and considering her baby, Amelia had avoided drinking anything throughout. Now that they were over, she felt exhausted.
She returned to her office, slipping off her white coat and hanging it on the rack, then dug her handbag out of the cupboard, preparing to leave. Lifting her head, she saw Frederick standing in the doorway with a stern face.
Frederick's complexion was ashen, and Amelia arched an eyebrow, inquiring, "Is Ms. Roberts unwell?"
As she spoke, she touched her forehead, determined to invigorate herself before heading to Amber's room for her examination.
After all, Amber was her patient.
She walked toward the door, but Frederick didn't move aside to let her pass.
Amelia looked up, puzzled.
Frederick's eyes were calm as they rested on her, his handsome face expressionless, and Amelia couldn't tell what he was thinking.
Amelia asked, "What's the matter?"
Frederick glanced at her haggard face and said coldly, "It's nothing."
With that, he turned and left.
Amelia frowned, feeling that Frederick's behavior was odd.
Taking a deep breath, she calmed down.
The clinical nurse responsible for Amber approached. Amelia asked a few questions and learned that Amber had already fallen asleep and was not in any discomfort. She returned to her office, grabbed her handbag, and left.
She was both tired and hungry, longing to get home quickly for a sip of the soup Mary had prepared and then get some much-needed sleep.
Exiting the hospital, Amelia waited a moment and realized no cabs were in sight.
She touched her forehead, remembering that today was Valentine's Day. At this time, cabs were hard to come by.
Not having driven herself today, Amelia reluctantly opened her contacts to look for Nicole's number, hoping to catch a ride home. When her call connected, she heard Daniel's voice.
"Amelia."
Hearing his voice made Amelia smile, her eyes sparkling with joy.
She started walking toward Daniel when suddenly, a black Maybach pulled up in front of her, blocking her path.
The rear window slowly rolled down. Frederick's handsome face appeared before her, his deep eyes holding an unusual fierceness.
"Get in."
His voice was cold and emotionless, tinged with impatience.
Amelia hesitated and looked at Daniel, who had approached. She said, "I've got a ride coming. Mr. Hastings, thank you."
Frederick gave Amelia a cold look and said calmly, "Amelia, things are not over yet."
The Davis Group was still in danger.
Amelia hesitated, noticing the veiled threat in Frederick's eyes.
Frederick reached out to push open the car door from inside. Taking a deep breath, Amelia bent down and got into the car.
Once Amelia was inside, the rear window rolled up slowly.
When Amelia got into Frederick's car, Daniel paused in his step. The black Maybach pulled away slowly beside him, and Daniel's usually gentle face turned gloomy.
Soon after, Amelia's phone started ringing.
The man beside her glanced at her with a cold expression. "Don't answer it."
Amelia didn't say a word.
The phone stopped ringing after a while, and silence ensued.
On a regular day, the drive from the hospital back to Spring Villa would take only twenty minutes, but today, they were stuck in traffic for half an hour.
Frederick was growing increasingly impatient.
The driver, keeping an eye on the situation through the rearview mirror, offered an explanation. "It's Valentine's Day today, so there's more traffic than usual."
Hearing that, Frederick cast a sidelong glance at the woman beside him.
Although Amelia and Frederick were both sitting in the backseat, the space between them could have accommodated another person.
Her gaze was tender as she looked through the car window. A young boy was presenting a girl with a bouquet of flowers, declaring his affection. The girl accepted, and the surrounding crowd cheered.
Amelia smiled briefly before turning her attention back inside the car and noticing Frederick sending a text message.
Seeing his focused expression, her eyebrows furrowed, and her smile faded.
After so many years of marriage, she had never received flowers from Frederick. What a pity.
The driver was carefully monitoring the mood in the back. With Amelia and Frederick not speaking, he spoke up softly, "Mrs. Hastings, don't you enjoy movies? I have two tickets. Mr. Hastings is rarely free. Why don't you go together?"
The thought of going to the cinema with Frederick made Amelia imagine a dull scenario, and she shook her head.
"I'm not interested. I'd like to rest when we get back."
She was very tired.
Frederick immediately seemed sullen.
The driver said no more.
Upon their arrival at Spring Villa, Mary came out to greet them.
"Dinner is ready," she said. "Mr. Hastings, Mrs. Hastings, please come in and have your meal."
Amelia had messaged Mary right after work to let her know she would be eating at home. Now hungry, she hurried into the dining room.
Frederick glanced at Amelia and said in a low voice, "I've already had dinner."
Hearing his words, Mary was taken aback and looked sympathetically towards Amelia, who was dining inside.
Mary suspected Frederick had spent Valentine's Day dining with another woman.
After Amelia had eaten her fill, she contentedly went upstairs.
Before she ascended the staircase, she stole a glance at Frederick sitting on the sofa, still messaging on his phone.
Amelia thought to herself that only Amber could make him reply to texts with such patience, holding his phone. She felt a pang of disappointment and started heading upstairs.
Frederick looked up as he heard footsteps, but his attention was drawn back to his vibrating phone. A message from Felix popped up.
[Mr. Hastings, I'm on my way with the flowers.]
Thinking of Amelia's demeanor, Frederick furrowed his brow but eventually replied, [Since you've bought them, go ahead and bring them.]
Within minutes, Felix entered the living room, holding a bouquet of flowers, and said respectfully, "Mr. Hastings, here are the flowers you requested."
Frederick responded coldly, "Put them down."
Felix noticed Frederick's displeasure and quickly placed the flowers on the table with due respect.
On the drive earlier, Frederick had seen a look of envy in Amelia's eyes, and on impulse, he messaged Felix to order a bouquet to be sent over.
Now that the flowers had arrived, he felt irritated. He tugged at his tie and told Felix to leave.
Felix agreed and left.
Upstairs, Amelia had finished freshening up in the bathroom and heard the sound of a car pulling away. She found it odd.
She checked the time on her phone and decided to give Daniel a call. After all, Daniel did her a favor, and she didn't want to neglect him.
The call connected quickly.
Frederick ascended the stairs with the flowers, hearing Amelia's gentle voice from the bedroom.
"I've been so busy recently, I didn't even realize this movie was releasing today."
"How about we go see it tomorrow? I'm free."
"Last time you helped sell my family's property in the southern suburbs, I haven't thanked you yet. Tomorrow, I'll treat you to the movie."
Outside the door, Frederick's grip on the bouquet tightened, his face turning ashen.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
