Chapter 1119 The Grand Finale
The next day, after goofing around all day, the crew decided to head back home.
Ryan and Lykke swapped digits, and then Ryan drove Samantha and Alfred back to her place.
On the way, Alfred got a ping from the royal fam. He had an urgent mission and had to cut his vacay short and jet back home ASAP. He asked Ryan to drop him at the airport pronto.
Ryan asked, "What's up?"
Alfred replied, "Got a mission."
Usually, when bigwigs visited, Alfred would be Mateo's go-to guy for personal security. Looked like Mateo was back in town to host some VIP. Ryan didn't pry and just took Alfred to the airport.
Samantha, who had been all smiles, felt a pang of sadness hearing Alfred was bouncing.
Man, habits are a trip. Just like when she was a kid, every time she got used to Alfred being around, she'd feel bummed when he left. This time, it might be a while before they saw each other again.
At the airport, Alfred said, "You guys head back, I'm going in." He'd already snagged his ticket while they were driving.
Samantha, like always, said, "Stay safe, and hit me up when you land."
"Okay." Alfred gave her a long look, swallowed his reluctance, and walked off with purpose.
The car couldn't hang around outside for long, so Ryan started it up and slowly drove away.
Samantha watched Alfred's back until he disappeared, then finally looked away.
Ryan saw her sad face in the rearview mirror and teased, "Look who's all heartbroken."
Samantha chuckled and flipped the script on him. "So, you really into Lykke?"
Ryan didn't deny it. "She's pretty cool. Might give it a shot."
Samantha pumped her fist. "Go for it."
"Alright, I'll give it my best," Ryan grinned and asked, "You heading back to Houston or sticking around here?"
Samantha thought for a sec. "I'll head back to Houston."
She'd come here to work with Wesley. Now that he was out, no point in staying.
Ryan said, "Cool, I gotta head back too. Let's roll together."
"Sure thing."
Ryan took Samantha back to her apartment.
Samantha was planning to pack up and head back to Houston with Ryan. But then she saw some breaking news.
A plane that took off from Elmrest Springs lost control over the Alpine Mountains. It crashed into the mountains and exploded, with flames and thick smoke everywhere.
At first, Samantha watched the news like it was just another story, feeling bad for the passengers, wondering if anyone made it out. But then, something clicked. She looked at Ryan, who had just finished a call. "Ryan, what time was Alfred's flight?"
Ryan said, "Five o'clock, why?"
Samantha quickly checked the news, her face going ghost-white. "The plane he was on... it crashed!"
Ryan was floored and immediately dialed the airline to get the lowdown.
Samantha just stared ahead, feeling like ice, her phone slipping from her hand with a thud. Her mind was a whirlwind of Alfred's gentle smile and last night's kiss.
Did something really happen to Alfred? No way. He had to be alive. With her heart pounding, Samantha bolted out the door.
Ryan, still on the phone, heard the door slam and quickly hung up to chase after her. "Samantha, where are you going?"
Samantha didn't answer, just sprinted to the elevator and started mashing the button.
The elevator was stuck on the first floor. Losing her cool, Samantha took the stairs.
Ryan caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Samantha, chill out and tell me what's going on."
"Let go of me, I need to find him." She had to find Alfred. She couldn't believe something had happened to him.
Samantha shook off Ryan's hand and dashed down the stairs. The stairwell was dark, and in her rush, she missed a step.
When Samantha came to, she found herself in a hospital bed.
Millie was sitting by her side, looking worried. Seeing Samantha awake, she got excited. "Samantha, you're awake? Billy, Ryan, get in here, she's awake."
Samantha's thoughts were still foggy. Her head was pounding. She raised her hand to touch her bandaged head, and the memories came flooding back. Alfred's plane had crashed.
Tears welled up in Samantha's eyes. She looked at Billy and Ryan, who had just walked in, her eyes full of desperate hope. "Ryan, it wasn't Alfred's plane that crashed, right?"
Ryan and Billy both looked grim. Ryan tried to speak, but it was like his throat was blocked.
Billy sighed, "Samantha, I don't want to sugarcoat it. You need to brace yourself. We just got confirmation that Alfred's plane crashed and there were no survivors. I've already notified Walter and Maiken, and they're heading to the crash site."
Samantha's heart plummeted. The last shred of hope was brutally crushed. Her vision blurred, and tears streamed down her face. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs.
Millie's eyes filled with tears too. She hugged Samantha. "Samantha, if you need to cry, just let it out."
Samantha couldn't hold back and cried her heart out. She cried in utter despair. Her mind was filled with Alfred's gentle smile. She'd never see that smile again.
She regretted it so much. If only she could turn back time, she'd have known her true feelings and told Alfred she liked him.
The hospital room was heavy with sorrow. Ryan and Billy felt it too, both looking away, trying to keep their emotions in check.
At that moment, Ryan's phone buzzed. He took a deep breath and glanced at the screen. When he saw the caller ID, a weird look flashed in his eyes.
Ryan quickly answered, "Hello?"
"Ryan, I've arrived. I just tried calling Samantha, but her phone's off. Can you let her know?" It was Alfred's voice.
Ryan couldn't believe it and swallowed hard, asking, "Alfred, is that you?"
Ryan's question made everyone in the room whip their heads around.
Samantha stopped crying, her tear-filled eyes locking onto him.
Alfred said, "Yeah, it's me. What's up?"
Ryan was over the moon. "Where are you right now?"
"My plane just landed."
Ryan asked, "Weren't you on the 5 o'clock flight?"
"Oh, there was a mix-up when I boarded. The airline double-booked my seat, so I had to change my ticket."
At that moment, Ryan was immensely grateful for the airline's screw-up. Seeing everyone in the hospital room staring at him intently, he took a deep breath. "Alfred, hang tight, let's do a video call."
Ryan hung up and immediately dialed a video call.
The call connected quickly. Seeing Alfred's familiar face on the screen, Ryan's eyes welled up with a mix of surprise and excitement.
"What happened? Is someone in the hospital?" Seeing Ryan's red eyes and the hospital background, Alfred's face grew serious.
Ryan glanced at Samantha, who was clutching Millie's hand, her face pale and dazed, and said, "It's Samantha. She hit her head."
"How did that happen?" Alfred's expression changed.
"You can ask her yourself." Ryan handed the phone to Samantha.
Samantha stared at the phone, feeling a sense of nervousness. She was afraid she was hallucinating, afraid she was still dreaming.
Alfred called out to her, "Samantha?"
"Take it." Ryan understood Samantha's feelings and smiled as he handed the phone to her.
Samantha gripped the phone tightly, looking at Alfred's face on the screen, and pinched herself hard. It hurt. She wasn't dreaming. Alfred was alive.
Tears streamed down Samantha's face. She choked out, "Alfred."
"Yeah, don't cry. Tell me, what happened?" Seeing Samantha cry, Alfred was both panicked and worried.
Samantha said through her tears, "I thought I'd never see you again."
"You will, you'll live a long and healthy life." Alfred thought something major had happened to Samantha, and she was expressing her relief at surviving.
"You will too, you'll live a long and healthy life too," Samantha cried.
Alfred said, "Yeah. Don't cry, okay?"
"I don't want to cry, but the tears won't stop." Samantha wiped her tears, and after venting her emotions, she gradually calmed down.
Alfred asked, "Samantha, how did you get hurt?"
Samantha replied, "I saw the news about your plane crash and panicked. I accidentally missed a step on the stairs and fell."
Alfred was stunned, finally understanding. "My plane crashed?"
"Yeah." Samantha's heart still ached thinking about the news. She stared intently at Alfred on the screen, feeling a wave of relief. Thank God, Alfred was still alive.
"Guess I got really lucky," Alfred said, looking at Samantha's pale face. "Maybe God couldn't handle your tears, so He spared me."
Samantha looked at Alfred's gentle smile, took a deep breath, and decided to lay it all out. "Alfred, I like you. I want to be your girlfriend."
Right now, she didn't want to hesitate anymore. She didn't want to miss any more days with Alfred.
Alfred was clearly stunned, then his eyes lit up with surprise and joy. "Samantha, say that again."
Samantha smiled through her tears. "I said I like you. I want to be your girlfriend. So, you better live well and not die before me, got it?"
Alfred's gaze locked onto Samantha, and he nodded vigorously. "Wait for me, I'll be back soon."
"No, I'm scared." After the plane crash scare, Samantha was really shaken.
"But I really want to see you now." No matter what, he really wanted to see her.
Samantha said, "Aren't we seeing each other now?"
"It's not enough. I want to hug you, I want to kiss you." Alfred's words were blunt and straight from the heart.
Samantha blushed and glanced at the others standing nearby.
Ryan laughed and patted Billy's shoulder. "Let's give them some space."
Billy and Millie exchanged a glance and followed Ryan out of the room.
Billy said, "Hey, the first time Samantha cried after growing up was because of Alfred. I gotta remember this and make him pay up next time."
"Luckily, it was a false alarm." Millie glanced through the hospital room window and genuinely felt happy for Samantha.
"Yeah, so we should cherish the present while we're alive because we never know which will come first, an accident or tomorrow," Ryan sighed and then said, "Alright, I'm out. Got a date with my new girl."
Watching Ryan leave, Millie and Billy exchanged a look. Ryan's words hit them both hard.
"Millie."
"Billy."
"You go first."
"You go first."
Millie and Billy spoke in unison twice.
Billy laughed, having a vague idea of what was coming. He placed his hands on Millie's shoulders, his eyes full of affection. "Confessing should be done by the guy. Millie, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
A smile spread across Millie's face. "Do you know how long I've waited for you to say that?"
Billy said, "Fifteen years?"
Millie was now eighteen, and ever since they met, Millie had been saying she wanted to be Billy's bride.
Millie said, "Yeah, you're so cruel, making me wait for so long."
Billy chuckled and lifted Millie's chin. "Luckily, you had enough patience. And I didn't let you down."
Billy's passionate kiss landed on Millie's red lips.
Millie's eyelashes fluttered. She closed her eyes and hugged Billy's slender waist. (The End)
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