Chapter 62 Recalling the Man from Five Years Ago
Aurora was panting as she stared at the man standing in front of her.
He cut a somewhat lonely and melancholic figure as he stood underneath the sycamore tree. Countless rays of sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a faint halo around him..
Leaves fell one after another, and time seemed to stand still. Aurora was entranced. Countless fragmented memories flashing through her mind, some overlapping.
Five years ago, Aurora had been drugged by Emily and violated by a stranger. In her daze, she vaguely saw the silhouette of a man standing by the window.
That night, she remembered the cold moonlight shining down on him. His tall and desolate figure melded with the scene before her.
Aurora trembled, and for the first time, the memory of that night surged clearly in her mind.
Her head suddenly began to hurt badly. The man in her memory turned around, but before she could see his face clearly, a child's cry pulled Aurora back from her reverie.
Aurora steadied herself. A mother, anxiously holding her sick and crying child, hurried into the hospital lobby.
A deep and rich voice spoke to her. "What's up?"
Aurora looked up to see John standing before her. In that fleeting moment, she felt as though time was standing still.
Why did she suddenly think of that night five years ago?
Perhaps facing John had made her feel a deep sense of guilt, triggering the memory.
Aurora steadied herself and asked, "Did you find Jack's doctor?"
"Yes. I made a promise to you that I'd do it. Even if we've broken up, I should keep my word," John said, stoically. "Dr. Jones is a top expert. With him, you can rest assured that Jack is in good hands."
"Thank you," Aurora said, feeling genuinely grateful. "How's your arm?"
John had previously told her that he had injured his arm.
"It's already healed," he said, indifferently. It was as if they were two strangers who had never met and were just chatting politely. Aurora asked, "And is your head okay too?"
John replied, "It's fine now."
"Oh, that's good."
John's attitude was so cold toward her that Aurora suddenly felt uncomfortable. He used to look at her with eyes full of tenderness. He used to always smile and call her name affectionately, and was always amenable to her requests.
But now, he was suddenly acting distant. It was like talking to a stranger, and she felt unaccustomed to it.
Still, they had broken up, so this was normal. Besides, she was the one who dumped him, so why should she expect him to greet her with a smile?
A long silence suddenly stretched between them.
Even though the rain had stopped and the sun was shining, Aurora still felt a chill.
John broke the silence. "If you have nothing else to say, I'll go."
"Yeah, that was all I wanted to say. You go on ahead." Aurora forced a smile, trying to sound casual.
As soon as Aurora finished speaking, John turned and left without any hesitation.
Aurora felt conflicted.
Men could change how they felt about someone as easily as flipping to a new page of a book.
Aurora stood there for a while before going back to the ward to talk to Jack and ask the doctor about the surgery costs.
The doctor said that the surgery would be free, as the hospital had applied for a waiver for Jack.
That was incredibly good news.
After thanking the doctor repeatedly, Aurora hurried back to work.
She tried to hail a cab at the hospital entrance, but none came no matter how hard she tried. It was rush hour.
Just as Aurora decided to take the subway, a car stopped beside her. The window rolled down, revealing John in the driver's seat.
"Get in, I'll give you a ride," John said nonchalantly as he glanced at Aurora.
"No need, I'll take the subway," Aurora said.
"You'll still have to pay the fare."
Aurora felt a bit upset.
John was treating her like an ordinary passenger.
Considering that John had just resolved her worries about Jack's surgery and that it didn't matter how she got back to work as long as she got there, Aurora opened the door and got in.
"Where are you headed to?" John's tone was as cold as ever.
"The Lewis Group headquarters."
He started the car and began to drive steadily. The car was very quiet, and neither of them one spoke, creating a rather awkward atmosphere.
Aurora tried to break the silence and asked, "Is this car new?"
It wasn't the car that she remembered him having.
"Yes," John replied, flatly.
Aurora smiled awkwardly. "How do you know Dr. Jones? He's an international expert."
"Todd introduced him to me."
"Oh," Aurora said, forcing a smile.
John answered every question she asked, but he still maintained a certain distance.
This frustrated Aurora.
John saw Aurora's expression through the rearview mirror, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
John asked, "How's the new company?"
"It's good." Aurora forced a smile and said, "The colleagues are nice. How about you? I heard that you..."
"My mom introduced me to someone." John interrupted Aurora, deliberately saying, "She works near the Lewis Group headquarters, so it wasn't like I had to go out of my way to give you a ride."
So it was just a matter of convenience.
Aurora felt a bit more disappointed but still tried to maintain a smile. "You have someone now, that's good. If your mom introduced her to you, she must be great."
"Yes, she's nice, has a good personality, and looks good too." John observed Aurora's expression and added, "She's also very gentle."
Gentle.
Was he implying that his ex-girlfriend wasn't?
Aurora thought of the woman she saw at the hospital that day. That had to be John's new girlfriend.
"What about you?" John asked. "Found a new boyfriend?"
"Yes," Aurora blurted out, perhaps out of defiance and pride. John had a girlfriend, so she couldn't be looked down upon.
Hearing this, John's lips curled slightly and said, "Oh? You move on pretty fast, Miss White."
Him calling her "Miss White" made Aurora feel like she was being called out by Mr. Lewis.
John's tone had a hint of teasing. He could tell she was lying.
"So do you," Aurora said, smiling back.
The car arrived at the company building. Aurora took out her purse. "How much do I owe you?"
John said seriously, "Thirty dollars and forty cents."
"Right down to the cents?"
"In this business, every cent counts." John handed over his QR code. "Thank you."
Aurora pouted but still took out her phone to pay. "There, I've paid you."
John smiled and said, "Always a pleasure."
Aurora opened the car door and got out. She walked into the company sullenly without sparing John a second glance.
Todd was about to visit the company and saw Aurora getting out of John's car at the entrance.
Had they reconciled?
Todd followed John's car into the basement.
In the company, John still needed to wear a mask to hide his scar. He was putting it on when Todd got out of his car.
"Boss, have you reconciled with Miss White?" Todd asked. "I heard you brought William Jones back from abroad for Miss White's brother's surgery, free of charge. Was Miss White so moved that she cried and asked you to take her back?"
"Shut up." John glanced coldly at Todd. "Do you think that I would have so much trouble attracting women that I absolutely must have her?"
Todd muttered, "If you were really over her, you wouldn't have rushed out of the hospital."
John gave Todd a look, and Todd smiled. "Boss, Miss White dumped you. We can't just let it go. We've got a rep to keep up. I'll give Miss White a task and trick her into going up the mountain. Then, I'll create some trouble, and you can swoop in to save her."
John's face remained calm, and Todd took this to mean he consented.
Aurora, on the other hand, had just sat down when Linda Simmons came over. "Aurora, there's a problem with this design. Go ask Master Bates how to fix it."
"Where does Master Bates live?" Aurora asked.
Linda replied, "On Peach Blossom Mountain. If you leave now, you can make it back before the end of the day."
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