Nerve
"What do you mean?" Alice suddenly looked at her, baffled by her words.
Why did she bring this up out of nowhere, and what exactly did she mean by saying he'll be okay? What was he supposed to be okay about?
His brows furrowed as he tried to piece together her words, but they just didn't make sense to him.
"I understand, you don't have to worry. I'm really sorry for how I've treated you," Alisha apologised, despite being the one who had been kidnapped.
It was normal for her to feel remorse; she couldn't be unkind to someone struggling with a mental illness.
Alice became even more puzzled by her apology. Why was she apologising when she was the one who had just been through everything he did with her .
Hadn't she just been complaining about being kidnapped and losing her dog? Shouldn't he be the one apologising, technically?
But he certainly wasn't going to do that. What was she even thinking?
It was clear to him that she was once again overthinking things and coming up with something absurd in her mind, and this time it seemed even worse.
"Look, you don't have to feel ashamed. I'm not here to judge. I'm not into a law firm, so I can't do that," Alisha rambled on.
"What the hell are you talking about? I have no idea what's going on in your head," Alice asked angrily, feeling his patience wearing thin.
No matter how hard he tried to have a normal conversation, she always had to complicate things with her cryptic words.
"Nothing is running through my head; I just know you might feel uneasy discussing your mental illness, but don't worry, it's treatable," Alisha reassured him, her expression filled with sadness.
Alice's eyes widened at her words.
Did she just assume he was mentally ill?
Sure, his behaviour wasn't always typical, but aside from his anger issues, he didn't have any mental health problems.
Yet here she was, acting like someone who needed help herself, trying to comfort him when he was perfectly fine. It was absurd.
"Do you even know what you're talking about? Who said I have a mental illness?" he asked incredulously.
"No one needs to say it. Why else would you kidnap me, not even ask for ransom, and kill innocent animals? Even criminals don't stoop that low, so it's pretty clear you're not in your right mind," Alisha responded .
"For God's sake, Alisha, I don't have any mental illness. But if you keep acting like this, you might give me one," Alice exclaimed loudly, feeling incredibly annoyed and fed up with her behaviour.
He didn't know how to make her understand that she wasn't his doctor and couldn't diagnose him with anything before he even knew about it himself.
"Okay, okay, you don't have to be angry. We don't have to talk about your mental health if you don't want to. Everything will be fine," Alisha said, biting her lip as she tried to calm him down.
Alice's anger was evident in the way his veins bulge on his forehead, his eyes narrowed, and his body stiffened. It was clear he was furious with her.
‘But why?’ Alisha wondered. She hadn't even mentioned his illness before, yet he was so worked up about it. She had tried to handle the situation with sensitivity, but he still couldn't respond positively.
Perhaps his reaction justified her suspicions about his mental illness after all.
"Don't give me that pity look, or I'll poke your eyes out," Alice threatened, growing frustrated with the expression on Alisha's face.
Taking a few deep breaths, he resisted the urge to act on his threat. He knew he could easily do something drastic to her, but he also knew it wouldn't solve anything.
"How could you even say that? Poke my eyes out?" Alisha asked, shuddering at the thought of Alice doing something so gruesome.
"You know what? I'm leaving for a meeting. You stay here and get some rest," Alice announced, standing up and exiting the room before Alisha could respond.
With a sigh, Alisha lay down on the sofa, closing her eyes. She needed rest, especially with the lingering effects of the injection making her feel drowsy. Soon enough, she drifted off to sleep.
Alice emerged from his office, massaging his temples in an effort to keep his temper in check. He needed to compose himself.
"Sir, food," John announced, holding a tray of food that Alice had ordered.
Alice glanced up at John and the food before him. "John, throw that in the trash. Just brief me on the meetings and work I need to attend. I have no appetite," he instructed, dismissing the idea of eating altogether.
He had briefly considered sharing a meal with Alisha earlier, but now he felt differently. She had already proven herself to be too energetic, too talkative.
She didn't deserve a nice meal; let her stay hungry and low on energy. Maybe then she'd keep her mouth shut for once.
‘Are you really going to let her go hungry just because you're angry?,’ his conscience chimed in.
‘Whatever. I don't even think she needs food. She's already feasting on people's heads with her words,’ Alice shrugged off the thought, unwilling to let Alisha affect him any further. The last thing he wanted was for her to start spouting her nonsense again.
John found himself increasingly perplexed by his boss's constant moodiness, especially since it seemed to have worsened since the girl entered in his life.
While Alice had always been a bit unpredictable, now it felt like walking on eggshells around him, especially when he was in such a foul mood.
Attending a meeting in Alice's current state of anger would undoubtedly escalate tensions among the staff, but John felt powerless to intervene. He couldn't risk going against his boss, yet he also feared for his own well-being.
"Are you planning to hold that tray for the rest of your life?" Alice snapped, noticing John still standing there without responding to his instructions.
It seemed like everyone was starting to muster up more courage to defy him lately. Perhaps it was time for Alice to assert his authority and put everyone back in their place.
“Yes…”
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