Chapter 14
"Mr. Lewis…"
Still carrying Kelly, Vincent entered the elevator. "Let's head to the hospital."
"Okay." Without asking further questions, Alex pressed the elevator button to head back down.
When Alex went to get the car, Tiffany and Vincent stood at the same spot to wait for him. Kelly was still in his arms.
As the night breeze blew past them, Kelly shivered from the cold. From where Tiffany was standing, she could see that Vincent's arms tightened around Kelly.
Alex drove the car to the front door. Tiffany pulled the door to the back seat open, letting Vincent and Kelly get in first.
Since both of them were women, Vincent had wanted Kelly and Tiffany to sit in the back together.
But right after he placed Kelly in the back seat, she woke up. She opened her eyes, which were swollen from all the crying, and clutched onto Vincent's sleeve.
Seeing that, Tiffany took the initiative to open the door to the shotgun seat and got in.
On the way to the hospital, Tiffany watched the passing scenery outside the window. Her mind was in a jumbled mess.
After they arrived at the hospital, Vincent carried Kelly inside swiftly. Tiffany ran behind them to follow along.
Based on the doctor's diagnosis, Kelly was suffering from an alcohol allergy. After Kelly went through various medical procedures, she was put on an IV drip and soon drifted into a deep sleep.
After a while, Alex came up and asked about Kelly's situation. Then, he informed Vincent, "Mr. Wilson is furious. Shouldn't we head back and make amends with him?"
Vincent narrowed his eyes. He clearly didn't want to do that. But this was all for the sake of their business deal and money. He turned and asked Tiffany, "Do you have anything to do tonight?"
Tiffany shook her head.
"I'd be worried about leaving her here alone. Could I trouble you to keep an eye on her?" Although Vincent was the boss, he was sincere when he asked for a favor from her. It left Tiffany no room to refuse.
"Alright," Tiffany answered softly.
Then, Vincent and Alex left the hospital room.
Since Kelly was still on the IV drip, she needed someone to keep an eye on her. Tiffany could only sit by her side idly.
The sky had turned dark, but she didn't feel tired at all. Her mind went blank. It felt as if it was filled with too many thoughts yet nothing at the same time.
Kelly woke up around midnight. With a hoarse voice, she called for Tiffany. "Tiffany."
Tiffany got up and walked to her. "You're awake?"
Kelly looked around. "Am I in the hospital?"
"Yeah."
Kelly then glanced at Tiffany. "Where is Mr. Lewis?"
"Mr. Lewis and Mr. Zander went back to the hotel. Do you need some water?"
Kelly shook her head weakly. She had sobered up, but she still looked pale. Suddenly, she held Tiffany's hand and said, "Tiffany, you won't tell anyone about what happened today, right?"
Tiffany's eyes flickered. "What happened today?"
"Between me and Mr. Lewis." Kelly was frank. "You must have heard the commotion inside his room tonight, right?"
Tiffany's throat felt dry. "You and Mr. Lewis…"
"We've been together for about a year," Kelly lied. "We started dating not long after I joined the company. But the company policy doesn't allow any office relationships. We had to keep everything a secret. I never expected you to find out this time…"
Tiffany was shocked and upset when she heard that. If Vincent already had a girlfriend, why had he slept with her that night? Had he mistaken her for Kelly?
As that realization dawned on her, she felt even worse.
"Tiffany." Kelly said earnestly, "He wanted me to resign so that I could be with him openly. But I didn't have the heart to quit my job; that's why it's dragged on until now.
"But I've made a decision. I'm planning to resign. I don't want many people to know about this yet, though, or it might affect Mr. Lewis. Please keep this a secret for our sakes, alright?"
Tiffany was quiet for a moment. Then, she nodded. "Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."
Kelly smiled. "Thank you, Tiffany."
…
That night, Tiffany barely managed to sleep.
During the first half of the night, she helped monitor the IV drip. Then, the moment she closed her eyes, she dreamed of the passionate night in the tent.
She tossed and turned all night. She was at her breaking point.
As the sky was about to brighten, Tiffany heard footsteps approaching. She opened her eyes and met Vincent's gaze.
"Did you not sleep?" Seeing her open her eyes, Vincent sat down beside her. He placed the bag he was holding on the table. "I brought breakfast for you. Thank you for your hard work."
Tiffany sat up straight. "Since you're here already, I'll leave now."
"Tiffany." Vincent stopped her. "Take the food with you."
But she shook her head. "It's alright. You should leave it for Kelly." After saying that, she opened the door and walked out.
The door closed, cutting off the light flooding into the room from the corridor.
The dim room made Vincent's eyes uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because of his hangover too. Frustrated, he rubbed between his brows.
…
It was still early in the morning when Tiffany went back to her dorm and took a shower. After getting changed, she headed to the company.
Neither Vincent nor Kelly went to the office that day. When it was almost noon, Tiffany heard Ivy giving Kelly a call. "You're at the hospital? Are you sick?"
After Kelly replied, Ivy asked, "Which hospital are you at? I'll drop by to visit you."
Pausing for a moment, she answered, "Oh, alright. Get some rest, then. I'll text you if anything comes up."
Ivy ended the call and turned around. She spotted Tiffany standing there, spacing out as she held a cup in her hands.
Ivy strode over arrogantly. As she approached Tiffany, she didn't go around to avoid bumping into her; instead, she rammed right into her.
"Ah!"
Hot water was spilled onto Tiffany's body. But Ivy was the one who let out a shriek.
Without waiting for Tiffany to speak, Ivy delivered a loud slap across Tiffany's face.
Tiffany wasn't able to react in time and couldn't dodge as the slap landed squarely on her face.
"Are you blind? Do you have any idea how expensive my outfit is? Not only is it a limited edition, it can't get wet at all!" Ivy immediately went on the offensive. She pointed at Tiffany and scolded her.
It drew the attention of a few of their colleagues, who came over to check things out.
Tiffany was furious and anxious. She retorted, "You're the one who walked into me—"
Her voice was too soft. It was easily drowned out by Ivy's high-pitched voice. "Tell me, how are you going to compensate me for this?"
Tiffany went quiet.
"Ivy, what are you complaining about again this time?" Alex walked over with a file in hand.
"I could hear you yelling from miles away. I'm warning you, Mr. Lewis isn't in the best mood today. You better not get on his bad side."
But Ivy wasn't afraid. "Does it make a difference whether I get on his bad side or not? Mr. Lewis chose to offer good opportunities to an intern rather than a veteran anyway. What's the point of staying in a company like this?"
"Ivy Jones!" Alex's tone hardened. "You're free to resign if you don't want to stay here."
Tiffany had merely said that out of anger. She instantly shut up.
Alex continued, "Behave well if you want to stay working here! Stop being emotional at the company and affecting everyone's mood!"
Biting her lips, Ivy didn't dare to protest against Alex.
Even though she couldn't go against Alex, she wasn't scared of targeting Tiffany. "My dress cost 39 thousand dollars. You'll have to pay me back for this, Tiffany!"
Alex glanced at Tiffany. "That's enough, Ivy. Tiffany's dress is ruined too. Just call it even."
"Call it even? Are you kidding me, Mr. Zander? My dress cost 39 thousand dollars, but I'm sure hers didn't even cost more than 390 dollars!
"There's no way I'd call it even! How about this? I'll pay for her dress, but she has to compensate me for mine too!"
Right after Ivy said it, Tiffany spoke up, "I won't."
Everyone went silent.