He nodded with a sigh. “You’re safe. That’s what matters.” He looked down at my bloody feet. A frown crossed his face. “You walked all the way here?”
I nodded, too, my head hanging low. “My phone’s not with me, and I don’t have any money. I can’t get a taxi!”
“Can’t you call me to get you?” He closed his eyes in frustration and then sighed. “Forget it. I didn’t think this through.”
He led me to the sofa and went to get the first aid kit. Then he knelt on the ground, placed my foot on his knee, and started cleaning the wound.
When the cotton swab came into contact with the wound, I winced from the pain and sank back into the sofa. He let out a loose sigh. “It’ll be over soon!”
To reduce my pain, he blew on it several times while applying the ointment. I got a little distracted seeing him at work.
I should not be staying with him. Sally was right. If word got out that there was something between us, the Fullers and the White family would be subjected to public opinion. The outcome would be much more horrifying than what we imagined.
“What’s on your mind?” He said, looking my way as he kept the first aid kit.
I retracted my feet as I watched him put away the kit. And then I watched him sit next to me. I watched him pour me a glass of water.
There was a pause before I answered, “Marcus, you… don’t have to come here again!”
He paused, his dark eyes gazing at me. “What do you mean?”
“Thank you for taking care of me all this time. If there’s anything you need in the future, I won’t hesitate to help you. But for now, Aunt Sally’s right. You and I are but a single man and a single woman. We have such a close relationship… and if anyone with ill intentions starts to spread rumors, both the Fullers and the White family will be dragged into the mess.”
I should not have said those words. I should not have said them so bluntly.
But what had been said could not be unsaid.
His face hardened, looking rather grim. “What are you worried about?”
I pinched my own palms as I spoke, “I owe you too much. We can’t keep going like this!”
“I don’t care!” He exclaimed as he looked at me with mixed emotions. “Scarlett, if you’re worried about what other people will say, then I can stay away from you. But know that you only have one other option, and that is going back to Ashton. Otherwise, I can’t leave you alone here.”
I kept my head low as I muttered. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I… can’t deal with pain, and I’m afraid of heights!”
Even if I considered suicide, I might not have the courage to commit it. I was awfully afraid of pain.
He was still staring at me, his eyes unreadable. “There’s no way to hide it. I can never hide it now!”
I looked at him in alarm, not understanding what he said, “What does that mean?”
He shook his head, chuckling. “Let’s talk about it when you feel better. Right now, the Independence Day celebration is coming to an end. I’ll be real busy soon. I won’t have as much time to spend with you. You’ll have to take care of yourself from this point forward.”
I nodded. Exhaustion and the desire for sleep were beginning to creep on me. The medicine I had taken must have come into effect.
I rose and announced, “I’m going to rest!” Then, off to the bedroom, I went.
I had a dreamless sleep that night!
It was several days later when I learned that Ashton had been coming to the residence. Because my emotions were still unstable, Marcus hardly let me go out.
I believed he really understood me inside and out. He knew how to keep my mood in check. And he certainly got busy after Independence Day.
On the other hand, I had started working for the White Corporation. Marcus had arranged for me to work in project management. Since I just started, there were many aspects of the job that I knew nothing about. Therefore, he arranged an assistant to help me.
Working on projects was different from other jobs. It was almost impossible to have fixed working hours because I had just started. Hence, I usually kept myself busy until late at night.
Benjamin had been admitted to the hospital because of a stroke, so Marcus got the assistant to take me home.
These days, I could manage well on my own. He had little to worry about me.
Lindsay, my assistant, dropped me off at the residential entrance. Before leaving, she told me, “Ms. Stovall, Mr. White wanted me to give you this. He also reminds you to eat well.”
I nodded as I took over the documents from her and got out of the car. It was only a five-minute walk from the entrance to the residential building. I walked slowly, thinking about the new project along the way.
Marcus already had a company abroad, but for now, he might prefer to develop domestically. Both were tech companies, which made me think of OrbitTech in J City. They had excellent technicians.
The quality of their products was guaranteed too. The one thing I worried about was their management issue. The White Corporation was a listed company. It would be a wise choice if the company could acquire OrbitTech.
I was very engrossed in my thoughts when the phone rang. It was Jackson.
I had been calling him almost every day for some time now, but I could never get through. Macy should be going into labor anytime soon. I wondered how they were doing.
Now that he had finally called, I quickly picked it up. “Jackson, how’s Macy? How are you two doing? Has she delivered the baby?
On the other end of the phone, Jackson probably got caught off guard when he heard my voice. There was a long pause before he eventually spoke. “She’s fine. The baby’s fine. It’s a girl. So… where are you? How’s your baby?”
My heart ached. I was beginning to feel sick. I took a detour to the nearest resting spot and sat down. “I’m fine. Where are you? Why can’t I contact you at all? Where’s Macy? Why can’t I get through her phone?”
