Natalie Morgan recoiled a few steps in fright.
She watched him with deep suspicion. "Who are you?"
The man didn’t look up, just stubbornly held out the Chinese rose in his hand.
Natalie assud he was a holess man and shut the door without waiting for a reply.
Back in her room, it took her a long ti to collect herself.
’Who was that man?’
’If he’s holess, maybe he’s hungry and wants sothing to eat. Is that why he’s offering a flower?’
’Should I call the police?’
’It’s such a trivial matter, though. It would be a waste of police resources.’
「Roughly an hour later.」
She peeked through the peephole again.
’Strange, that person is still squatting outside.’
’Could he really be here for food?’
Natalie Morgan opened the refrigerator. Inside was so bread she had just bought today. She decided to take so out for him.
The door opened from the inside.
She held out the bread, her voice gentle as if afraid of startling him. "Are you hungry? I have so bread here, you can have it."
The man didn’t take her bread. He didn’t even look up at her.
He was still clutching the rose. Perhaps a thorn had pricked his palm, as blood was dripping onto the floor.
Natalie Morgan’s heart tightened. "Are... are you hurt? Do you want to help you take care of it?"
No response.
The man, whose face was hidden, remained curled into a ball, not looking up or speaking.
Natalie Morgan bent down, holding the bread closer to him. "How about this, you eat the bread first, and then I’ll help you with your wound, okay?"
No matter what Natalie Morgan said,
the man remained motionless.
Just as she was about to give up,
he suddenly raised the flower again and offered it to her.
"Is this flower for ?" she asked, confused. "We don’t even know each other, why are you giving a flower? Are you hungry? Here, take the bread."
He said nothing, just dropped the flower and ran off.
Natalie Morgan was about to call out to him, but in the blink of an eye, he was gone.
’Who on earth is this person?’
’He didn’t even want the bread.’
As she was about to turn and go back inside, she suddenly noticed a work ID on the ground.
On a small tag, about five centiters long, was a na... River.
’River?’
’The husband of that heavy-set woman from the construction site?’
’The man who looks so much like Theodore Grant?’
’He...’
’Why would he co all the way to my door to give a flower?’
’Could it be...’
’...that he ca to apologize for pushing at the construction site the other day?’
’How strange.’
Natalie Morgan couldn’t figure it out.
Holding the ID, Natalie Morgan glanced at her wrist. It was so late, and it was raining. ’That fool... I wonder if he’ll even make it ho.’
"He’s here! He must have run off to here! Ever since that woman showed up at the construction site, my husband hasn’t been in his right mind. He definitely ca here."
It was the heavy-set woman’s familiar voice.
Natalie Morgan stood in her doorway and glanced toward the stairwell.
She saw the heavy-set woman, fuming, leading three or four middle-aged won toward her.
She was cursing up a storm, as if she were ready to turn the world upside down.
Her eyesight was sharp. The mont she spotted Natalie Morgan, her stout body swayed as she quickened her pace.
"You! Where did you take my River? I knew you were trouble! Seducing n, and now you’ve led him right to my doorstep! Hand over my River!"
Natalie Morgan furrowed her brow slightly.
She couldn’t understand what this woman was saying.
"Ma’am, you need proof for your accusations. Why would your husband be in my ho?"
The heavy-set woman planted her hands on her hips and pointed at Natalie, her expression murderous. "Yesterday, he ran to the bottom of your building, and I had to drag him back! Today he ran away from ho again. If he didn’t co to you, where else would he go?"
"If you really can’t find him, you should call the police. He’s not here." ’Why co here and cause a scene?’
Natalie Morgan’s expression darkened.
The won behind the heavy-set one also started accusing Natalie. "I can tell just by looking at you, you’re the promiscuous type. You can’t walk straight when you see a handso man. Hurry up and hand him over, or it’ll be embarrassing for everyone when we find him ourselves."
"There are plenty of n in the world, why are you trying to steal one from our Bertha? Our Bertha is not soone to be trifled with. A little thing like you probably couldn’t handle her."
"That’s right, just hand him over and we’ll leave. It’s raining so hard out here, you can reimburse us for the taxi fare, too."
Natalie Morgan’s face grew darker and darker.
She didn’t look for trouble, but she wasn’t afraid of it either.
She turned, went back inside, and ca out holding a mop. She warned the won, "Listen up, all of you. The person you’re looking for isn’t here. If you dare force your way into my ho, I’ll hit every single one of you. Go on, try if you don’t believe it."
"You little bitch, you dare get rough with ? I think you’re tired of living."
The heavy-set woman started up the steps, wanting to teach Natalie Morgan a lesson.
Natalie Morgan raised the mop in her hand and pointed it at the woman. "Take one more step, and I won’t be so polite."
"You think I’m scared of you... Hey, hey... aiyah..."
Unable to dodge in ti, the woman was poked by Natalie’s mop and went tumbling down the stairs.
It made a series of loud THUDS.
The other won were terrified. They scrambled to help the heavy-set woman, following her clumsily down the stairs.
Natalie Morgan snorted coldly. "You’d better go ho. If you co back, I’m really calling the police."
After shutting her door, she double-locked it from the inside.
The commotion downstairs gradually died down.
Only when it was completely silent did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She opened the door. The hallway was quiet.
’It’s raining so hard. That River guy...’
’Strange, why am I worried about that fool?’
"THUD."
A noise ca from the corner of the stairwell, making Natalie Morgan’s heart jump in fright.
"Who? Who’s there?"
She turned on her phone’s flashlight and aid it downstairs as she walked. At a corner of the stairwell, she found soone.
"River?"
Again, no one answered her.
"Are you River?" Her flashlight clearly illuminated the man in front of her. "Your wife was just here looking for you. Why didn’t you make a sound?"
He slowly lifted his face from where it was buried in his knees.
In the pitch-black stairwell, his two gleaming eyes were particularly eerie.
Natalie Morgan was a little afraid of this man.
’He’s not a normal person. If he has an episode, I really won’t be able to handle it.’
’But looking at him like this, he seems so pitiful.’
"Co upstairs with . I’ll take care of your wound, then you should go ho quickly so your family doesn’t worry."
Natalie Morgan didn’t know if he would follow her.
She just started walking ahead. If he really ignored her, then she would just leave him be.
Unexpectedly,
the man actually followed her upstairs.
Standing in the living room,
he was covered head to toe in mud. Truly filthy... like a little mud monkey.
Momo ca out of his room, rubbing his eyes. Seeing the stranger, he asked timidly, "Mommy, who is this uncle?"
"His na is River. You go back to sleep now, and close your door properly," she instructed.
The little guy studied the man’s face seriously for a mont before obediently returning to his room.
Seeing how dirty the ’fool’ was, Natalie Morgan knew she couldn’t treat his wound like this. She wanted him to take a shower first.
"Do you want to go rinse off?"
The fool nodded blankly, as if he understood what she said.
Natalie Morgan pointed toward the bathroom. "There, in that direction. There’s a set of work clothes in the cabinet inside. They’re very big, you can change into them."
Reviews
All reviews (0)