Julia Bluen quickly took the shoes and put them on, her face feeling a bit warm. She thought she must be blushing.
"Julia! Julia!" Rachel Bailey, who had hailed a taxi to follow, got out of the cab and limped toward Julia Bluen. Her calls diverted Glades Horne’s gaze.
"Hey, miss! You haven’t paid the fare yet!" the taxi driver yelled, having rolled down his window.
"Don’t worry, I’m not going to stiff you on the fare." Rachel Bailey walked up to Julia Bluen’s side, her attention imdiately captivated by Glades Horne. It couldn’t be helped; he was too handso, too tall, too eye-catching. If she wasn’t drawn to him, she’d have to be blind. "Wow, what a handso guy!" she exclaid softly. Then, glancing at the apprehended young man, she turned to the silent Julia beside her and asked, "Julia, did this handso guy help out?"
Julia Bluen carefully glanced at her husband. After receiving a penetrating stare from Glades Horne, she promptly averted her eyes and silently nodded.
"A damsel in distress, saved by a handso hero," Rachel Bailey teased her friend in a low voice.
Julia Bluen gave her a look. She was relieved the robber had been caught and hoped the money wasn’t lost. Otherwise, her friend wouldn’t be in the mood to check out handso n or tease her.
Rachel Bailey chuckled awkwardly; Julia Bluen had analyzed her mindset perfectly. She took her purse from Julia’s hand, opened it to find the money still there, and let out a heavy sigh of relief. Then, she pulled out a red banknote, turned, walked back to the taxi, and handed the money to the driver, saying, "Here’s the fare. I need change, please."
After receiving her change from the taxi driver, Rachel Bailey rejoined Julia Bluen and took another careful, bold look at Glades Horne. Then she leaned close to Julia and whispered teasingly, "Julia, this man is really handso! Those two who helped must be his bodyguards or sothing. Look, there’s a car parked over there—wow, it looks like a Rolls-Royce! He’s handso, rich, has a great presence, and he even stepped in to help. Such a sense of justice! He’s a great catch. You should give him your phone number; you know, for future developnts."
Julia Bluen suddenly felt as if a flock of black crows was flying over her head.
Several dark lines ford on Glades Horne’s face. What kind of friend has my wife made?
If it hadn’t been who stepped in today, but so other stranger roughly like , would this young woman also encourage my wife—the one I just registered our marriage with yesterday—to give her number to a stranger for ’future developnt’?
"Rachel, he is..." Julia Bluen didn’t know how to explain. How much further ’developnt’ could there be with this man, who had already gone from being her brother-in-law to her husband?
Rachel Bailey, an ordinary working woman, couldn’t possibly imagine that she was currently standing before the Horne family’s "prince," soone everyone wished to curry favor with, yet also feared.
WOO WOO... The sound of approaching police sirens grew louder, opportunely interrupting Julia Bluen’s words and diverting Rachel Bailey’s attention.
Two police cars sped to the intersection and stopped. Although curious, drivers of passing vehicles didn’t dare to stop and gawk, as it was a crossroads.
Several police officers hurried out of their cars. The one in the lead, apparently a higher-ranking officer, walked quickly to Glades Horne. After a swift visual check confird Glades Horne had no visible injuries, he asked carefully, with an obsequious smile, "Mr. Horne, did you encounter any difficulties?"
Glades Horne turned his head, glanced at the robber—whose face had turned deathly pale, still clueless as to who he had crossed—and said in a deep voice, "Him. Robbery."
Hearing this, the lead officer imdiately approached the young man. Staring him down, the officer said with a strange sort of admiration, "You’ve really got so nerve, daring to rob Mr. Horne?" Such audacity!
The young man’s face was etched with grievance. He hadn’t robbed Mr. Horne!
What a gross injustice!
His boss had really screwed him over this ti!
"Take him away!" With a wave of his hand, the officer signaled his n to escort the young man to a police car.
Not sentencing this robber to a few years in prison would be an insult to his sheer audacity!
"Mr. Horne, is there anything else we can assist you with?" the officer asked, returning to Glades Horne’s side, his smile still plastered on his face.
"Thank you," Glades Horne said curtly, the two words clearly signaling that the officer could leave.
The officer smiled awkwardly. He glanced at Julia Bluen and Rachel Bailey again but didn’t dare to ask any more questions before getting into his police car and driving away.
When Rachel Bailey heard the police officer address Glades Horne as "Mr. Horne," she froze, staring blankly at him.
"Get in the car. I’ll take you ho," Glades Horne said to Julia Bluen, not even glancing at Rachel Bailey. He extended his hand, took Julia’s, his voice losing so of its chill and gaining a touch of warmth.
"My friend is injured. I want to take her to the hospital to get her treated," Julia Bluen said, remaining still and looking at Rachel Bailey, who stood petrified beside her.
Rachel Bailey’s gaze fell on the large hand holding Julia Bluen’s small one. Finally snapping back to reality, she blurted out, "Julia, your brother-in-law is so incredibly handso, cool, and imposing! Your sister is so lucky!"
"Wade, take the madam’s friend to the hospital to have her injuries treated," Glades Horne ordered, his eyes flickering as he heard Rachel Bailey’s outburst. Without giving Julia Bluen a chance to refuse, he pulled her toward his car, instructing the bodyguard he had just addressed—Wade Coleman—to take Rachel to the hospital in Julia’s place.
While the fall hadn’t severely injured Rachel Bailey, she had sustained so scrapes and bruises.
Wade Coleman imdiately hailed a cab. He then approached Rachel Bailey, who was still shouting at Glades Horne’s retreating figure, "I’m not the madam’s friend! I’m the friend of the madam’s sister!"
"Miss, please get in the car. I’ll take you to the hospital," Wade said gently.
"Rachel, go with Wade. He’ll pay the dical expenses," Julia Bluen called out to her friend, still uneasy, as she rolled down the car window after getting in.
Rachel Bailey waved at her. Once the car had driven off, she smiled at Wade and remarked, "Your Mr. Horne is certainly very good to his sister-in-law, even extending his consideration to , her friend."
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