After Oswald Lewis sent Maria White away, he felt confident.
This Bertha Swift cos from a decent family, probably a typical middle-class ho with no special background. Now she’s co-renting with that girl from earlier, and a woman willing to dance at a club for five hundred yuan likely doesn’t have much dignity. It’s all about the right price in the end.
"Road map challenged?" the slightly chubby policeman glanced at her after she reported her address.
As she passed the n under Oswald Lewis, they gave her a quick glance before resuming their feigned sleep.
Bertha Swift successfully made her way out of the hospital, but once outside, she didn’t know where to go.
Her lips curled in a mocking smile, and Bertha Swift averted her gaze, carefully opening the ward door and heading out of the hospital.
Infected by the smile and relaxed tone of the policeman, Bertha Swift couldn’t imdiately respond, finding nodding and shaking her head equally inappropriate, leaving her standing dumbfounded.
But compared to the dilapidated hospital at West Mountain’s horror film-like nightti, the international hospital under the Piers’ corporation stood towering and upscale, warm even in the deep of night, with motion-sensor lights that turned on with every step. Nonetheless, Bertha Swift’s mood remained unchanged.
After giving instructions, Oswald cheerfully waved to the manager, "What about the other girls dancing tonight?"
In saying this, Bertha Swift felt sowhat lucky, because although the incident between her and Adam Piers was huge before, the dia, wary of the Piers family and Adam, hadn’t revealed her real na or photos, so Maria White wouldn’t recognize her as the infamous woman who was once engaged to Adam Piers.
"Throw it away," Adam Piers replied curtly, turning towards the ward.
"Your na and your family’s situation." Maria White looked sowhat apologetic, but quickly added, "I just told him your na is Bertha Swift, your family is average, and you rent a place by yourself. I didn’t ntion anything else."
"No need, a heartless woman like her is better off dead!" Adam Piers harshly replied in a hoarse, sleep-deprived voice.
This was a complete departure from Bertha Swift’s usual impression of Adam Piers, stirring an inexplicable pang of sourness in her heart. But rembering the words the man had said to her when awake, and how he had hastily hidden her upon seeing that female celebrity, logic resurfaced.
Ray Leighton thanked him with a glance, then took the ostentatious fruit basket and retreated outside the ward.
Bertha Swift opened her mouth, but the officer didn’t wait for her response, just turned and left in the direction opposite to where she had co from.
Bertha Swift was initially stunned, then realized the policeman was offering to take her ho. She quickly waved her hands, but the officer had already opened the car door.
Her phone was left at the bar, she had no money on her, and she wasn’t even sure how to get back to her rented place from here.
How could she delude herself into thinking this person was different towards her?
Standing in the cold wind for a long ti, Bertha Swift remained unsure about where she ought to or could go.
The doctor pressed on his temples, evidently not having slept well either, but just as he was about to instruct the nurse to dispose of the dicine Dr. Geraldine prescribed last night, the young master abruptly stopped, "Keep the dicine."
Cautiously slipping out of the bed, Bertha Swift found her shoes beside it and slipped them on barefoot. She noticed a brand new won’s coat thrown over the sofa and, seeing the tags still attached, thought about her current situation, pressed her lips, glanced at her loungewear, and decided to put the coat on.
The policeman, "..."
Adam Piers, feeling unwell and caring for Bertha Swift until the early hours, didn’t notice when the person beside him left. When awakened by his long legs butting the hospital bed, he saw the bed he watched over all night was empty.
And while Adam Piers struggled to put out his internal fire, Oswald Lewis, having his n guard all night and confident that ’Luna’ hadn’t left Adam’s ward, couldn’t resist coming over to flaunt his presence early in the morning.
Moreover, it looked like he planned to keep her around for the long term.
Office workers working until late at night, small business owners preparing to close up shop past two in the morning, young n and won out for fun, public servants either on patrol or returning, and delivery guys in their uniforms working night shifts...
For a mont, Bertha Swift was touched, but rationality quickly returned, quelling her urge to wake the man.
...
This left Oswald Lewis dumbfounded, not understanding why this gentleman hadn’t enjoyed himself after having the woman stay overnight. Or perhaps that obnoxious woman had angered Adam Piers the previous night?
Hospital.
The policeman presud she was still upset and urged again.
Bertha Swift had no other option but to tell the truth, "I didn’t bring my phone, nor any money."
Having just reassured herself, Bertha Swift stood still and straightened up like a model elentary school student.
Watching him leave, Bertha Swift suddenly laughed, the gloomy mood that had been lingering for a long ti was swept away. Turning her head, she saw people in the neighborhood busy setting up their stalls and felt much more relieved.
Hospital.
She thought he’d chase after her again this ti? Impossible, he, Adam Piers, wasn’t that cheap to keep going back for a woman again and again!
Maria White guessed that Bertha Swift wouldn’t tell her the truth, but didn’t expect such a perfunctory answer, feeling a bit dissatisfied deep down. However, understanding that being kept wasn’t exactly sothing to brag about and Bertha Swift’s secrecy was normal, she didn’t ask further and handed Bertha Swift her clothes and bag.
Gazing at the woman’s departing figure, Adam Piers murmured emotionlessly, "Bertha Swift, you’re sothing else."
Letting out a pained whimper, she sensed movent beside her. Bertha Swift’s nerves tensed up abruptly; she slowly turned her head to see a dark head resting on her left side.
The bar manager understood instantly, "I’ll call them over for Master Lewis right away."
She had only lost a child, been driven away from ho, and failed to win over a lover she wasn’t even serious about. What’s the big deal?
Summoned early in the morning, the attending doctor, after watching the footage with this young master, was rather at a loss and asked, "Is this the young lady from last night? Her physical condition isn’t good; it wouldn’t be safe for her to check out like this. Should I have soone look for her?"
She probably had been spoiled by the elite education from the Swift family and forgotten what real life was like.
Even after getting into the police car, Bertha Swift felt sowhat dazed.
For a mont, Adam Piers almost exploded.
In fact, she felt more lost due to the series of events tonight.
Bertha Swift’s mood, which had improved slightly, dropped again with anxiety, and after thinking for a mont, she couldn’t help but ask, "What did he ask about ?"
Seeing Oswald, Adam Piers could imdiately guess his intention and coldly asked, "Do you think I had a good ti?"
The attending doctor, holding the phone, paused, pressing on his brow again, and instructed the nurse anew.
Oswald Lewis, puzzled, swept the room with a glance after Ray Leighton left but didn’t see the ’dancer’ from last night. Feeling strange, upon seeing the luxurious bathroom suite that ca with the room, he understood and then winked at Adam Piers, "Master Adam, had a good ti last night?"
Feeling more and more pleased, Oswald ssaged his n, instructing them to wait at Adam Piers’ hospital. As soon as that woman ca out, they’d bring her to him imdiately.
Oswald’s movents froze, "Ran away?"
Various thoughts flashed through Oswald Lewis’s mind. He flattered outwardly despite feeling annoyed inside, "’Luna’ didn’t satisfy Master Adam; I’ll have her apologize to you..."
Wearing the coat gave Bertha Swift a slight sense of security, but her steps stalled as she left the ward, her gaze lingering back on the man sleeping at the bedside. Due to his height, his long legs were curled under the bed, his body hunched over, stripped of his usual domineering dandy aura, making him look like a large canid, appearing thoroughly squeezed and restricted.
Returning to the apartnt with a light step, she found that Maria White had not yet gone to bed. As soon as she pushed open the door, Maria White jumped up from the sofa, startled, giving Bertha quite a scare.
With this plan in mind, Oswald felt pleased with himself. He never expected a blind cat to bump into a dead mouse; Adam Piers, such a dandy, would actually take a liking to a dancer.
She didn’t want others to know about her relationship with Adam Piers, especially since Maria White was a fan of his.
What’s the big deal?
After a long mont of daze, Bertha Swift finally vaguely understood what had happened, looking at the man sleeping at the bedside with a look of complex emotions.
Saying this, he glanced toward the bathroom, "But where is she?"
Recalling the bathroom, Bertha rembered the female celebrity who entered Adam Piers’ ward late at night and didn’t leave for a long ti. She attempted to sit up but winced from the pain due to her fever and the earlier collision in the bar’s private room, forcing her to lie back down again.
The kindly-looking, slightly chubby policeman regarded Bertha Swift’s face, not much older than his daughter’s, noted the ti, and sighed, "Get in the car, your address."
Having removed her makeup and put on the coat, her deanor radiated the elegance and restraint nurtured over the years, markedly different from the heavily made-up woman in a light, long dress she was the previous night. Even if seen by soone who t her yesterday, they would not associate the two.
Hearing the na Oswald, Bertha Swift thought of the filthy words she heard that night, along with the pain from the bruise on her waist, she nodded to Maria White with a pale face, "I know, I’ll be careful."
...
Rubbing her slightly gritty eyes, Bertha Swift straightened up to walk ahead, but unexpectedly, the police car she had seen a mont before suddenly returned and stopped in front of her.
Although Bertha Swift had been roommates with Maria for over a month, she still wasn’t quite used to being addressed so intimately, but realizing that Maria was staying up, probably worrying about her, her heart was ward, and she nodded, "Sothing happened, were you waiting for ?"
Master Lewis, carrying a huge, human-sized fruit basket, knocked on Adam’s ward door, rescuing Ray Leighton, who was in dire straits.
The night was deep, and the entire hospital was quiet, reminding Bertha Swift of that night at West Mountain.
Seeing her belongings, Bertha Swift thanked her and went into her room.
"Sothing happened?" Maria White was stunned for a mont, quickly realizing that Bertha Swift probably didn’t want to tell her about being kept, but still couldn’t help but softly remind her, "You know that guy Oswald, right? He’s the young master of Lewis Enterprises. He asked about you today. His reputation in the venue isn’t very good, so you’d better avoid him next ti if you can."
She began walking aimlessly in the night and realized the city wasn’t entirely silent at midnight.
Staring at that head for a good while, she confird it was Adam Piers. Her mouth opened, wanting to ask why she was on his hospital bed and why he was lying at the bedside. But as soon as she made a sound, her voice ca out dry and hoarse, making her pause. She shifted slightly, noticing that her dance dress had been swapped for comfortable loungewear.
Walking in the late night, Bertha Swift observed the occasional lights and the few others who also found themselves on the street for unknown reasons. Suddenly, her usual pains felt too pretentious—wasn’t everyone struggling hard to live in this world?
Bertha Swift shook her head awkwardly.
Back in the ward, Adam Piers was in an extrely foul mood, scaring even Ray Leighton, who had co to deliver als, into a shiver, not knowing who had provoked the young master so early this morning.
By the ti she reached her rental apartnt, it was already ten past three. The elderly policeman yawned but didn’t forget to nag and advise her a bit.
It took a while for Bertha Swift’s brain to revive. Upon observing the room’s arrangent, she realized it was Adam Piers’ ward, but why was she lying on the hospital bed? She clearly rembered being roughly thrown into the bathroom by that man...
Seeing her reaction, the slightly chubby policeman understood, smiling as he urged her, "Alright, you young ones are truly sothing. Hurry up and call soone at ho or your boyfriend to co pick you up. A young girl like you being outside at this hour is worrying. Any mishap, and it would be too late to cry."
"Bertha, you’re finally back!" Maria White exclaid.
Bertha Swift, caught up in her thoughts, didn’t notice Maria White’s expression and casually responded, "It was too cold on the way, so I bought it for a few dozen bucks at a street stall."
Adam Piers ground his teeth at Oswald, "She ran away."
As long as the other party had demands, he would find a way to hop onto the Piers’ big ship.
An aging, slightly chubby policeman smiled as he observed Bertha Swift’s reaction, saying, "No need to be nervous, young lady, just wondering why you’re walking alone at this hour. Argued with your boyfriend?"
Even without Maria White’s reminder, Bertha Swift knew she had to avoid those people in the future, but why was he inquiring about her from Maria White?
Back in her room, Bertha Swift found it hard to sleep, worrying about Oswald’s possible pursuit on one hand, and thinking about Adam Piers’s attitude tonight, and his posture as he lay asleep with bent legs on the hospital bed on the other.
The attending male doctor shivered, recalling how this gentleman last night was intolerant of him even glancing at the female patient. He had specifically called in a female doctor for her, and now he curses her to death. Truly, the thoughts of a rich young master are beyond ordinary comprehension. But despite the tsukkomi in his heart, he still professionally asked, "What should I do with the dicine Dr. Geraldine prescribed for this lady? It was already set to be prepared by the nurse last night."
Tossing and turning until dawn, Bertha Swift finally drifted off due to exhaustion.
Bertha Swift’s fever subsided after two in the morning. She opened her eyes groggily and saw a room lit by a single dim lamp — it was a completely unfamiliar place to her.
Bertha Swift nodded her thanks, but still felt uneasy inside.
Standing in Swallow City at almost three in the morning, Bertha Swift felt more alienated than she did in the unfamiliar West Mountain. The city she had lived in for over twenty years hadn’t given her much sense of belonging.
Maria White’s eyes fell on her coat, licking her lips, "Your coat... where did it co from? It looks like an LV limited edition."
Taking a deep breath, he called for the doctor and reviewed the footage from last night, discovering that Bertha Swift had left the hospital shortly after two in the morning.
Fuck, that bitch, ruining his plan!
Reviews
All reviews (0)