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Alicia froze. So did Kevin, who was happily eating nearby–the piece of fish he’d been holding slipped right off his chopsticks.
Charles chewed the sweet and sour pork thoughtfully, then nodded calmly. “Not bad.”
Alicia’swallowed hard, staring at her chopsticks. She couldn’t see anything, but she knew–they’d just been in Charles Yates‘ mouth.
‘Was I supposed to keep using them?‘ she thought.
‘If I did, wouldn’t that be like… an indirect kiss<b>?</b><b>‘ </b>
Oh god. Just thinking about it made her face heat up.
She cleared her throat and put the chopsticks down. “Um, I’m full. I’ll go pay. You guys keep eating.”
Then she quickly stood and hurried toward the cashier.
Charles watched her go, his expression unreadable. He tightened his hand slightly, feeling a pang of disappointment.
‘She stopped eating because I used her chopsticks. I moved too fast–I scared her.‘
He quietly set his own chopsticks down too.
Kevin watched them both stop eating. He really wanted to keep going–that pork was legit–but he couldn’t just sit there feasting alone. He reluctantly took onest bite before putting his chopsticks down as well.
Alicia paid the bill, then said she needed to use the restroom.
She stayed in there awhile, pulling herself together before finally stepping out.
When she returned, she acted like nothing had happened. She pointed toward a bank nearby. “Should we go get the cash now?”
Charles shook his head. “Just give me the refund from the hospital.”
“But that doesn’t feel right,” she insisted. “I must have cost a lot.”
“A fortune teller once said I’m cursed with bad luck,” he said withplete seriousness. “I have to do one good deed a day to bnce it out. If you pay me back, today’s good deed won’t count.”
“Uh… ” Alicia had no idea how to respond to that.
Kevin bit his lip to keep fromughing. Since when did Mr. Yates believe in fortune tellers? But he wasn’t about to call him out. He just watched quietly as Charles–like a clever fox–gently guided the clueless little rabbit forward.
15:40 Wed, <b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
Outside the restaurant, Charles asked, “Where are you headed next?”
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Alicia figured she’d start apartment hunting. “I should find a rental agency. Don’t let me keep you, Mr. Yates.”
“I’m not busy,” he replied. <fna1d7> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find[?]ovel</fna1d7>
Well. What was I supposed to say to that?‘
So she said nothing.
Charles spoke again, “I have an apartment sitting empty. No one’s lived there for a while, and things are starting to wear out. If you don’t mind, Miss Lawrence, would you help maintain it for me?”
Alicia blinked. ‘Was he offering her his apartment? As a caretaker?‘
She thought, ‘A ce of his had to be nice–and probably expensive!
“How much would the rent be?” she asked cautiously.
“Would ten thousand be eptable?” Charles replied.
She nearly choked. “Maybe… let’s forget it.”
Seeing her reaction, Charles thought he’d lowballed her. “Too low? How about thirty thousand?”
Alicia gave an awkwardugh. “Mr. Yates, honestly, I can’t afford that kind of rent.”
Charles paused, then smiled slightly. “You misunderstood. The thirty thousand isn’t rent–it’s the monthly fee I’d pay you for maintaining the property.”
“Wait, what?” Now Alicia was truly stunned. He’d let her live there for free, and pay her thirty thousand <i>a </i>month on top of that?
‘Holy crap. If I y my cards right, I could basically retire.‘
But taking money from someone like him felt risky. What if he thought she was greedy and turned against her?
She waved her hands quickly. “No, no–I can’t take payment! Just being allowed to stay there is more than enough.”
Charles‘ smile deepened. “So you agree? Good. I’ll take you there now.”
Alicia felt dazed. That was… fast.
Then she thought it over. Living in his ce would let her get closer to him. If he ever found out she wasn’t really his savior, maybe he’d go easier on her since she’d taken good care of his home.
“Okay,” she nodded. “I just need to grab my things from the hospital.”
She’d left her bag at the storage counter earlier, thinking she’d just be gone briefly to withdraw cash.
<b>15:40 </b>Wed<b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>1 </b>
Charles‘ phone rang just then. I’ll take this call and wait in the car.”
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Alicia agreed, and Kevin stayed behind too–though she insisted, “It’s just one bag. Brooke can help me.”
Back in the hospital, Tiffany frowned upon hearing Alicia had been discharged. “She paid the bill in full?”
“Had to. They won’t let you leave otherwise,” Archie said, peeling an orange for her. “That room’s free now. Want to move into it?”
Tiffany felt insulted. Was she supposed to take Alicia’s leftovers?
Never.
But she kept her tone sweet. “I’m being discharged too, Archie. No need to move.”
He handed her the orange. “You feeling better? Any more chest pain?”
“Much better,” she said softly. “But… there’s something about Alicia I’m not sure I should mention.”
She hesitated dramatically.
Archie couldn’t stand seeing his sister look so troubled. “You can tell me anything. Never hesitate with me.”
Tiffany bit her lip. “Where did she get the money for such an expensive room? I haven’t seen anyone visit her except that one friend. It’s… suspicious.”
Archie’s face darkened. “You think she stole from us? She has been acting uptely. I’ll call the police—”
“No!” Tiffany cut in, ying the concerned sister. “Let’s not assume. Maybe we should check if anything’s missing first. I don’t want her to be wrongly used.”
But Archie was already convinced. “I’m going home to check right now. I’ll make sure Mom, Dad, and the others <i>see </i>if anything’s gone.”
The thought of putting Alicia in her ce excited him. That adopted sister had gotten too boldtely—it was time she learned her lesson.
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