Chapter 18: Chapter 18

The man’s eyes were deep, just like his gaze, which was vaguely inquisitive.

“Professor Wilson and I aren’t actually even friends. I had a

conflict with my ex–husband and he just got implicated,” Candice said calmly.

The man nodded.

She turned around.

“Miss, you’re injured,” the man said, calling out to her to stop her in her tracks.

“I’m fine.”

She was just about to get into the car when the man pressed against the door before she could get in.

“Let me bandage it for you,” he said.

“I’m fine now.”

“I need a doctor to make sure you’re alright,” he said

stubbornly.

“I bumped into something myself,” Candice said with

annoyance.

“Well, I’m partly to blame for not noticing you,” the man said.

Harry finished his surgery 10 minutes ago and caught a glimpse of Candice being embroiled with a man when he went to the grocery store on the first floor to get some cigarettes.

“Are you bleeding?”

Touching her forehead, Candice said, “It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”

“I’ll go get a queue number for you at the doctor’s office,” the man insisted.

Percy was an extremely upright–looking person, with dashing features. He seemed rather familiar too.

Candice sized him up for a long time before asking, “How are you related to Professor Wilson?”

“What do you think?” the man answered as he paused in his

tracks.

“Are you his father?” Candice blurted without hesitation.

Right after doing so, she felt that her conjecture was too absurd.

“Do I look that old?” the man asked after a moment of

silence.

He didn’t, actually.

He just seemed very mature, composed, and refined.

In comparison, Byron looked less composed and mellow, with a tinge of arrogance and aggressiveness. However, he did resemble Percy from a certain angle.

“You’re his younger brother?”

“That’s too much of a compliment,” the man said with a chuckle.

Realizing that she had made blunder too, Candice asked again, “Professor Wilson’s your younger brother?”

He didn’t answer directly in the end and Candice was tactful enough not to ask further.

After giving her a tetanus shot, Harry bandaged her wound himself. However, he used a little too much force, causing Candice to cry out subconsciously.

Realizing the way she cried in pain was a little too coquettish, her face became flushed and she stopped herself from continuing.

The man looked away

“I’m right outside.”

He proceeded to close the door.

“You’d beat Vicky at her own game when you’re sultry,” Harry said.

“Be gentler. It hurts,” Candice said, nudging him.

The further she went on, the more ambiguous she began to sound.

After putting the gauze on her wound, Harry said, “You’re now a sensitive person in our department. Don’t spout nonsense.”

“You’ve got such a dirty mind,” Candice said after coming to a sudden realization of what he meant.

“Most men are dirty–minded. Are you on a blind date again?” he asked, glancing at the door.

“I don’t know him,” she said truthfully.

Harry didn’t believe her because he thought that no one in the right mind would accompany a stranger to a hospital appointment. He reckoned that they were probably still in the stage of casual dating and nothing was confirmed yet, so Candice didn’t want to admit to it.

Carefully observing through the small window, he remarked, “Among all the men I’ve met, he’s the only one who can rival Doctor Byron in terms of looks.”

“Can’t you tell that he’s much more dashing than Professor Wilson?”

“You’re pretty quick to move on. Are you trying to spite Doctor Byron?” Harry asked in astonishment.

“We’re not in a relationship and he doesn’t even care about me, so why should I continue holding myself cheap? We’ve broken things off completely.”

“Nah, things aren’t that bad. Just be patient and wait until Vicky dumps Doctor Byron for a richer man. Then, you can conquer him.”

She was feeling incredibly vexed but she couldn’t be bothered to say anything.

After dressing her wound, Harry washed his hands at the sink.

“Isn’t Professor Wilson very well–off?” Candice asked.

“He’s pretty rich. But no one knows how much he really has because he has a rather mysterious background.”

He was probably worth millions since he could afford to own

“Is Vicky not content with that?”

“Imagine you’re a man. Do you want the woman you love to love you for who you are or simply be after your money?” Harry asked, shaking off the water droplets on his hand.

Given Byron’s personality, he naturally wouldn’t be able to accept it if Vicky was with him only for his money.

Hence, he kept her a secret.

The deeper a man is, the more obstinate and immature he is when it comes to relationships.

Candice walked out of Harry’s office with the bill.

Staring at the amount of $67.60 on the slip, she returned him the money and said, “Mr. Percy, here’s the money for the medical expenses you paid in advance.”

“I should be paying for it,” the man declined.

He was dressed in low–key luxury clothing, with his outfit costing at least dozens of grands, a staggering amount that ordinary people definitely couldn’t afford. It would be inappropriate for Candice to force him to take the money when he had blatantly refused.

“Sorry to have held you up, Mr. Percy.”

“Don’t worry about it. Where are you headed to? I’ll give you a lift,” he said in a gentlemanly manner.

“I have a car.”

The man didn’t insist further after getting rejected.

Candice rushed to the office to see that Monica was in the midst of an exciting conversation at the front desk.

Upon sight of her, Monica waved at her and said, “I’ve taken the day off on your behalf. Patrick is really mad at you. He’s

accused you of being lazy and unmotivated because everyone’s working overtime except you.”

288 Vouchers

After saying that, she handed her a bouquet of red roses and said, “Your life has been really exciting since you got a divorce but be careful. This world is full of unreliable men.”

Baffled by her words, Candice glanced at the card again, only to see that it read: “Miss Candice, it was fun in bed last night. I’ve introduced you to my buddy. He’ll be asking you out tonight.”

Although the handwriting seemed unfamiliar to her, she could easily tell who the culprit behind such a dirty prank

was.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “Did anyone else except you see these flowers?”

“The courier who delivered the flowers was reading the card aloud with great emotion and affection downstairs. Not only have our colleagues heard him, everyone else in this building is talking about you. Thank God I stopped them in time. Otherwise, the people in the building across the street would have started spreading things about your dating life too.”

‘That bastard, Rufus.‘ Candice thought to herself.

After throwing the flowers onto the ground with all her

might, Candice fumbled about for her phone in her pocket but to no avail.

She suddenly recalled that Percy had helped her hold her phone when she was getting the tetanus shot, so she reckoned that it was still with him.

buchers

Candice turned around in a bid to chase after him but his car was long gone.

With Monica’s phone, she dialed her own number first.

“Mr. Percy, my…” she said as soon as the call went through.

“I have an important meeting later. I’ll send it to Shelton Building this evening. Is that alright?”

Shelton Building was the office building where Candice worked.

“How did you know I’m at Shelton Building?” Candice asked in surprise.

Percy’s clear and deep voice was soothing to the ears, with the ability to make others lower their guards and approach. him uncontrollably.

“Your screensaver is a photo of you standing in front of

Shelton Building,” he explained.

“What do you work as?” Candice asked smilingly.

s

“I run a small business,” Percy said, keeping it short and

sweet.

“I thought you were a lawyer, or a forensic scientist.”

“Oh?” He was intrigued.

“You look righteous and detail–oriented,” Candice said.

Gripping the steering wheel with one hand and resting his other hand against the window, Percy asked, “Is that a compliment?”

“Of course it is.”

After Candice confirmed the meeting time with him, she called Rufus again but he deliberately chose not to pick up.

The anger that had just subsided, surged within her again.

“I’m going to settle scores with him!” she exclaimed.

Monica pulled her back and said, “It’s no use. He’s definitely

avoiding you today. Can you beat security?”

Candice was boiling with fury that almost consumed her while Monica whispered a suggestion in her ears.

“You just got to beat a bastard like him at his own game. Once he admits defeat, he’ll behave himself. Otherwise, he’ll be attacking you endlessly.”

Back at the office, Candice instructed Nancy to hire a paid actress to show up at Rufus‘ office, dressed in flamboyant clothes.

At half past five, which was the common time to leave work, the actress knocked on the door of the vice president’s office, kicking up a huge fuss.

“Mr. Nelson, it’s time we settle some scores.”

“What are you talking about?” Rufus asked in confusion.

“The money you owe me for sleeping with me.”

The few mid–level executives looked at each other with dismáy before turning to stare at Rufus.

With a look of embarrassment, he questioned, “Where are you from? I don’t know you at all!”

The actress panicked and said, “You owe me more than 40 grand. You refuse to pay up, huh? I’ll call the police then.”

Rufus had developed a phobia of being detained and was terribly afraid.

He got up and dragged the actress to the room next door.

“Who sent you here? I’ll pay you double of what she paid.”

“She claims to be your Grandma,” the actress said.

Rufus immediately flew into a rage. He had been away on business trips rather frequently these days, but he had been consecutively embroiled in various drama. His boss would probably hear of it sooner or later, and he might just lose his job as deputy president.

After dismissing the actress, Rufus returned a call.

“Who’s speaking?” the man on the other line asked.

“Her ex–husband!”

Percy took a look at the screen and saw that the contact number was saved as “Bastard“.

He burst into laughter and said, “She’s not in.”

His laughter agitated Rufus, who then snapped, “Do you know the famous urologist, Doctor Byron? He’s her new lover. You’ve been fooled by her! She’s out to cheat you of your money!”

“She doesn’t seem to be like what you make her out to be,” Percy said as he recalled Candice trying to return him the money for her medical expenses.

“She used to be my wife. She’s not a decent woman!”

“Do you have proof?” Percy questioned with a frown.

“I saw her getting in Byron’s car and kissing! I’m telling you, she’ll cheat on anyone she marries!”

Staring ahead, Percy ignored him and hung up.

Byron made his first public appearance with Vicky at the party at night.

It had been three years since he last saw her.

Her vibes were still the same.

He couldn’t put his finger on what her vibes were like but she was definitely Byron’s type.

Enos wasn’t interested in women like her because he felt that she was too liberal and difficult to tame.

He preferred purer girls like Candice.

Vicky sat right on Byron’s lap after he took his seat.

They were both thin and there were barely any fats on her buttocks.

He cocked his head to the side and asked, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“I used to sit like this all the time too, didn’t I?” Vicky said without moving.

“That’s in the past.

“I like sitting on your lap.”

Holding her waist, Byron remained silent.

Enos went up to them and asked, “Have you guys made up?”

“No.”

“She didn’t agree, huh?” Enos deduced.

He thought that Byron would definitely be more than willing to accept it if Vicky wanted to date him.

“I just didn’t mention it explicitly.”

After being confused for a moment, Enos asked, “You?”

“Why not?” he said nonchalantly, not bothered by the mockery at all.

“I realized that you seem to have a peculiar affinity with divorced women. Do you go out of your way to date divorced women?”

While swirling his wine glass, Byron said with his eyes fixed on Vicky, “Is that so?”

“Rufus‘ ex–wife got a divorce in her early twenties while Vicky got married at 30 and divorced at 31…‘

||

Enos suddenly asked again, “Wait, is she divorced?”

“She was never married in the first place.”

“Didn’t she marry him because she got pregnant?”

“She had an abortion,” Byron said coldly.

Chapter 18 Misunderstanding

Shortly after, he added, “He’s a married man.”

Enos thought that Vicky must be out of her mind.

“Did you take her in?”

Byron didn’t respond.

“What about Candice? Have you two really ended things?”

“We were never together in the first place,” Byron said.

“Look at this photo. Lynn sent it to me,” Enos said, showing Byron a picture on his phone.

Lynn was the “belle” of the hospital.

Enos had asked for her number when he went to the hospital to pick Byron up one day. They dated for a while before ending things peacefully.

Byron glanced at the photo and instantly kept his eyes fixed on it.

Harry was holding Candice in his arms, looking rather mesmerized.

In fact, at the time that the photo was taken, Candice was in great pain and due to the angle, it looked like she was hugging him.

After chatting with Enos‘ partner, Vicky looked down at the phone screen and asked while pointing at the photo, “Who’s that?”

Enos immediately switched off his screen and said, “My ex- girlfriend.”

“You dated Byron’s partner in bed? Don’t you guys have a bro code where you don’t date each other’s women?”

Enos was speechless.

‘She’s got such a sharp eyesight.”

She managed to recognize Candice just by her side profile.

Staring at her, Byron said, “Who’s my partner in bed?”

“You’ve already slept with her and you’re still pretending to be innocent?” Vicky said, exposing him ruthlessly.

“I don’t have to pretend.” He yawned and dusted the ashtray.

“It’s true that she’s not his partner…” Enos said, giving them an out.

“She’s my girlfriend,” Byron said resolutely.

Taking a sip of wine from the glass she was holding, Vicky said, “You finally admit it, huh?”

“Why wouldn’t I admit to it?”

Enos moved to the side to stay out of trouble.

One of the insensitive men toasted to Byron and acted like Vicky was his girlfriend.

However, Vicky didn’t deny and jokingly said that Byron was her 29th boyfriend.

Enos turned his head to look at Vicky, who looked just like a model.

The man was stunned as he didn’t expect Byron’s woman to have such a rich dating history. She seemed aloof, arrogant, and cold, but she had her ways to make men submit to her. She was nothing but a player.

Most importantly, Byron pampered her endlessly. She must be a devil for being able to have him bewitched to such a

Glancing at her indifferently, Byron said, “You’re quite proud of yourself, eh?”

Vicky clearly knew how to target him but she said without restraint, “How can a woman who isn’t charming, be fit enough for you?”

“I can’t tame charming women. All they do is piss me off.”

Vicky pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. “And?”

Byron parted his lips and rolled his throat. He swallowed the smoke.

With the cigarette in her mouth, Vicky took a big drag before exhaling the smoke on his face.

“Well, I managed to get hold of you anyway.”

Holding her, Byron said, “You’re getting wilder and wilder.”

“Taming wild horses is a battle you men crave inherently. If I were like that woman, you would have gotten sick of me a long time ago.”

Byron wasn’t sick of Candice but he rarely thought about her 84 10%

Vicky suddenly asked sullenly, “How many times have you two slept with each other?”

He lit up another cigarette and said, “What about yourself?”

She waved her hand and Byron squinted.

“You’d better confess first,” Vicky said.

He exhaled a mouthful of smoke at the neon ceiling and said, “It’s none of your business.”

Vicky said sneeringly, “Seems like you’re very pleased.”

“Not bad. Well, it’s mainly because she’s clean.”

With his hand resting on Vicky’s waist, Byron could feel that her waist wasn’t as slender and soft as Candice’s and her eyes were less charming. Yet, she was much more ill- tempered.

It was a good thing Vicky was pretty and hot but at the same time, she would attract the attention of countless men, which he hated.

Candice was an obedient, girl–next–door type of woman

that he could accept.

However, she seemed to lack something. Perhaps, she didn’t put in enough effort and was too over the top with the flirting, so much that it seemed boring and pointless.

Vicky was about to leave but Byron was drunk so he didn’t make her stay.

She wasn’t really throwing a tantrum and using that tactic to control men. Byron was vulnerable to her means, just like countless other men.

However, this time, Byron chose not to coax her, causing her to be so humiliated that she decided to leave.

“She hasn’t improved at all. She’s using the same old trick as she did a few years ago,” Enos said with amusement.

After calming down for a moment, Byron stood up from the couch and said, “I have something to attend to. Bye.”

“Is Byron not going to drink with us anymore?” asked a friend.

Enos knew him best. Byron had a bark that was worse than his bite, especially towards Vicky.

“He’s gone to chase after Vicky,” Enos said.

Byron came out of the bar, only to see Candice while Vicky was nowhere in sight.

She was in the passenger seat of a Mercedes–Benz SUV, with Percy next to her in the driver’s seat.

It was speeding through the crossroads.