Chapter 6

Alisha kept her gaze lowered, her long lashes casting delicate shadows over her pale face.

An IV needle was taped securely to the back of her hand, while her other hand held an open medical textbook. Beneath the harsh fluorescent lights of the hospital corridor, she looked almost unnaturally fragile.

Rory stood some distance away, his eyes fixed intently on her until her lashes fluttered, and she looked up.

Alisha hadn't expected to run into him at the hospital again so soon. A faint smile touched her lips, and she gave him a small wave.

Rory's jaw tightened. His expression remained cold and unreadable as he turned and walked away without a word.

Alisha slowly lowered her hand, embarrassment creeping over her.

Susan hadn't been entirely wrong about her temper, especially when she was a rebellious teenager. Back then, the more someone resisted her, the more determined she became to chase after them.

When Rory stonewalled her during high school, she had resorted to spoiled, aggressive taunts just to get a reaction out of him.

"Rory, a broke kid like you should feel honored that I like you. Don't be so ungrateful!"

"If you don't like me back, enjoy being poor for the rest of your life."

"Rory, you really are a total brick wall!"

...

She had cared only about what she wanted, blurting out whatever came to mind without giving a second thought to his pride or feelings.

Looking back, she had been unbelievably thoughtless. But more than a decade had passed. Surely, he wasn't still holding a grudge over something she had done as a teenager, right?

A helpless sense of resignation settled over her, but Alisha pushed the thought aside and returned her attention to her textbook.

After she read for a while longer, a dry itch in her throat reminded her of how thirsty she was. She unhooked her IV bag from the pole and was about to go find a water dispenser when a tall shadow suddenly fell across the pages.

A hand extended toward her, holding out a paper cup of warm water. Alisha looked up and found herself staring into Rory's cold, handsome face.

"Thanks," she murmured, accepting the cup and taking a careful sip.

Rory's voice was low and smooth. "You're here all alone?"

Alisha's fingers tightened around the paper cup. "Yeah."

Rory glanced at the empty seat beside her, then at the IV bag that was still half full. Then he quietly sat down, leaving one empty chair between them.

He didn't speak again. He simply settled beside her in quiet, steady silence. A faint trace of his cologne drifted toward her, crisp and clean, with a hint of mint.

"How is your mother doing?" she asked, assuming his presence meant another visit upstairs in Psychiatry.

Rory gave her a sideways glance. Realizing she might have overstepped, Alisha was just about to apologize when his deep voice sounded.

"Much better."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah."

His profile was sharp and striking, his features more mature and refined than those of the boy she remembered. He had become far more imposing, distant, and self-possessed with age.

Even sitting silently in a hospital hallway, he drew a steady stream of admiring glances from people passing by.

Remembering their fender bender, Alisha broke the silence again. "You still haven't sent me the repair bill for your car."

"It's not much," Rory replied evenly.

"Even so, I'm not going to just let it go," Alisha insisted, determined not to owe him anything. "Besides, when you drove me home the other night, didn't you specifically remind me about the damages?"

Rory paused, and the atmosphere around him seemed to cool by another degree. After a moment, he gave her a modest three-figure amount.

Alisha knew his car was a custom-built luxury model worth well into eight figures. Even if she had merely chipped a tiny fleck of paint, there was no way the repairs could possibly cost only a few hundred dollars.

"Are you cutting me a break because of Jason?" she asked suspiciously.

Rory turned to look at her.

His cool, impassive gaze drifted slowly down her arm before settling on her fingers. Once again, there was no wedding ring.

He said nothing, yet somehow it felt as though he could see straight through every thought she hadn't said aloud.

Alisha awkwardly curled her fingers inward, bitterness coating her tongue.

She had once pursued Rory relentlessly, only to be met with one cold rejection after another. Then, at 18, she had met Jason and embarked on a decade long relationship that ultimately ended in complete ruin.

Now her marriage was a public disaster, and throughout all of it, Rory and Jason had remained best friends.

Sitting beside Rory now made her feel as though she were under a scorching spotlight, exposed and vulnerable, with a quiet defensiveness rising beneath her embarrassment.

"If you're doing this because of him, I don't need your charity," she said stiffly.

"This has nothing to do with Jason," Rory said steadily.

"Then stop insulting me with a few hundred dollars," Alisha retorted, her expression softening just a fraction.

Rory lowered his eyes and tapped a few commands into his phone. Moments later, a sharp notification chime came from Alisha's coat pocket.

She pulled out her phone and froze. "A seven-figure repair bill? Did you miscalculate?"

She had estimated the damage herself. Even generously, she had expected it to cost no more than five figures.

"Driving you home in that storm and making the trip back took nearly five hours." Rory shrugged. "I lost a major business contract because of it. I included the opportunity cost in your bill."

"You offered to drive me!" Alisha protested.

"And you insisted on settling the account down to the last cent," Rory countered smoothly.

Alisha glared at him, her cheeks flushing a deep rosy red. She couldn't tell whether it was from indignation or the fever still burning through her body.

Rory remained completely unfazed. His gaze lifted to the IV bag just as it ran dry.

He stood up and summoned a nurse to remove the needle. Once the back of Alisha's hand had been bandaged, he looked at her.

"I'm driving you home," he offered.

"No, thanks. Your driving services are far too expensive. I can't afford you." Alisha pressed down on the spot where the needle had been, eyeing him suspiciously.

Rory raised an eyebrow. "It's complimentary today."

Alisha couldn't resist testing her luck. "If that's the case, can you give me a discount on the repair bill?"

Rory didn't even blink. "If a coat you bought last year goes on sale this year, does the department store refund you the difference?"

Alisha was stumped. She couldn't help muttering, "I don't remember you being this sharp-tongued back then."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Having driven her once before, Rory navigated the night streets toward her apartment with effortless familiarity. Before unbuckling her seat belt, Alisha made one last attempt.

"Can you really not knock anything off the bill?"

"I can."

"Really?"

Rory reached into the center console, pulled out a gold-embossed business card, and held it out to her.

"The attorneys at this firm are the best in the state. If you negotiate through them, they might shave off 10 or 20 grand. Consider that knocking off the loose change."

"Thank you," she said sarcastically, taking the card.

Rory shrugged. "You're welcome."

Alisha stepped out into the cool night air and watched the taillights of his Bentley disappear down the street. Then she looked at the astronomical seven figure amount on her phone, and her headache seemed to intensify.

She rode the elevator up to her floor. When the doors opened, however, she immediately spotted a tall figure leaning against the wall outside her apartment.

Her brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?"