The next thing Andrea knew, she was lying down on a hospital bed again. She could still remember the things that happened that time, the nightmare that she survived once again. No one could have prepared her for the fact that it only took Mathias four years to completely forget about being human. However, he wouldn’t return to jail anymore. Gryphon made sure he wouldn’t.
Even if she looked so pitiful, Andrea didn’t feel her body aching anymore. The drug must have been flushed out already, and the dextrose succeeded in making her body feel refreshed again. The only bad thing about this was that her left hand was in a cast for weeks.
“…I have a bulk order…” Andrea whispered before reaching out for her call nurse button. “I need to find Charlie. She must be so scared to be on her own.”
At those words, Charlotte frowned before dropping her shoulders in her little tantrum. “You lied to me? Why? I thought princes are supposed to be honest!”“…I don’t want you to think that I’m lonely. Princes have pride.” Gryphon somewhat snorted as he leaned on the frame of the door. He then eyed Andrea who only looked at him, ignoring the indiscernible emotion in her eyes. “We just went to pay for your bills, and you were already gone when we came back. Tch, you’re really Charlotte’s mother, aren’t you?”“Gryphon, I…” Andrea then saw how Marlene and Tommy showed up next to him. She only smiled at the arrival of her friends, feeling embarrassed. “Hey, thank you for coming to see Charlie. Erm, introductions will be messy at this point, I think.”
The loud rain battered against the roof of her car as she braved the night. The storm signal was the greatest tonight, and yet she was out there in the streets with zero visibility. It didn’t help that she was only donning a thin red dress, her bare feet enduring the kiss of the metal pedals on her soles. Andrea was crying inside and out. Her hands would sometimes move to clear her eyes and her nose, but her teeth were still clenched in anger… resentment… self-pity. How hurt must a woman be before she was allowed to walk away from a relationship? Not only was she getting suspicions that her boyfriend was cheating on her, but he was also becoming more and more aggressive. She could remember it vividly, just like the previous times he made her heart jump in fright. … “What do you mean I can’t expect you to—? Do you know how hard the rain is falling outside?” A booming voice of an angry man made Andrea shudder in her spot. She was reheating the food she cooked earlier, not knowing th
The loud chatters of the people enjoying the birthday party echoed from one table to another. After all, everyone at the party was those who had put their own expensive accessories to boast and get people to kiss their asses. Perhaps, the only person not enjoying the party was the birthday celebrator himself. Gryphon Pearce sat at their table, only swaying the wine inside his glass. His thick brows furrowed at the messages flashing on his phone, one by one. Those were notifications that he had yet to attend to. Some were from his friends who kept on posting photos and tagging him, while most were from a woman that he was supposed to pick up from her hotel room. Yes, Gryphon dared not to fetch the woman that he was supposed to marry. “If you continue frowning, you will get older faster.” The person sitting next to him chuckled as he watched his best friend toss his own phone at the table. “Shouldn’t you go find Roxanne now? Your parents will finish talking to everyone soon.” “I don
Andrea didn’t know why the man knew her name, but if he could move, then… maybe, she wouldn’t have to stay here longer than necessary. At this, she rubbed her nose to calm her sniffing and gestured toward the passenger’s seat. She had no choice but to let him in; perhaps, his presence would help her get a grip on her situation better. The man went to open the door and got in as she disengaged the locks. She then spoke as soon as he sat down, “Sorry, I’m not really in the mood to talk. I’ll just drive you to a hospital for your arm.” “Where are you going in this storm? You even looked like you’re heading out for a date.” Gryphon didn’t care about the supposed silence. He huffed before taking a look at the backseat. “You don’t even have a coat or a companion. Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He noticed how the woman was dressed up, only to be left with a pitiful ending. More than that, the vulnerable woman might get in trouble if she continued going around in just that dress t
“There should be one waiting for me.” With no idea of what the staff was preparing for him, Gryphon stood in front of the reception desk while drying his hair, watching the receptionist arrange for their suite. He didn’t even glance at Andrea, who was looking around the hotel’s empty reception hall. It was obviously empty since no one would be here at such a late hour. “Andy, let’s go,” Gryphon called out as he walked to the elevator lobby, key in hand. However, seeing no one behind him, he had to fetch her from where she stood. This girl must have turned deaf with all that water in her ears. He pushed her inside the elevator and pressed the button to close the doors. When the doors closed, the two had no choice but to see their reflections on the metal doors of the elevator. The male stared at himself, noticing how his wrinkled designer white long-sleeve stuck to his body from the wetness it inherited from the suit jacket. The stay inside her car was not even enough to dry him. He
“Me? Your pretend darling?” Andrea only smiled for the photo before laughing out after he tossed the phone to the side. “One, I am not playing a game like that. Two, me, trying to win you back? In case you forgot, you dumped me back in high school because I wasn’t posh enough. I am not going to sacrifice my hard-earned self-esteem just to go posh for you. And three…” “You talk too much. It’s just a yes-or-no question.” With an angry grunt, Gryphon moved his arm from under her head and only placed it on the rim space between them. “I already took the photo, so there’s no point in saying ‘no’ now.” Andrea glared at him before sighing. She only leaned on her back again and looked up at the ceiling. To be honest, what would she gain from saying ‘no’? What was pride in the face of a man who would hunt her down to a corner? It didn’t matter whether it was Mathias or Gryphon; both of them could surely make her life miserable. It’s just that… she didn’t want to feel like she had no voice of
“What is it?” Mathias begrudgingly answered his phone as he tried to huff off his exhaustion. After all, he exerted a lot of energy at every swing he did against Andrea’s soft body. However, his anger was yet to be quenched for real. As long as Andrea could still move, he would not stop.There was no way he would let Andrea run to that man again.It’s just that the voice that came from the phone was as if the cooling breeze of spring. His overall fury only needed a few seconds to be dissolved into a drop of a smile on his face. Mathias then leaned on the wall and kept listening to the voice with a smile that only grew deeper.“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be there tonight. Sorry about last night. I was too drunk to attend to my phone.” His smile seemed to hit an all-time high
“I look stupid?” Gryphon erased all the sorry on his face, wearing a cold glare to replace his worried gaze. How could he forget that this girl had been always so cheeky that he would smack her just for saying things? He just gave her a warning finger gesture. “You’re lucky we’re in a hospital. I can’t be caught flicking your forehead… oh, wait, I can do that!”“What? No!” At the finger threatening to painfully flick her forehead, Andrea shot her hands up to catch his own hand. However, the bruises and overall weakness of her body kept her from moving all that much. She winced, not at the pain of the flick.With a snort, Gryphon took back his hand that didn’t even land on her face. His phone had also pinged as if it was not meant to be too distracting. He just pulled on his clothes to smooth the