“Does Alex happen to be with you right now?”
“I’ll take care of this. You don’t have to worry about it.” Jasper sounded tired. He didn’t say much and quickly hung up the phone.
***
Alex couldn’t help but look around and realized that he was in an empty parlor. The decor was traditional and solemn, and he couldn’t help but feel a shiver running down his spine and become nervous.
Sunk in the soft leather sofa, Alex somewhat felt at ease. He was sick of standing around in airports every day. But he remained on high alert. He fixed his attention on the man in the gray suit in front of him.
Jasper was tall and in good shape. He frowned as he carefully examined the document and didn’t appear to want to be bothered by anyone.
Alex had been waiting patiently. After looking up and counting the golden pendants on the crystal chandelier above, he lost all patience. “Why did you bring me here?” he asked.
Jasper had just turned the final page of his paper when Alex asked him the question. With a friendly fake smile on his face, Jasper stood up, leaned back and said to Alex seriously, “Alex Jones, I know who you are.”
Tossing one of the documents in his hand on the coffee table, he continued, “Your mother comes from France and she works as a doctor. Your father is American and he’s a professor at Columbia University. You have two sisters, one of whom is married to a Russian businessman and the other one is also a doctor.”
Meanwhile, Jasper threw all the remaining papers in front of Alex. Alex could no longer maintain his calm demeanor. In horror and rage, he stood up and interrupted him, “What are you up to?” Alex clenched his fists and trembled all over. He had been trying to appear friendly, but his anger was revealed.
“I know you’ve practiced boxing, young man. But you’d better not be so impulsive.” Jasper turned his head to the line of guards at the parlor’s entrance, his contempt in his eyes challenging Alex’s bottom line repeatedly.
Alex calmed down, despite his anger. He sat down again and maintained his cool.
Jasper’s smile faded. He leaned forward, his arms propped up on his knees, and he appeared as ferocious as a wolf. “I’m Isabella’s father.” He said calmly.
“So?”
“I would not stop my daughter from dating a guy. But what you’re doing bothers her, and she doesn’t seem to want to see you. If you keep pestering her like this, I’ll do whatever I can to get you out of her hair. Don’t pull that dirty trick on Isabella, kid. You’d better get back to your country by tomorrow.” Jasper said as he was annoyed by this silly guy.
“”
Alex was displeased and wore a defeated expression. He bowed his head, and his fists were tightly clenched. “But it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow! Can I stay here another day?” In a soft, pleading tone, he asked.
“No,” Jasper said firmly. He rose to his feet, casting a shadow in front of Alex. And the shadow seemed to strangle Alex’s neck like a hand, suffocating him.
“Send him back to the airport.” Jasper had left the parlor, but his voice could still be heard in this room.
An hour later, a black sedan arrived in front of a hotel. Jasper sat in the back seat, his cold and angry expression adding to his oppressive appearance.
“Shall I get someone to escort him to the plane?” his assistant asked after a brief moment of thought.
Jasper’s expression became even colder as he looked out of the window and waved his hand, “That’s not necessary. Let’s go back.”
At the same time, Jasper’s bodyguards had just escorted Alex back to the airport. But because the airport was crowded and chaotic, he took advantage of the situation and ran away. Alex hurriedly checked into a nearby hotel and thought he was the smartest guy in the world. And he had no idea that Jasper knew where he had been.
Isabella had never responded to Alex’s messages and later blacklisted him. Alex had previously told her he would meet her at the airport, so he didn’t dare to go anywhere for fear of missing her.
He realized that he couldn’t stay at the airport any longer, so he turned to the internet for help. He could only keep sending Isabella friend requests. He knew if Isabella’s father could find out information about his family members, he would know about his past. Alex had been arrested in police stations several times since he was fourteen. And he was convinced that a man like Jasper would not allow his daughter to date a guy like him, so he was even more upset.
As he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, all he could think of was Isabella. She always wore a wide denim jacket with studs and many colorful hairpins on her head. She was a charming girl; he could always spot her in a crowd. Later, Alex dozed off while thinking about it.
The next day, Alex woke up with achy muscles all over. When he tried to sit up, he was surprised to find that his computer screen suddenly lit up. Seeing the message on the screen, he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Having checked a few times, he was sure that Isabella had messaged him, inviting him to meet her.
It was Valentine’s Day, and the streets had been decorated to create a romantic atmosphere throughout the city. Except for Isabella, most pedestrians on the street walked hand in hand. Alex stayed a safe distance away from her. He wanted to be closer to her but lacked the courage to do so.
“Did you irritate your girlfriend, sir? Maybe you could get her a flower bouquet,” A girl suddenly tugged on Alex’s shirt. She winked and smiled as she lifted the flowers in her hand to the tip of his nose.
“Sorry! I’m allergic to pollen.” Alex covered his mouth and sneezed several times before moving the flower away from his nose. Then Isabella took advantage of the situation and fled. Alex ran after her as soon as he realized what had happened.
Alex trailed Isabella for a long time as if he would never give up. He made every effort to remain as close to her as possible. As he finally managed to catch up with Isabella, he gave a gentle smile and said aloud, “Are you hungry? I’ll treat you to dinner if you’re hungry.”
Tired, Isabella slowed down. She needed to rest. Also, Alex still didn’t believe that she was hiding from him at all, and he seemed to enjoy the game.
Having no other options, Isabella fixed her hair and said, “I’ll buy you dinner, and we’ll have a proper conversation.”
Then Isabella took him to a small restaurant. She ordered what she wanted to eat and gave Alex a bottle of whiskey.
Later, the waiter brought them an appetizer and then opened the whiskey bottle. She poured a glass for Alex first, then asked Isabella if she wanted something to drink. Isabella shook her head and refused.
Alex felt strange after smelling a strong burst of alcohol in the bottle. He sniffed the whiskey and took a sip, promptly spit it out.
“I prefer guys who know how to drink,” Isabella said icily.
Alex was about to set his glass down at the time. After hearing her words, he frowned and gulped down the whiskey.
Then Isabella smiled contentedly and poured him another glass.
“I’ll be gone tomorrow.” Alex said. He’d just finished his second glass, his voice tinged with fatigue and sadness. Because he rarely drank, his face gradually flushed.
He said calmly, “I’m aware that your father dislikes me. I won’t deny that I have done some stupid things in the past.”
Isabella blinked and asked warily, “Huh? My father? Have you met him?”
Alex nodded and leaned back in his chair. He felt sick when he saw the bowl of kidney pie in front of him. So, he drank another glass.
“Your father knows everything about my family, so he definitely knows I was arrested because of fighting.” His voice became shaky. Then, he buried his head in his palm for a few moments to calm down before raising it again.
He poured the fifth glass of wine for himself. Isabella snatched the bottle from his grasp, poured herself a glass, and drank it in one gulp.
“Did he say anything else?” She asked. Isabella felt her blood rush into her brain like boiling water. Her voice became cold, but Alex was so dizzy that he didn’t notice it.
“He said he doesn’t mind you dating boys, but he doesn’t like me.”
Alex swayed a few times and appeared to be about to fall. Seeing that, Isabella snatched Alex’s glass from his grasp as he closed his eyes and fumbled with it on the table. She drank the glass for him, followed by two more. Her pale face had also turned red.
“Please call a cab for me, please,” Isabella said to the waitress as she drank the last of her wine and wiped her mouth. She got up, but her body was shaking. It took her a moment to stand still.
As she looked at Alex lying on his back in a chair, half of his body almost under the table, Isabella was worried.
“Hey, get up,” She hit him gently on the shoulder and said.
Alex grunted, waved away her hand, then fell to the floor with a thud.
Isabella attempted to help Alex to get up, but he was so tall and heavy that she couldn’t even get him to move. She was almost unable to stand after several attempts.
“I’ll pay you if you help me get him up.” Isabella patted the waitress on the shoulder.
The waitress was wide-eyed as if she had seen a ghost. She was taken aback and pointed behind Isabella.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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