Chapter 6 Hospital

Ellie was allowed to enter the hospital room as she was accompanied by Andrew when they brought Ashley to the emergency room.

However, she felt terrified as she entered the door. She saw Andrew's bad temper. The way his cold eyes pierced everyone with a sharp gaze frightened Ellie. His stern face was able to make anyone silent in fear. Anybody would be scared witless if they ever had been under his enraged stare. Even the young nurse who took care of Ashley trembled just as she passed by him.

When Ashley became stable, the doctor and the medical staff left her to rest. Andrew and Ellie were then left to watch over Ashley sleeping.

It was silent in the bright hospital room. Ellie was still in shock after she witnessed Andrew's terrible anger.

Ellie then noticed that Andrew walked closer towards Ashley's bed. The aggravated look in his face made Ellie cautious. She suspected that Andrew might intend to hurt poor Ashley. She hurriedly stood up and blocked Andrew's path. She tried to hide her fear as she turned, quickly bent, gave a bow to Andrew and said,"Thanks, Mr. Lu!"

Ellie decided to address Andrew by Mr. Lu, similar to how everybody else in the hospital did.

"OK." Andrew actually didn't care much about her presence since Ellie entered the room. He was only concerned with Ashley's health. The emotionless reply he gave Ellie was the only time he interacted with her.

"Mr. Lu, it seems that you have a lot to do today. If you don't mind, I will take care of Ashley. You can go ahead and leave to address your business arrangements."

Andrew's already stern expression worsened when he heard Ellie's words! The room slowly became chilly as Andrew's cold stare pierced Ellie.

Ellie's heart froze in that scary moment. She didn't know what to react to Andrew's chilly gaze. The summer heat was useless as Ellie shivered in fear.

Ellie was suspicious of how sensitive Andrew was with Ashley. She pondered on what exactly the relationship was between these two.

Andrew's phone rang in his pocket and disrupted Ellie's thoughts about his connection with Ashley. He reached for the device and looked at the screen with a bit of hesitation. His eyes showed rage as he read the caller's name. The frown in his face grew worse. He pondered for a while before he decided to answer the call. His thumb swiped the screen reluctantly as he walked out of the room.

Ellie was thankful for the call. It not only saved her from Andrew's icy gaze but also pulled her out of the trouble of being in the same room as him even for just a few minutes. She let out a deep sigh of relief and managed to calm down. She then turned towards Ashley and guarded her with concerned eyes.

'I thought Ash was already fine yesterday. What happened to her that made her this sick suddenly? Her fever is very high and she still hasn't woken up.'

Andrew came back after some time. He appeared to be in distress and in a hurry. His eyes reflected his reluctance to leave and how he wanted to stay and care for Ashley instead. He just stared at her like he tried to apologize because he needed to leave before she woke up. Finally, he turned towards Ellie with his eyes full of sorrow and said in a cold voice,"I have to go now. I need you to stay here by her side and look after her."

Ellie was confused but she still agreed to Andrew. She nodded in agreement and said in a daze,"Okay."

She thought to herself, 'Okay? Just Okay? What is that about?

Who does he think he is? What kind of relationship do they have to be that over familiar? I am obviously the one who should look after Ash not him.'

However, Ellie kept it all to herself. She didn't dare to voice out her concerns. She felt uncomfortable around Andrew. Now that he had gone, Ellie felt the stress in her shoulders left as well.

Ellie was intrigued about the cold man who just left. She suspected him to be someone with an elite social status. The atmosphere in the room changed when Andrew was here. She felt so uncomfortable and so nervous around him that she had some trouble breathing. She had no clue why a stranger like him would make her feel so troubled.

Ellie was surprised and concerned on how Ashley crossed paths with a man with such a strong spirit.

"Ughhh…" Ashley let out a faint groan as she slowly opened her drowsy eyes.

The last thing Ashley remembered was their apartment. She was flustered because she had woken up in a different place than their home. The bright ceiling, the white walls, and the unfamiliar bed confused her as she tried to adjust her eyes to the lights.

"Are you awake now?" A familiar voice entered her ears which helped her to calm down.

Ashley turned her head towards the sweet voice. She recognized Ellie was seated right next to her and wore a smile on her face.

"What happened? What happened to me?" Ashley wanted to ask Ellie for an answer, but she was stopped immediately by a very hoarse cough. Her voice wouldn't come out as she was anguished by her sore throat.

Ellie stood up as she saw her friend barely able to talk. She grabbed a glass of hot water and handed it to Ashley. However, Ashley was too weak to get up by herself. Ellie grabbed her arms and helped her to sit up on the bed. Finally, she drunk some water and was able to voice out her words.

"You're the one asking me what this is all about? I should be the one interrogating you regarding what happened. You've got a very terrible fever. Thank goodness you've got treatment in time. If it hadn't been for that, you would have been delirious by now," replied Ellie to Ashley as she stroked Ashley's hair. She jokingly complained in her mind, 'What a careless woman, never able to take care of her body. I've been away for just a single day and she already found a way to trouble me and made me take care of her.'

"Ashley, be honest with me. You told me you were going to attend Lena's engagement party. Why did you end up like this, now in a hospital room in such a state? I need some answers." Ellie's voice was full of concern but she felt so angry about what happened to her friend. Ashley looked so fragile and vulnerable as she lay on the bed.

"So that's what has happened before I woke up just now. It must be the reason for this terrible headache." Ashley had to force herself to speak. Even though her voice was already normal, she still felt so weak to talk as much as she used to.

"Oh Ellie, I'm so sorry. It was just an accident. I promise to take care of myself," said Ashley as she looked at Ellie with sincere eyes.

Goo goo goo…

Ashley's stomach growled as she felt hungry. She remembered she hadn't eaten anything.

Her beautiful face started to blush.

Ellie smiled as if to reassure her friend. She didn't say anything as she took out a bowl of porridge. Ashley was still weak so Ellie fed her. It was a very sweet scene between two friends that cared for each other. Ellie cooked the porridge back home as their breakfast. Unfortunately, Ashley was found ill and was taken to the hospital. Ellie was so thoughtful that she didn't forget to bring it because she thought Ashley might be hungry when she woke up.

Ashley found it sweet yet awkward that Ellie fed her like she was a child of Ellie. She tried to stop Ellie's hand, open her palm and ask Ellie for the spoon. She said with a pout,"I can do it myself."

"Let me at least help you eat. One of your hands is still under infusion. How can you eat by yourself?" Ellie replied to Ashley as she pointed to the dextrose that connected to the back of Ashley's hand.

"That makes sense."

Ashley nodded in agreement. She was a little shy to need Ellie to feed her, but she was happy to have a friend that cared that much.

Ellie continued to feed Ashley. She paused for a moment as a thought came into her head.

"Ash, there was a man who went to our apartment. I didn't recognize him nor have I seen him before, but he said he came to visit you. Do you know who he is?"

"Huh? Who? What did he look like?" Ashley felt confused as she answered Ellie with questions of her own.

"He was a tall man, probably around 1.88 meters tall. His face was handsome and charismatic but the look in his eyes was very cold. It felt like being in the presence of a tyrant." Ellie told Ashley every detail that she could remember about the man. She talked about his aura and how he commanded anyone with ease. Ellie hoped Ashley could tell her who the man was.

"Is that so? I'm so sorry but I can't remember such a man. I have no idea who he is." Ashley shook her head as she answered Ellie. Her mouth was so full that her voice was a little hard to understand.

"Are you certain that you don't know such a man?" Ellie was still skeptical when she looked at Ashley.

She remembered the events before and thought to herself, 'The man was very concerned with Ashley. He might be enraged but he was so passionate about Ashley's health this morning.'

"I don't know," Ashley confirmed and shook her head again.

"I understand that you don't remember. It's just the way he acted is like you two are really close. You need to be more careful about that man. It seemed like you mean something to him."

Ellie chose her words very carefully.

"How could that be possible?" Ashley was confused when she heard Ellie's words. She even thought that Ellie wasn't serious but the look Ellie gave was really concerned.

Ashley always thought that she understood herself very much. She could tell, from what Ellie had described about that man, that he must be someone with an elite background. It was impossible for her to meet such an extraordinary man.

Even if she did cross paths with some amazing man, she would be too nervous to interact with him. Her mouth would run dry and her tongue would be tied. She would fail to let her voice out and run away instead.

However, a flash of memory entered her brain. She remembered the night when she snuck into a stranger's room and met that man. Her body recollected everything that he did to her as if it had happened again.

'About 1.88 meters tall?

Handsome? Charismatic?

A man who gives off a feeling of a tyrant?

That's impossible! Could he really be that man?"

… Ashley choked on her sudden realization. She coughed hard as her brain put together all the pieces of the puzzle.

Ellie saw this and put aside the bowl and spoon in her hands. She stroked Ashley's back to help her breathe better. "Take it slowly! No one will steal this food from you. You don't need to rush," scolded Ellie.

"No, I didn't! It's just that…" Ashley tried to find the appropriate words to describe her thoughts, but she ended up tongue tied.

"It's just what?"

"I remember the man you spoke of! He must be the one I met that night!" Ashley told Ellie what she remembered. She tried to speak some more but her throat was still weak. She swallowed as she fixed her eyes at Ellie.

Ashley was really nervous as her body was reminded of the bruises, the headaches, and everything else she experienced that night.

She trembled by the very thought of what happened. Her body was still traumatized. She absolutely never wanted to experience that kind of agony ever again!

'He must be very spoiled given his social status. He could get any woman he wants very easily. Women like me would be treated by him like his toys.'

Ashley tried to comfort herself as these awful thoughts conquered her mind. She tried not to give any value about what happened between her and that man.

Ellie could only hug Ashley after what happened. She was shocked at how hysterical Ashley got when she realized who that man was. It was now clear to her that Ashley didn't want to be involved with such a man.

"My dear sister, what happened to you?"

A soft voice with a hint of sarcasm suddenly came from outside the ward door.

Ashley frowned when she recognized the voice. Her eyes reflected fear and rage.

When the door was open, Lena stepped inside the hospital room. Ellie stared at her with a look of disdain. She asked her with a cold voice,"What are you doing here?"

"I heard my sister was sick. How can I sit at home and not pay a visit?" Lena continued to walk towards Ashley's bed. She dismissed the ungenerous behavior of Ashley and Ellie. The two of them coldly stared at Lena, waited for her to leave, but Lena didn't pay them any attention.

Lena stood beside Ashley's bed and studied her. She looked down to her sister who felt weak. However, the fever wasn't enough to make Ashley look dull. Her face was still as pretty as a rose even though she'd been sick. Her cheeks were red and tender. This infuriated Lena. Jealousy took over her as she wanted to mess up the pretty face in front of her. Inside her mind, Lena couldn't help but scream in her heart, 'That pretty face of yours makes you look like a whore. You would seduce every man you encounter. Let me do you a favor and tear it apart for you!'