Chapter 3

By the time I rushed to the hospital with a lunch box, it was already one-thirty in the afternoon.

Leo had already eaten and was fast asleep.

I turned to his primary care physician, Dr. Luke Evans, with a grateful smile.

"Dr. Evans, how much was the lunch? I'll Venmo you right now."

"Thank you so much. I got caught up with some work this morning. I'm sorry for making you watch over Leo."

Luke smiled gently and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. It was just some food from the cafeteria. It’s nothing. When I saw you hadn't arrived by noon, I knew you must be busy working. So, I grabbed him some lunch."

He stepped closer, his eyes focusing on my left cheek.

"What happened to your face?"

"Did you scrape it while delivering in the rain again?"

Luke reached out, intending to examine the cut.

I flinched, pulling my head back instinctively.

Seeing Luke's hand frozen in mid-air, I realized I had overreacted.

I quickly offered an apologetic smile.

Before I could explain, Luke, ever understanding, smiled warmly.

"You need to treat it, or it will get infected. It’s not deep, but you've been out in the rain and dirt. It’s better to be safe."

"My shift just ended. Come to my office. I'll clean and disinfect it for you."

I couldn't decline his kindness again. Just as I was about to follow him, someone slammed hard into my shoulder from behind.

Unprepared, I stumbled, and my elbow crashed violently against the cold corridor wall. My entire arm went numb with pain.

"Ah..." I gasped, unable to hold back the pain.

I clutched my throbbing shoulder and looked up.

It was Carter.

Amelia was clinging tightly to his arm.

As if I was just some annoying trash blocking his way, he didn't even look at me. He threw a careless, insincere apology over his shoulder.

"My bad."

And then he kept walking with Amelia.

Amelia, however, turned her head to look at me.

Last night, Carter had blocked her view, so she hadn't seen my face. Today was our first official encounter. Her eyes first landed on my wrinkled, dirty food delivery uniform, and then swept over my miserable state as I clutched my bruised arm.

A smug, mocking smirk appeared on her face. She didn't even think I was worth wasting her words on.

She giggled and leaned closer to Carter as they walked away.

"Chloe, are you okay?"

Luke immediately held my arm to support me.

Seeing how pale I was, his face darkened, and he was about to chase after them.

I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I'm fine, Luke. They were probably in a rush. He apologized anyway."

"Let it go."

Seeing my stubborn insistence, Luke sighed and nodded. He helped me to his office.

After treating the cut on my cheek, he gave me some ointment for my bruised shoulder.

I thanked him and insisted on paying for the medical supplies. After a brief argument, he finally accepted the money.

Checking the time, I knew I had to get back on the road for the afternoon rush.

But the moment I walked into the hospital parking lot, my heart sank.

The seat of my electric scooter had been slashed to ribbons with a utility knife.

And the entire vehicle was covered in dripping, wet red paint.

"You pathetic gold-digger!"

A sharp, hostile voice echoed from behind me.

Amelia stepped out from the shadows of the concrete pillars. She was holding a bright red box-cutter, a cruel smile on her face.

"Five million dollars, and you already spent it all?"

"What? Are you so broke that you have to come back and... try to seduce Carter again?"

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