Chapter 191: Chapter 191 From her own lips
Alana and Leonardo continued playing and bickering in bed for a while before finally closing their eyes in contentment.
*********
Meanwhile, at the hospital.
After a round of tests, Cole was found to have no major issues; his external injuries were severe, but his internal organs were unharmed.
As for the cause of his unconsciousness, it was mostly due to excessive drinking.
If it weren’t for the incessant chatter ringing in his ears, he probably wouldn’t have woken up so quickly.
“Brother! Please wake up. Don’t leave me!”
Cole opened his eyes and saw Camila, who was clutching his hand and wailing incessantly.
His head was pounding, and his body ached terribly. “Cami, where’s Alana?”
The moment she heard this, Camila’s eyes widened in fury, and she was livid.
“What do you mean, Alana? You were beaten to a pulp, and you’re still thinking about that slut Lana? When will you ever truly forget her? A lowly, worthless brat like her, with no parents to love her and no status isn’t worthy of you at all!”
Cole frowned, annoyed by what he was hearing. He couldn’t help but press his fingers to the bridge of his nose, a vague memory beginning to surface.
He remembered taking Alana with him to a business dinner. Perhaps upset about her cold attitude towards him, he drank a bit too much and ended up getting drunk.
And then...
What happened?
A few fragmented memories flashed through his mind.
He couldn’t help but lean against Alana, wrap his arms around her, and then...his eyes darkened. “Camila, what did you just say? That I was beaten up and sent to the hospital?”
“Isn’t that what happened? You’re covered in bruises. Look at your face, it’s all swollen!” Camila gently stroked Cole’s face with concern.
Cole frowned. “Who beat me up? Do you know?”
Camila replied, “How would I know? I got a call from the hospital saying you were in critical condition, so I rushed over here. Then I called your company and was told you were out on a business dinner tonight with that slut Alana. Maybe that slut was the one who hit you. She’s up to no good with you!”
Cole furrowed his brow and said with certainty, “She wouldn’t.”
Besides, Alana wasn’t the kind of woman to take advantage of someone in distress. No matter how much she hates him, she wouldn’t do this to him.
Camila pouted, her lips curled in displeasure. “Then who else could it be besides that slut? Look at this...you went to that social event with her, but when you ended up in the hospital, she wasn’t even by your side. It’s obvious she has a hand in this!”
Cole frowned, his tone displeased. “Camila, stop calling her a slut. She’s going to be your sister-in-law in the future.”
Camila sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Future sister-in-law? I don’t accept her. Besides, with her lowly background, she’s not even worthy. Never mind that I won’t agree, Mom and Dad wouldn’t agree either! You know full well that back in middle and high school, we were like oil and water!”
“Besides, she beat you up like this, she’s clearly heartless and ungrateful toward you. How can you still have feelings for her?”
Cole seemed to recall something; his eyes narrowed dangerously as he said in a deep voice, “It wasn’t her who did it! It was a man!”
“A man?” Camila frowned. “Who is this man?”
Cole clenched his fist.
He, too, was curious about who that man really was.
He believed Alana would give him the answer.
*********
Early in the morning, Alana arrived at the office and found that Cole wasn’t there.
She felt a pang of guilt, wondering if Stephan had beaten him senseless last night.
Damn it! She’d gone to that business dinner with him last night. She wondered if she’d be held accountable too.
After all, her boyfriend had beaten him up, and she hadn’t stopped him. But it wasn’t entirely her fault, after all, she did call 911 for him, didn’t she?
Besides, if he hadn’t been groping her, he wouldn’t have gotten beaten up.
Hmm, so this wasn’t her fault at all.
Alana comforted herself, then turned on her computer and got down to work. However, she hadn’t even had a chance to settle in before Grace called her out.
“Last night, you went to a business dinner with Manager Cole. He got beaten up and is in the hospital now. Do you know who attacked him?”
“Well...” Alana bit her lip, unsure how to explain.
Grace frowned. “Weren’t you with Manager Cole the whole time last night You don’t know who beat him up?”
Alana lowered her eyes, unsure how to respond. Grace could tell Alana was deliberately holding something back, but it wasn’t her concern, after all, she wasn’t the one who’d been beaten up.
“Never mind. Go to the hospital right now on behalf of our department to visit Manager Cole, take the opportunity to explain everything to him properly.”
Alana didn’t hesitate for long; she nodded. “Oh, okay.”
Alana left the office and took a taxi to the hospital where Cole was staying. When she reached the hospital entrance, she thought for a moment, then decided to spend a little money and bought a basket of fruit.
She found out that Cole was in VIP Room 109. That was on the eleventh floor. She took the elevator up.
She walked to Room 109.
The door was closed. After a moment’s hesitation, she reached out and knocked on the door.
A moment later, the door opened. “Who is it?”
It was Camila who came to open the door.
When Camila saw that it was Alana at the door, she instantly lost her temper.
She let out a shrill scream, like a hedgehog with its quills raised, her voice sharp and grating.
“Alana, why are you here?! How dare you show your face to my brother?!”
Compared to Camila’s loss of control, Alana remained remarkably calm.
After all, she was no longer the little girl she once was. Facing the person who had bullied her in the past, she was able to control her emotions and keep her expression impassive.
She spoke calmly, “I just came by to check on Manager Cole and explain what happened last night. If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave.”
Camila snapped without hesitation, “Get out! You’re definitely not welcome here! Get as far away as you can!”
Alana nodded and was just about to leave gracefully. The man in the hospital room couldn’t sit still any longer. “Lana, wait a minute!”
Alana paused in her tracks and looked toward the man sitting on the hospital bed.
Cole was wearing a blue-and-white striped hospital gown. The bruises on his face remained, and a raised, swollen red mark of blood stood out at the corner of his mouth.
A pair of silver-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose. His skin was fair, and his lips were slightly pale, giving him a sickly, fragile beauty.
“Camila, stop messing around. Let her in!”
Camila’s tone was displeased. “Brother!”
Cole furrowed his brow, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I have something to ask her.”
With no other choice, Camila turned to Alana and said, “Come in!”
Alana paused for a moment, then walked in carrying the fruit basket. She set the fruit basket on the table before asking,
“Are you feeling okay?”
Cole replied, “I’m fine.”
“That’s good.” Alana breathed a sigh of relief. Since he was fine, surely he wouldn’t hold Stephan’s action against him?
Hearing Alana’s words, Cole assumed she was concerned about his injuries. He couldn’t help but smile; after all, she still cared about him.
After a moment’s hesitation, he spoke up. “Last night... I’m sorry. I was drunk, so I made some inappropriate advances toward you.”
Alana bit her lip. The excuse that he’d been drunk and hadn’t meant to do it allowed her to pretend his harassment of her had never happened.
She paused for a moment. “It’s okay.”
Hearing that she didn’t mind, Cole’s expression softened slightly. Then he asked, “Who was the person who attacked me last night?”
Thinking back on a few recent incidents, he had a vague hunch. But he wanted to hear it from her own lips.
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