Chapter 147: Chapter 147: The Kindness of Saving a Life, Repaid with a Gushing Spring
Claire Sinclair reluctantly braced herself and waited for him to finish speaking.
The man’s thin lips parted. "Do you remember saving a little boy by the river once?"
’By the river...’
’A little boy?!’
Claire Sinclair’s eyes flew open. She looked him up and down countless times before finally blurting out, "No wonder I couldn’t remember who you were! I always thought I’d saved a little girl!"
Orion Osborne: "..."
As if she’d found a kindred spirit, Claire Sinclair asked him, "Do your parents still hit you?"
She remembered how his family had chased him down and beaten him to within an inch of his life. Out of kindness, she had brought him to her secret hideout and would sneak him food every day.
Then one day, she snuck him into someone’s private garden to play. She ended up getting home late and was beaten half to death by her father. He then locked her in the storage room for several days. By the time she got out, she was a complete wreck.
That was when the chronic problem with her leg started.
Once she recovered, she immediately went to the secret hideout to find him, but he was already gone. He vanished without a trace, and over time, she gradually forgot about him.
Orion Osborne seemed to be recalling their past as well. After a long silence, he said, "They’re dead now. No one hits me anymore."
"Oh, I see. That’s good, then. I hate domestic violence more than anything."
"Why didn’t you come looking for me afterward?"
Claire Sinclair answered honestly, "I got sick. I was sick for many days. By the time I went back, you were gone. I just figured you must have gone home."
Orion Osborne said in a low voice, "My family took me home. I left a note for you before I went. You didn’t see it?"
"The little wooden cabin was torn down by the time I went back. Even if there was a note, I wouldn’t have seen it."
That little wooden cabin was actually an abandoned treehouse. It had been torn down for being an illegal structure. She had thought he’d gone home simply because he had nowhere left to hide.
Orion Osborne fell silent.
Claire Sinclair’s feelings for him were just those for a childhood playmate. Besides, she had always thought he was a girl.
’With a face as ethereally beautiful as his, more so than even a woman’s, it would be hard to tell his gender even now if he wasn’t wearing men’s clothes...’
Beyond that, Claire Sinclair felt they had run out of things to reminisce about. With nothing left to say, she said, "Um, I should get going."
Orion Osborne finally spoke. "You saved me. I will grant you one wish. When you’ve decided what you want me to do, give me a call."
With that, he took a silver business card from his pocket and handed it to her.
Claire Sinclair raised an eyebrow, not immediately taking it. "I didn’t save you because I was kind. I was just bored and thought it would be fun. You don’t have to be so serious about it."
"A debt for saving a life must be repaid in full." Orion Osborne insisted, forcing the card into her hand.
Resigned, Claire Sinclair took the card to avoid getting tangled up with him any further.
As if a great weight had been lifted from his mind, Orion Osborne didn’t pester her anymore.
As he watched the girl walk away, an enchanting and alluring woman emerged from around the corner and stopped beside Orion Osborne.
"Aren’t you afraid Adrian Quincy will find out you gave her that number?"
"Do you think I’m afraid of him?"
The woman was rendered speechless.
Orion Osborne started toward the stairwell. "Let’s go back."
The woman hurried to follow.
...
Down the hallway, several burly, tall figures suddenly sprinted past, rushing toward the men’s restroom.
Aiden Howkins was in the lead.
Just as they were about to charge into the restroom, Adrian Quincy suddenly walked out.
Seeing them all panting with panicked expressions, Adrian Quincy frowned in displeasure. "How many times have I told you? Don’t look so flustered in a place like this. You’ll scare people."
