Chapitre 8: Louis's Sister Getting in Between

Out of nowhere, Madelyn was smacked in the face multiple times, leaving her dazed and seeing stars. Her face burned with pain, and she heard a buzzing sound in her ears. Enraged, Madelyn grabbed Alicia's arm and started clawing at her. Her driver, who had been lurking in the corner, rushed in and pulled the two apart with all his might.

Madelyn then realized that it was Lilith Martinez, Louis's sister, who had struck her. Alicia, on the other hand, was surprised to see Lilith and quickly ran to shield her from further harm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alicia spotted the scratches on Lilith's wrist, which were bleeding. Her heart sank, and she quickly took out a band-aid from her bag and placed it on Lilith's wound, asking, "Does it hurt?"

Lilith winced in pain and replied, "It's fine, Alicia. Did she scratch your face?"

Alicia shook her head and said, "No."

Lilith glared at Madelyn and growled, "Don't be nice to that witch. Just slap her straight-up. What's the point of reasoning with her? Reasoning is for those who listen, and she's not one of them!"

This caused Madelyn to fume with anger. She held back her rage and fake-cried, "Lilith, we grew up together, and I've always treated you like my own sister. How could you..."

Lilith gave her a cold look and retorted, "Cut the crap. I don't have a sister like you. My brother was so good to you, and so was my whole family. But when my brother had an accident, you bolted out of here faster than a cheetah. And now that my brother's leg is better and things are back to normal, you're back to snatch him away and bully Alicia. Have you no shame?"

Madelyn's face went from pale to red, and she muttered, "I have my reasons..."

"Quit the bull. My brother may believe you, but I don't!" Lilith shot back without missing a beat.

Just then, Alicia's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that Louis was calling. She hesitated for a moment before answering.

Louis called out, "Where are you?"

"We're at the restaurant on the southern end of Antique Street," Alicia replied.

"Be there in three minutes. Hold tight," he said before hanging up.

Alicia couldn't shake off the image of Louis and Madelyn locked in a passionate embrace the night before. Her heart felt like it was suffocating under a heavy weight, especially when she saw the white rose he had given Madelyn on the table.

Louis strutted in with his posse a few minutes later. He was tall, strong, and tanned, with facial features that could make even the most stubborn hearts skip a beat. His graceful long legs swayed with each step, drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant toward him.

Initially, everyone was focused on the fight between Madelyn and Lilith. But as soon as Louis showed up, all eyes were on him.

Madelyn's eyes lit up when she saw Louis, and she rushed towards him with tears streaming down her face. "Louis!" she cried out.

Louis furrowed his brow. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Madelyn looked at him with pitiful, red eyes and said, "I came to meet Alicia to explain what happened last night, but before I could say anything, she scolded me, and Lilith even hit me."

She pointed to her swollen cheeks and pouted, "It hurts."

Louis looked at Alicia and asked, "Is it true?"

Alicia smiled. She couldn't believe that Louis's former flame would be such a despicable person. Not only was she heartless and unscrupulous, but she also lied without batting an eye. The favored ones always have confidence without fear.

Alicia was about to speak when Lilith cut in, "Louis, you gotta think. Alicia's such a good-hearted person. If Madelyn didn't provoke her, would Alicia ever scold her? When you were sick all those years ago, and your temper was raging, did Alicia ever fight with you? I hit Madelyn because she tried to scratch Alicia's face, and now I think I should've slapped her harder."

Louis turned to Madelyn and asked, "Why did you provoke Alicia? Why did you try to scratch her face?"

Madelyn turned pale and tears streamed down her face as she said, "No, I didn't do that. Alicia and Lilith misunderstood me. Louis, you have to believe me."

She reached out to grab Louis's hand and leaned into his embrace. Lilith stepped forward, grabbed Madelyn's arm, and pulled her aside, scolding, "Are you spineless or crazy? My brother is a married man, and you still want to cuddle up to him? You shameless whore!"

Madelyn clutched her chest in pain, and tears streamed down her face like broken pearls. Louis furrowed his brow and said to Lilith, "You should watch your mouth. Maddie suffers from severe depression. Don't aggravate her."

Lilith sneered, "Don't use depression as her excuse for being a whore. I've seen many people with depression, but they all have self-respect and are kind and good. Unlike her, she doesn't appreciate her worth and wants to be a homewrecker."

Madelyn burst into tears, covered her mouth, and stumbled out of the restaurant. Her driver picked up her bag and the check before chasing after her.

Louis turned to his bodyguard and ordered, "Follow her and keep an eye on her. Don't let her attempt suicide again."

"Understood, Mr. Martinez," the bodyguard replied, following Madelyn out.

Lilith sneered, "If you really wanna die, just go off to some deserted place and off yourself. Who do you think you're scaring by making a scene?"

Louis's eyes grew cold, and he reprimanded her, "You've gone too far, Lilith!"

Alicia stepped forward to defend Lilith, "Blame me if you have to; she's only venting for me."

Louis's gaze softened as he looked at Alicia. He pulled out a tube of scar removal cream from his bag, "Here's a cream I had brought back from Europe. Follow the instructions, and it'll make sure the cut on your neck doesn't leave a scar."

Alicia's heart ached as she looked at the cream. "I know he doesn't love me, but sometimes I feel like he still cares."

She quickly laughed it off, thinking, "If he really cares about me, how could he let something like last night happen?"

The events from the previous night still weighed heavy on her mind, and she couldn't bring herself to confront Louis about the truth.

Lilith snatched the cream from Louis's hand and shoved it into Alicia's, "Don't let this happen again, OK? Next time, I'll definitely teach the bully a harder lesson."

Louis calmly replied, "It's between Alicia and me, so don't meddle in it. You're still too young."

Lilith retorted, "I'm only a year younger than Alicia. I'm no kid!"

Louis ignored her and took Alicia's hand, "Have you eaten anything? I'll take you out for some food."

Alicia felt a spark when he took her hand, but quickly pulled it back and said, "I'm already full."

Louis looked at her with a gentle gaze. "Do you believe me when I say that last night was all a misunderstanding?"

Alicia stiffened her posture and spoke sharply, "It was my bad timing that ruined your night."

Louis gave her a helpless smile and finally gave up explaining, saying, "OK, then let me drive you back home."

Alicia grabbed her bag, and they walked out of the restaurant. As they passed a flower shop, she pushed open the door and walked in.

She looked around and pointed to a bunch of white roses, "I'll take those."

The florist asked, "How many?"

Thinking back to the twenty roses Louis had given Madelyn, Alicia blurted out, "Two hundred."

The guy hesitated for a moment and smiled, "Please wait for a minute."

After waiting for a long time, the flowers were finally packaged. Till then, Alicia eventually realized why the florist had hesitated; the bouquet was almost one meter in diameter, making it very large and heavy.

She struggled to carry it, but was happy with the purchase. She could buy herself flowers without relying on anyone else's gifts, because she was an independent woman with her own money.

Louis took out his card to pay, but Alicia handed hers over, "I have my own money."

She spoke firmly because that was the money she earned from work.

Louis gave her a faint smile, understanding her need to assert her independence.

After paying, Alicia walked out holding a gigantic bouquet of white roses. The bouquet was so big that it made her figure appear even slimmer, like a tree swaying gracefully in the wind.

Louis reached out to lend a hand with the gigantic bouquet, but Alicia stepped away, dodging his gesture. He froze for a moment, then withdrew his hand slowly. As they strolled down the street, Louis glanced at the dense roses and asked, "Do you dig white roses too?"

"Not really," Alicia replied curtly.

"Then why did you buy so many?" Louis inquired.

"I just feel like having them now. Why do you care?" Alicia shot back coldly.

Louis was taken aback. He'd never seen her in such a prickly mood before. He asked, "What type of flowers do you like? I'll remember that for next time."

Alicia remained tight-lipped. She grew up with her grandparents in the country and preferred Black-eyed Susans, Zinnias, Daisies, and Coneflowers, the simple yet sturdy small flowers that were common in the countryside.

She had no feelings for the delicate and expensive white roses in her arms. She bought so many simply to assert herself.

As they approached Oddities of Time, Alicia halted abruptly and said, "Don't give me flowers anymore."

Louis raised an eyebrow and inquired, "You don't want your colleagues to know we're together?"

"We're getting divorced eventually, right?" Alicia's voice quavered as her heart thumped in her chest.

This murky relationship was like a dull knife, cutting her heart little by little.

Louis fell silent, rooted to the spot, as he watched Alicia walking away. His gaze was deep and calm, like an ocean full of thoughts.

Alicia arrived at the entrance of the store and bumped into Leo. He beamed at her, "Who sent you such a massive bouquet?"

"No one; I bought them myself," Alicia replied.

Leo grinned wider, "It's heavy. Let me help you with it."

Alicia handed him the bouquet, smiling, "Thanks."

Leo teased her, "You're going to be a cash cow here very soon. I have to do something to impress you."

"Come on, Mr. Grainger," Alicia laughed.

The two of them strolled together into the shop, chattering and joking.

Louis stood tall and straight from a distance, his eyes frigid. He felt like the scene was a possum trying to invade his three years of carefully cultivated garden and was about to destroy everything. His first instinct was to drive the possum away.

That was when Louis realized he wasn't as generous as he'd thought. He clenched his teeth and ordered his assistant, "Find out who that guy is."

Half an hour later, the assistant received a phone call and reported back to Louis, "Mr. Martinez, the man's name is Leo. He's a doctor, and Oddities of Time is his grandfather's store. He exchanged texts with Mrs. Martinez three years ago."

Louis raised his eyes, a cold gleam in them. "Check out Leo's background and see if he knows a guy named Chuck."