Chapter 1612 Friendly Hug
Stephen surveyed the rowdy and chaotic scene that was playing out all around him. “All manner of unsavory sorts hang out in this bar, and that makes this a dangerous place for girls like you. It might be best to avoid coming here if you can help it.”
“Why? Are you worried about me? Worried that I might be taken advantage of?”
Rose winked at a stupefied Stephen who appeared at a loss as to how to respond.
Stephen had mixed feelings. If she were her, I’d definitely not allow anyone to harm her! But if she isn’t Nina, then what business is that of mine?
“It’s getting late. Let me see you home,” Stephen proposed.
“All right,” Rose readily agreed.
As they strolled along the moonlit sidewalk, Rose cast a glance his way and initiated a conversation.
“Do you spend a lot of time in K Nation?”
“No. I’m only here to find someone,” Stephen replied candidly.
“Find someone? Who?”
“I’m looking for a girl named Nina. Do you know her?” Stephen had his eyes firmly locked on her heavily made-up face.
Rose tapped a finger against her own lips as if she was deep in thought before she shook her head. “Nope, I don’t know her! Who’s she to you?”
Don’t know her?
What Stephen could infer from her expression alone was not enough for him to deduce whether she was telling the truth.
“She and I are friends.”
“Boyfriend and girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Why are you looking for her, then?”
The man suddenly stopped in his tracks. “Would you like to know?”
Hearing that, Rose was immediately on her guard. She then shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to because I was just asking for the heck of it. Frankly, I’m not that interested in other people’s secrets.”
Stephen tactfully looked out for signs which might suggest deception but was left confounded. So, is she Nina, or is she not? If she is, then her performance is flawless. I can’t see a trace of deception.
The pair continued on, side-by-side, for another stretch down the street until they arrived outside Schumann Hotel. Rose then told him that she had reached her place and extended her thanks.
“No need for that, because this is where I’m staying too.”
“No way. Isn’t this such a lovely coincidence?”
When her voice trailed off, she spotted a woman coming their way. An idea popped into her head which made her suddenly throw her arms around Stephen.
The man was stunned and bewildered by this sudden and unexpected gesture.
“It seems that the fates keep bringing us together. First, you caught my glass. After that, you helped me fend off that thug. Now, we’re even staying at the same hotel. Isn’t such a profound connection just deserving of a hug?”
Not far away, Melanie, who saw the entire scene playing out, was shocked to see Stephen canoodling with another woman.
He… How could he?
“What do you think you are doing, Stephen?”
Once Melanie was done howling, she strode toward Stephen. When she stopped before them, she stared at Rose with eyes widened in fury.
Relinquishing her hold on Stephen, Rose looked back innocuously at Melanie. “Who’s this?”
“I’m his girlfriend! What were the two of you doing just now?”
“I…” replied Stephen, scratching his head.
“Couldn’t you tell that we were hugging? Oh, I’m sorry. Don’t misunderstand. It was just a friendly hug! Completely platonic and nothing else to it.”
“A friendly hug? Do you need to hug a friend so tightly? The way I see it, you’re up to no good.”
“It’s not what you think, Melanie. Look, I’ll explain it to you later.”
“What more is there to explain? I saw everything with my own eyes!”
Melanie was livid.
A hint of smugness flashed across Rose’s eyes. “Jeez. I wasn’t expecting your girlfriend to be so sensitive. You’d best attend to her, Stephen. I’ll take my leave now.”
When she was turning away, she sneered at Melanie and wagged her fingers goodbye to her in provocation before she sashayed through the doors of the hotel.
Stephen visually tracked Rose closely from the rear, as he was eager to pick up some more clues off of her.
That, however, upset Melanie who was keeping her eyes on him. She then tugged at Stephen’s arm and demanded accountability from him.
“Just one look at her skanky face, and you’ll know that she can’t be trusted. Now, promise me. I want you to promise that you’ll never go near this vixen again!”
