Chapter 205 Never Smiled That Brightly at Me Before
Courtney swallowed and looked at the man in front of her as he fed her porridge. Then, she awkwardly said, “Uh… I think the president of the company at the time really was you.”
“No need to beat around the bush. It has always been me.” Alexander stuffed the last mouthful of fish porridge into her mouth. Clang! The spoon clattered against the walls of the porcelain bowl. He placed the bowl by the bedside and wiped his hands slowly.
“However, the person in charge of the clothing brand was not me.” He glanced at Bill and continued in a cold voice, “Didn’t you eavesdrop on my phone call this afternoon? Why are you still doubting me? Or, could it be that you just refuse to accept the truth?”
Bill trembled with anger. “That was caused by the conflict between the senior executives of the company! It’s really disgusting how you treat us designers as sacrificial pawns to shield yourselves from harm!”
“If that’s what you think, then there’s nothing more for me to say.” Alexander glanced at Bill as he crumpled the tissue in his hands into a ball. The white ball-like object traversed in a smooth arc through the air and accurately landed into the trash can at the foot of the bed. If it wasn’t for Courtney. I wouldn’t have bothered about such trivial matters from the past, let alone the messy business James left behind.
“You know, I believe that this is all just a misunderstanding.” Courtney looked at the two men. “It’s not fair for Sunhill Enterprise to indiscriminately frame the employees of its subsidiaries back then. Those actions could easily ruin a person’s future.”
Bill vehemently agreed on this point.
“But… even if Sunhill Enterprise’s actions were wrong, you cannot blame somebody else for that without understanding the truth behind the incident, Mr. Dawson. How is that any different from what the senior executives at Sunhill Enterprise did back then?”
Upon hearing those words, his tanned face paled considerably.
To be honest, she had seen through his feelings from the way he carefully and stutteringly explained his side of the story. He probably knew that he had wrongly accused Alexander and was regretting his actions.
Unfortunately, he could not set aside his pride and admit that he was wrong. “Why don’t everybody shake hands and make peace for my sake? Mr. Dawson, I’ve eaten the fish porridge you gave me. It was delicious. Let’s just take that as your apology for accidentally scalding me. I won’t be paying you for it, okay?”
Courtney aimed to lighten up the atmosphere, but Bill couldn’t bring himself to smile. On the other hand, the expression on Alexander’s face was so cold that he resembled an iceberg sitting there. Nobody responded to her joke, and the atmosphere became even more awkward than before.
He needs to apologize to me.” Alexander pointed at the bruise at the corner of his mouth to show Courtney. “I’m letting him off easy with just an apology.”
“You—” Bill angrily pointed at his black eye. “You beat me up too!”
“Self-defense and intentionally causing harm are two different things.”
Seeing that the situation was turning explosive again, Courtney abruptly fell into a coughing fit. Cough, cough, cough—
Both men stopped suddenly and looked at her anxiously.
“I traveled all the way out into the boonies to sign a contract with a designer only to receive this burn on my leg. Yet, the two of you keep on quarreling with each other. It’s very annoying!”
Alexander felt extremely guilty upon hearing those words. If it wasn’t for me, Courtney would not have gotten injured. With nowhere to vent his resentment, he shot a chilly glare at Bill again.
In response, Bill glared right back at Alexander without holding back. Then, he turned to Courtney to confirm something. “Miss Hunter, you mentioned previously that you do not work for Sunhill Enterprise. I would like to confirm that again; is that true?”
“Of course.” Courtney nodded. “I might hold the surname ‘Hunter’, but there is nothing between me and Sunhill Enterprise whatsoever aside from being a former employee at Sunhill Hotel. Citron Apparel has always been my family’s business, and now, I oversee the company.”
She greatly emphasized the words ‘former employee’ as if deliberately trying to warn Alexander about something. When Alexander heard those words, he silently swallowed the words he had been about to say to Bill.
“Good.” Bill nodded solemnly. “Then, I will sign a contract with you. Any conditions will be fine. It will be my compensation for harming you.”
“Huh?” Courtney was stunned. “Are you serious? Can you repeat that?!”
His expression was serious as he repeated what he just said, word for word.
I can’t believe my sudden stroke of fortune! Who could have thought that Bill’s sense of responsibility could be so strong?! I can’t believe he accepted my offer because he accidentally burned my leg! If so, this burn is totally worth it! “Then, I will immediately draw up a contract upon my return. I will send somebody to deliver it to you later.”
“No need. You can go back first. I will head to Melrose City after packing up my stuff. By the way, I have a condition.”
“You dare to set conditions?” Alexander glared at Bill.
“What is it?” In response, Courtney pinched him as she flashed a brilliant smile at Bill. “I’ll accept whatever you ask for.”
This is unbelievable! Alexander thought furiously.
“I don’t have a place to stay in Melrose City. So, I need a temporary place to stay. I will move out once I find a house.”
“Sure. You can leave it to me. I’ll make it so that you can move in as soon as you arrive,” she agreed readily. Getting a good designer is equivalent to obtaining a cash cow! What is a house compared to that?!
“I look forward to working with you.” Courtney struggled to stretch out her arm, intending to shake hands with Bill. However, Alexander caught her hand before she could fully stretch out her hand. He impatiently pushed her back down on the bed. “Your injury is not healed. Did you forget about the pain? So what if you’re working together? Just stay still.”
Bill glanced at him contemptuously and faintly said, “Male chauvinism will kill a marriage. Miss Hunter, I advise you to reconsider this person carefully.”
“What did you say?!” Alexander’s expression was extremely dark.
“I’ll go back to pack up so that I can make it to leave with you.” Bill acted like he heard nothing. After saying that, he arrogantly walked out of the clinic.
“Hey, Mr. Dawson! You forgot your bowl!” A melodious voice rang out from the lobby of the clinic.
“Just throw it away. I’ll get new ones when I move out.”
A long time after Bill left, Courtney was still staring in the direction he left with a foolish smile on her face.
“Are you done being happy?” Alexander stared at her coldly, looking very dangerous.
She wiggled her eyebrows at him. “Of course, I’d be happy about signing a contract with a designer.”
“You’ve never smiled at me like that before.”
“Smile at you?” She looked at him in contempt. “People will think I’m crazy if I smiled at you like that.” If Cameron saw that, she’ll say that I’ve been deluded by his beauty and turned into a nympho!
He felt extremely dissatisfied with the result. Gritting his teeth, he said, “I was still diligently trying to find a way for you to win over that stupid designer when you were being treated for your wounds inside the clinic. But, you only focused on that b*stard the moment you woke up. You didn’t even look at me! Courtney Hunter, don’t you have anything else to say to me?”
He immediately regretted saying those words. Thus, he scowled deeply and turned to leave. In the past, he would not have said anything. However, he was feeling extremely anxious right now—so much so that he shamelessly said something he did not mean just to take credit for what he secretly did.
Courtney grabbed Alexander’s hand abruptly. His hand was large and wide. Moreover, it had the warmth that was characteristic of a man. Following her action of leaning forward, her waist gradually arched into a smooth line as she placed a warm kiss on the corner of his mouth. The hospital ward immediately became very quiet. Then, he heard the gentlest voice murmur, “Thank you.”
