Chapter 28 : The Raindrops Felt Refreshing
When Ronan saw that she still didn’t react, he felt embarrassed. He stormed off, furious.
Allison didn’t feel any better when he left.
What was she supposed to do when Nigel came back? What if the Rogers family forced her into marriage? Legally, she was labeled mentally ill. Legally, her family had the right to control her. Even if she ran away, they could still drag her back. She hadn’t even escaped the nightmare of all the pain she suffered in the asylum. And now she was about to be thrown into the nightmare of marriage, too?
She felt the warmth on her wrist. That pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw Jareth rubbing medicine between his palms. He was warming it up. Then he gently applied it to her swollen wrist.
Jareth said, “I wasn’t the one who called Ronan here.”
Allison didn’t answer him. Whether Ronan was called here or not didn’t matter. What happened already happened. What was done was done. There was no point in thinking about it over and over.
There was no hatred without a reason. There was no kindness without a motive. Allison never expected Jareth to be genuinely good to her. After all, she had her own plans too.
Allison said, “I did use some tricks with the Alphasirox pills. But I only wanted to show you my value. That’s all.”
As long as she had value, she wouldn’t be stuck with the Rogers family.
Jareth wasn’t stupid. Being direct would make it easier for him to trust her.
Allison stared at him, saying, “Fixing the Aconite toxicity problem is simple. You can sell Alphasirox pills as a three-course treatment. The first and second courses are taken alone. The third one has to be taken with Licorice Root.”
“Licorice Root?” Ronan blurted out, surprised. Even people outside medicine knew it was a common ingredient.
Allison nodded. “Licorice Root detoxifies. It neutralizes poison. The Aconite toxicity in Alphasirox pills doesn’t take effect immediately. It has a delayed effect. We just have to neutralize it when it kicks in.”
Allison continued, “Wellinges Pharma must already have a huge batch of the medicine in stock. If they destroy it or recall it, they’ll lose a ton of money. The money part is actually small. It’s the company’s reputation that really matters.”
Medicine was a matter of life and death. When trust fell apart, the company wasn’t far from bankruptcy.
Allison said, “This is the simplest solution I can think of right now. It causes the least loss.”
Jareth understood what she meant and immediately asked, “You have other solutions?”
Allison said, with total confidence, “Clinical trials take at least three months. It doesn’t matter if this risky plan works or not. In the end, it’ll still need to be replaced by a more refined drug.”
Then she quickly added, “I can create a better one.”
Jareth finished applying the medicine. He grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned his hands. Then he asked, “What do you want in return?”
Allison exhaled, relieved, and she said, “I want money. Cold cash.”
Jareth nodded. “That’s easy.” Then, he raised his arm, “I thought you’d want this.”
Allison looked at the bracelet on his wrist. She quickly shook her head, “Even if you give it to me, I can’t keep it. It’s safer with you.”
The Rogers family was dangerous. If she took the bracelet back, it would only end up helping Sherrie. Money made more sense. Money was practical. Money was something she could actually use.
Jareth glanced at Oliver.
Oliver got the message. He walked towards her and said, “Little rabbit, let’s go.”
Allison could tell Jareth wasn’t going to move. She knew that was his way of telling her to leave. She didn’t say anything. She got up. Then she followed Oliver out of the clubhouse.
The moment they walked outside, they heard the sound of rain hitting the windows. That’s when Allison realized it was raining.
A valet drove the car to a dry spot. Oliver got into the driver’s seat. Allison sat in the back.
A few seconds passed. Then someone knocked on the window.
Oliver rolled the window down. The person outside threw in a briefcase. It wasn’t very big, but it hit the seat with a heavy thud.
Oliver rolled the window back up. He turned the wheel and said, “This is three hundred thousand in cash. It’s not that Jareth wants to give you a small amount. It’s just that you wouldn’t be able to carry more than this.”
Allison opened the case. It was full of money.
Oliver glanced at the rearview mirror. He saw Allison gripping the case tightly. She was laughing. She was crying at the same time.
He was confused and thought to himself. She was the only daughter of the Rogers family. Why was she this happy over such a small amount of money?
Oliver asked where she wanted to go. Allison gave him Nova’s address. She wasn’t trying to hide it. She figured that if Jareth wanted to find out, she couldn’t keep it a secret anyway.
The car drove through the rain. The luxury vehicle was almost silent inside as the soundproofing was excellent.
Allison had never liked rainy days. But maybe because she was in a good mood now, the rain felt soft. The rain felt gentle. The rain even felt lovely.
She silently rolled the window down slightly. She reached her fingers out. The raindrops hit her hand. They felt cool. They felt so refreshing.
She whispered to herself, wondering, “On a rainy day, will I meet a god with a soft heart?”
Allison looked at the neon lights reflecting in the raindrops outside the window. She felt like the whole world had suddenly come alive.
For the first time, she actually felt like she had gotten out of the psychiatric hospital.
Oliver dropped her off. Then he drove away. Allison stood by the door. Her heart was pounding hard. She lifted her hand and knocked, hesitant at first. Then the door opened.
Nova was holding the doorknob, and when she saw Allison standing in front of her, she screamed in surprise, “Allison!”
Allison’s hands loosened. The money case fell to the ground.
“Nova!” Allison was overwhelmed with emotion. She threw herself into Nova’s arms. Then she started crying.
Nova tried to pull Allison into the house. She was crying too. With her other hand, she picked up the money case. Then she carried it inside.