Chapter 319: Too Much Like It
“Slow down!” Alison shouted.
“No, you should get back home quickly and take a nap, then you’ll make it to work today,” Gabriel objected.
She fell silent and gave in.
“Are you still cold?” He pulled the jacket tighter around her and asked loudly.
“No!” she shouted back, spreading her arms wide.
The feeling of soaring through the wind recalled her Jack.
Jack… Titanic…
As the thought flashed through her mind, her outstretched arms suddenly dropped.
“What’s wrong?” he shouted over the wind.
She didn’t speak; she swiftly traced the word with her finger along his arm — Jack.
He slowed the bike.
As the wind died down, he said, “Maybe he will come back.”
“Are you saying he’ll come back?” she asked.
“Yes. So you must wait for him,” he said.
“What about you? Don’t you want me?” she pressed.
“I’m not Jack. The one you long for is him,” he said softly.
She listened quietly, saying nothing more.
As the motorcycle neared the community gate, it stopped.
Before Alison could react, Gabriel said, “Get off. You’re home.”
“Could you take me inside the compound?” she murmured lazily.
The walk inside was still a distance away, and she was sleepy, reluctant to dismount.
Seeing her sleepy face, he sighed softly, started the motorcycle, and drove into the compound.
Beneath the building where Alison lived, a red Volvo was parked by the roadside.
As dawn broke, Aidan came here to wait for her so they could go to work together.
He had expected her to be still asleep.
But his jaw tightened when he spotted Alison leaning against Gabriel on the motorcycle.
From a distance, he couldn’t hear what she said, but she shook off Gabriel’s hand and ran upstairs.
He yanked open the car door and stepped into the middle of the road.
“Stop!” he shouted at Gabriel.
The motorcycle screeched to a sudden halt, narrowly avoiding a collision.
The two men stared each other down.
Aidan realized Gabriel’s eyes did bear a resemblance to Jack’s, but despite that, he had no reason to be polite to him.
Seeing that Aidan was silent, Gabriel chuckled.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, the motorcycle roared to life and began to back away.
“Stop! Don’t leave!” Aidan finally snapped.
“Go ahead.” Gabriel lifted his head and smiled.
“Fine. Gabriel, you have no right to mess with Alison. You can’t make her happy; you’re a junkie. Without Matthew, you’re a dead man walking.”
“Heh, that’s my business, Mr. Winston. Blocking my path like this isn’t polite.” Gabriel’s tone was arrogant.
“I told you not to mess with her.”
Saying that, Aidan’s hand landed on Gabriel’s shoulder and squeezed hard.
Then he swung a punch at Gabriel.
Gabriel dodged it with a slight shift, then leaped nimbly off the motorcycle.
“Mr. Winston, why stop me from seeing Alison? And who do you think you are to her?”
Gabriel’s accusation carried a hint of provocation, only further fueling Aidan’s anger.
“Because I liked her before you did. Much earlier,” Aidan replied.
“Oh? Is that so? But I don’t believe love follows a first-come, first-served rule. It’s not her fault she doesn’t love you.” Gabriel laughed.
Aidan threw another punch.
Then, the two men truly began to fight.
…………
Elsewhere, Alison collapsed onto her bed and fell into a deep, utterly exhausted sleep.
Only when the alarm rang did she jolt upright.
Glancing at the time, she gasped — it was almost time for work.
Gritting her teeth, she dialed Aidan’s number.
“What is it?” Aidan’s voice came through.
“Aidan, I want to sleep. Can I take the morning off?” she pleaded.
“No! If you don’t show up, you won’t be coming back. Work is work. YD doesn’t need an employee like you,” he yelled.
“Fine. Where are you now? I’ll get ready and come down immediately,” she said, giving in.
“Take a taxi yourself. I don’t have time to pick you up,” he said coldly before hanging up.
In truth, Gabriel and he were in the hospital.
Their fight ended when security called the police.
Gabriel insisted he was Aidan’s friend, but the police shoved them both into the ambulance without a word.
They were told that no one could leave until they gave statements.
Alison hailed a cab and rushed to the office, relieved to find that Aidan hadn’t arrived yet.
She was a minute late.
One minute — it should be fine.